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Comet Leonard in the evening sky
The first comet to be found in 2021 was Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1). It's now the brightest and best comet of this year! Charts and more here.
December 20, 2021
Seeking Europa’s water plumes with Clipper
Are Europa's water plumes real? NASA's Europa Clipper will launch in 2024 to visit this moon to answer this and other questions about its subsurface ocean.
December 19, 2021
Ursid meteor shower peaks morning of December 22
The Ursid meteor shower always peaks around the December solstice. The dark hours before dawn are best. This year, a nearly full moon interferes.
December 19, 2021
Atmospheric lakes bring much-needed rain
Atmospheric lakes form in the Indian Ocean and bring much-needed rain to dry areas of Africa's eastern coast. They are peaceful cousins to atmospheric rivers.
December 17, 2021
Barreleye fish shows a transparent head
On December 9, 2021, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute shared this rare video of a barreleye fish, or Macropinna microstoma.
December 17, 2021
5 weird things that happen in outer space
Here are 5 weird things that happen in outer space: the state of plasma, extreme temperatures, cosmic alchemy, magnetic explosions and supersonic shocks.
December 16, 2021
Dark matter missing from 6 galaxies
Astronomers completed a 40-hour long observation of an ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxy and discovered no traces of dark matter.
December 15, 2021
Aldebaran, Bull’s bloodshot eye, near moon December 15, 16, 17
Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus the Bull, is at one tip of a V-shaped cluster. If placed where our sun is, its surface would reach the orbit of Mercury.
December 15, 2021
December tornadoes: What caused the deadly US outbreak?
December tornadoes in a historic outbreak overnight from December 10 to 11, 2021, may have produced the longest-track tornado on record.
December 14, 2021
Hundreds of new exoplanets from Kepler data
Scientists have found hundreds of new exoplanets in data from the Kepler mission. These include 301 new confirmed exoplanets and 366 new planetary candidates.
December 13, 2021
