Researchers found Earth's atmosphere sheds onto the lunar surface thanks to the solar wind stripping particles, which then spiral along magnetic field lines.
The constellation Triangulum lies close to overhead in northern skies on December evenings. It contains the Triangulum galaxy, a gorgeous pinwheeling spiral.
Cetus the Whale is a huge constellation that swims in a sea of stars near constellations named for a river and fish. And it contains a wonderful variable star.
Fornax the Furnace appears as a few dim stars to the unaided eye but harbors galaxies from one orbiting the Milky Way to some at the edge of the universe.
Here are some of the forms of aurora that you might see. Some are more common, such as diffuse glows, while others are a sign of a big geomagnetic storm.
Scientists found that stars in the "S-cluster," a group of young, high-velocity stars orbiting our galaxy's central supermassive black hole, have stable orbits.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.