Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Don’t miss the Jupiter-Mercury conjunction

You need an alarm clock and a clear sky to the east, the sunrise direction. Binoculars will come in handy. The 2 bright planets will come closer and closer, finally closest on December 21. Beautiful!

Don’t miss 2018’s brightest comet

Whether you glimpse it with the eye - or see it online - don't miss comet 46P/Wirtanen! Charts, tips and other info here.

See it! Images of comet 46P/Wirtanen

Look here for photos and video of 2018's Christmas comet and brightest comet, 46P/Wirtanen.

Mars over a waterfall in Turkey

Basri Seckin said he set out to capture the Milky Way, but clouds got in the way. Then he realized he had this image of Mars.

Himalayas at sunrise

Sudip Aich captured this image in late November from Sandakphu, a high peak in the Himalayas, surrounded by much-higher ones.

What will the sun do next?

Many have predicted a weak sunspot cycle in the years ahead, but new work from India suggests otherwise. The work dashes speculations of a sun-induced global cooling of Earth’s climate in the coming decade.

Saturday’s young moon and Saturn

Wow! We weren't sure any of you would catch the moon and Saturn this weekend … but some of you did. Thanks to all who submitted.

Sunshine, blowing snow and a sundog

Sundogs - aka parhelia - are caused by ice crystals in the air. They're most easily seen when the sun is low.

Mars and Neptune, over-exposed

The bright planet Mars and faint planet Neptune are in conjunction now, near each other on our sky's dome. Here's a fanciful image and a more realistic one.

A few people caught Mercury!

We weren't sure if any of you would catch Mercury so near the sunrise glare. But you did!

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