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Yarkovsky effect: Pushing asteroids with sunlight
The Yarkovsky effect is a minuscule push on a small body in space, imparted by nothing more than sunlight. It can change the direction of asteroids.
January 1, 2026
Full Blue Moon – and farthest moon of 2026 – on May 30-31
There's a full Blue Moon overnight on May 30-31, 2026. A Blue Moon is the 2nd of 2 full moons in a calendar month or the 3rd of 4 full moons in a single season.
January 1, 2026
How far is a light-year? Plus, distances in space
How can we comprehend the distances to the stars and other galaxies? Here's a way to understand a light-year in terms miles and kilometers.
January 1, 2026
Why is Venus so bright in our Earth’s sky?
You can't miss dazzling Venus in the east before dawn. It's the 3rd brightest object in the sky, after the sun and moon. But why is Venus so bright?
January 1, 2026
What’s a Blood Moon? All you need to know
By this definition, Blood Moon is a member of a special kind of lunar tetrad : four total lunar eclipses in a row. Now it's used for any total lunar eclipse.
January 1, 2026
Earthshine is a lovely glow on the unlit portion of the moon
Earthshine - the dim glow on the darkened portion of a crescent moon - is light from Earth cast on the night side of the moon. Watch for it around the new moon.
January 1, 2026
Saturn at opposition – brightest for 2026 – on October 4
Don't miss Saturn at opposition on and around the night of October 4, 2026. That's when our planet Earth passes between the sun and Saturn.
January 1, 2026
Why is there no eclipse every full and new moon?
If the moon orbited Earth on the same plane that Earth circles the sun, we'd have an eclipse at every full and new moon. Here's why we don't.
January 1, 2026
Greatest elongation, superior and inferior conjunction
When Mercury and Venus are as far from the sun as they get from our earthly point of view, they are at greatest elongation. It is the best time to observe them.
January 1, 2026
The moon illusion makes the moon look huge!
When you see a large-looking moon low in the sky, does the moon look bigger to you? That's the moon illusion that makes the moon look so big.
January 1, 2026
