Wondersky

The space rock taking a surprise swing around our planet is just visiting from Earth's asteroid belt.

Physicists recently created Coordinated Lunar Time, a time zone for our Moon.

What you see overhead is a combination of where you are, how our vision evolved, and that flimsy layer of atmosphere that keeps us all alive.

Northern lights in the American South, clusters of huge geomagnetic storms—the Sun is throwing a tantrum right on schedule.

The Mountain West helped put American science on the map during the 1878 total solar eclipse, and it's the place to be for the next big American eclipse.

During the 1869 total solar eclipse, astronomers thought they had discovered a new element. They were wrong, and the truth was much weirder.

Total solar eclipses were an omen of death for rulers of the Assyrian Empire. The fix? Install a fake king and then kill him.

Ptolemy's compendium, later known as the Almagest, dominated Western astronomy for 15 centuries. It was also wrong, and it took the fall of an empire to fix it.

Many of us see a face or a rabbit in the Moon—examples of pareidolia that, when conditions are right, also include the letters X and V.

Whatever you call it, early February's cross-quarter day reconnects us with ancient astronomical timekeeping traditions.

Unlike Sun-focused Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments, Tomnaverie and similar stone circles hint at the Moon's importance to ancient people.

The answer is the Moon.

From telescopes to fun and functional hats, we've got ideas for every astro-enthusiast in your life this giving season.

Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere can find the demon star Algol, a murdered monster, and victims of vengeful gods.

While some people in the Western Hemisphere will witness a "ring of fire" during the eclipse, many more will experience the phenomenon of crescent sunlight.

For most of us, the next few weeks are our last chance to glimpse our galaxy's center, before the sun gets in the way.

The first planet from the Sun doesn't influence your love life or your luck, but it can help foster a cosmic connection.

Whatever you call it, this week's full moon is particularly rare—we won't see one again until 2037.