Posts by 

Editors of EarthSky

June birthstone: Pearl, moonstone or alexandrite

For June babies, pick any of these as your June birthstone: a gleaming pearl, a glowing moonstone, or a colorful and exotic alexandrite. All are lovely choices.

Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 just crashed to Earth

That old, failed Soviet spacecraft - Kosmos 482 - has apparently come back to Earth, likely in the Indian Ocean, according to Roscosmos.

Watch a sungrazing comet’s final death leap

The sungrazing comet appears as a relatively bright and slow-moving dot, heading toward the sun, then suddenly fading away.

See the Atlantic hurricanes name list for 2025

Get the list of names for the 2025 season for Atlantic tropical cyclones and hurricanes. Read more about how the naming system came to be.

Uranus discovered by accident on this date in 1781

William Herschel spotted Uranus in 1781 during a routine survey of the stars. It was the 1st new planet found since ancient times.

Sirius is a future southern Pole Star

Wait, what? It's true. The sky's brightest star, Sirius aka the Dog Star, will come to within 1.6 degrees of the south celestial pole in the year 66270.

Mars closest to Earth on January 12, 2025

The Mars opposition - when Earth flies between the sun and Mars - comes on January 15-16, 2025. But January 12, 2025, finds Mars closest to Earth.

Too cold to snow? Do cold temperatures prevent snow?

Can it ever be too cold to snow? The fact is, no matter how cold a snow-producing cloud is, if it has a source of water, it can build big snowflakes.

Personal solstices from the EarthSky community

Some people like to mark the solstice with a special sunset view, or marking of shadows, or party! Personal solstices from the EarthSky community, here.

Comets are icy balls of gas, dust and rock

Comets are diffuse balls of ice and dust orbiting the sun. They're sometimes visible in our skies. A comet's tail can stretch millions of miles across space.

EarthSky Newsletter

Nearly half a million daily subscribers love our newsletter. What are you waiting for? Sign up today!

Join now to receive free daily science news delivered straight to your email.