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Halo and sundogs over Montana
Ski resorts are the best places to see fine halo displays, like this one. Why so beautiful and why so sparkly? Details here.
December 21, 2017
Big Dipper over Murrieta, California
The Big Dipper is low in the sky in the evening hours at this time of year. But you can see it after midnight. Janet Aviles caught it earlier this week, ascending in the northeast.
December 20, 2017
Double green flash
Green flashes are best seen over ocean horizons like this one, and, this time, the California wildfires did something helpful.
December 19, 2017
Gaia’s view of Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the nearest galaxies to our Milky Way, as viewed by ESA's Gaia satellite after its first 14 months of operations.
December 16, 2017
Sirius in many colors
When you see the sky's brightest star - Sirius - low in the sky, you're seeing it shine through an extra thickness of Earth's atmosphere. At such times, its colorful flashing might surprise you.
December 15, 2017
A grand year for the Geminids
The 2017 Geminid meteor shower was thought to have a better-than-average chance of producing a rich display, since the Geminids' parent body - a strange rock-comet called 3200 Phaethon - is nearby. And so it was! Photos here.
December 15, 2017
Long-lasting moon halo
Halos around the sun or moon are caused by ice crystals, like those in high cirrus clouds. Sometimes you can't see clouds, but - in these photos - you can.
December 12, 2017
Shining sea and sky
"When phytoplankton come near the beach, you can see this amazing scene. There is light in the sea and sky," said Mohammad Rouhbakhsh of Iran, who captured this image.
December 11, 2017
