EarthSky’s top 5 stories of 2018

Scientists expect 1st direct black hole image soon: This was one of the most popular posts at EarthSky all year, and no wonder. It’s exciting! In March, scientists said they expect to obtain the 1st-ever direct image of a black hole’s event horizon, soon. Read more.

Situation at Kilauea Volcano ‘steadily worsening’: Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano erupted for weeks in mid-2018, creating fissures in the land, tossing out large boulders and releasing toxic gases in a plume called a laze when molten lava met the sea. Images and videos here. Read more.

Fragments of asteroid 2018 LA found in Botswana: Astronomers detected a small asteroid just eight hours before it struck Earth’s atmosphere over southern Africa on June 2, producing a terrific explosion. A few days later, researchers reported finding its meteorites. Read more.

Brightest Mars since 2003: Why was Mars so bright and red in our sky in July and August 2018? Here’s the answer. Read more.

Curiosity finds strange object on the surface of Mars: The Mars Curiosity rover captured images of this strange object on the planet’s surface on August 13. What is it? NASA scientists have figured it out. Read more.

EarthSky 2019 lunar calendars are cool! Order now. Going fast!

Bottom line: Read the five most popular posts at earthsky.org in 2018.