Mercury's at greatest elongation this week. Saturn's at opposition next week. You can see these planets on opposite sides of the sky.

Venus is in the evening sky. The moon passes in front of Spica.

Some people have claimed that Abraham Lincoln was so desperate to win a hopeless court case he fabricated evidence. Astronomy then and now can prove he was as honest as his reputation holds.

For a few years, there was a meteor shower in June that produced faint blue streaks. It doesn't happen anymore. It's not the only meteor shower to have gone extinct. But there's another shower that has come back.

Saturn seems to be holding still. Mercury emerges into the evening.

The brightest night star can be seen in the daytime at certain times of the year if you know exactly where to look.

And observations are underway to determine if human technology can nudge an asteroid.

Your idea of how the moon affects the tides is probably incomplete. Here's the rest of the story.

One of the fainter constellations is named for a crustacean, even though two of its stars are donkeys and one of its star clusters is described as a beehive.

The most famous whirlwind in the solar system has been spinning for almost 200 years. Some think it's been around more than 360 years. You can see it for yourself in a telescope--if you look at the right time.

Jupiter will soon be the closest it's been to Earth since 1963! The next time it's this close will be in the next century.

Mercury exits the evening sky and moves to the morning. Venus slowly leaves the morning. Mars marches eastward. And the equinox.

Mercury begins its retreat from the evening sky. Venus also heads sunward. Mars moves by the Hyades V.

And how do I take it when people ask me astrology questions?

Learn about the Great Square of Pegasus and some star names that maybe don't make horse sense.

Mercury maintains evening status. Saturn goes through opposition. Jupiter stands strong for most of the night. Mars meets the Pleiades and Hyades. Venus sinks sunward.

Two legendary birds, a swan and an eagle, fly alongside the Milky Way stream and are easily seen on August evenings.

Some people knew before scientists did that meteor showers are somewhat regular events. Meteor streaks seen in August have been described for centuries as the tears of a Christian martyr burned alive in Rome more than 1,700 years ago. However, astronomers didn't pay much mind to meteors until less than two centuries ago.

What's left of the morning planetary lineup is spreading out as Saturn crosses into the evening sky one way and Mercury has already arrived there from the other.

Mercury's moving into the evening sky. The other planets are still merry in the morning. And in case you wondered about eclipses seemingly occurring at regular intervals, you're right.

Earth goes through northern solstice this week. Mars went through southern solstice earlier this month.

The morning planets march along.

Mercury went through superior conjunction recently. Now it's emerging in the evening sky.

A lover's crown goes over our heads on July evenings. The old stories tell of a woman hurt by a lover who left her and a god who wanted to be her rebound.

Not a lot of astronomy guides use it, but some astronomers like the galactic coordinate system.

And try to see some Delta Aquariid meteors.

A well reputed newspaper published a scathing editorial putting down the founder of rocket science for his idea that a rocket can be controlled in space and even made to land on the moon. The paper said anybody with a high school education should know better. The newspaper eventually published a retraction, but not before people were actually on their way to the moon.

The moon moves through the evening sky this week, while most of the planets are still visible in the morning. Over the next few weeks, you can see Saturn's shadow move from one side of its rings to the other. And there's a way to describe just how non-circular an object's orbit is.

Mercury's on the way out of the morning meeting of planets.

Three of the moon's orbital points come together this week.

And Earth is farthest away from the sun.

A southern star is known as the loneliest star, although it's well liked by navigators who perform their craft with sextants.

And an arrow flies overhead, but it doesn't come from the constellation known as the archer.

The naked eye planets are in order in the morning sky. Uranus and Neptune break the order, but they're there too. And get ready for the solstice.

The naked eye planets are in order in the morning sky. Mercury moves in a little farther.

Antares is the heart of the scorpion.

The naked eye planets in our morning lineup can be seen in the same order in the sky that they are in distance from the sun.

Old stories tell of the dolphin among the constellations and the animal's service to other beings, including a human in trouble.

About two centuries ago, two never previously known star names showed up in a published star catalog. The person who named them took the secret of their origins to his grave. But the names are accepted today and the mystery is solved. Listen to find out more.

The moon helps you identify the planets in the morning lineup.

You've surely heard of Canis Major and Canis Minor. But there are two other celestial dogs: Canes Venatici.

An almanac may tell you when the moon is at ascending node or descending node. SkyCaramba tells you what that means.

The moon will pass in front of Spica 20 times now through the end of next year. Find out where to see the first occultation.

Mercury's turn to go behind the sun.

Planet watching continues to be a morning thing.

The morning planet show continues. A reminder about this week's total lunar eclipse. And despite its reputation, the North Star isn't the brightest star in the night sky. But the star with that distinction will eventually be the South Star.

Next week, from Sunday night to Monday morning (exact times vary by where you are), the moon will spend almost an hour-and-a-half in the central part of Earth's shadow. The eclipsed moon will be next to Libra. The constellation represents the scales of justice. The scales don't have claws, but three of Libra's stars' names contain an old word for claw.

That amazing morning meeting of planets continues. Mercury maintains its place in the evening.

The most famous comet is almost as far from the sun as it gets, but it's responsible for a meteor shower that doesn't depend much on the comet's closeness.

Brush up on your knowledge of Berenice's Hair.

Some South American and southern Pacific Ocean sky watchers get to see a solar eclipse this week. Use eye protection!

Who's Virgo? The constellation was different women to different ancient cultures.

Astronomy Day is coming.

Morning sky watching continues to be wondrous. Evening isn't so bad either lately.

Get ready for the April Lyrids meteor shower.

And just why do comets have such long, strange names now?

There's more to sunlight than meets the eye. About two centuries ago, a thermometer next to a prism helped a scientist see our home star in a new light.

Mercury soon returns to the evening sky as a morning planet lineup continues.

Expect more sunspots, solar flares, and aurorae over the next few years. Aurorae are mesmerizing sky sights that happen when solar particles hit Earth's upper atmosphere. But sometimes, the sun throws off enough material to cause serious problems on Earth's surface.

Jupiter is leaving our morning lineup.

Two stars on opposite sides of the Milky Way stream represent separated lovers.

An orange star helped kick off a World's Fair

Some sky watchers may catch Jupiter and Mercury very close this week as the morning planet lineup continues. Uranus remains in the evening sky. The week begins with the solstice and Venus at greatest elongation.

Just like latitude and longitude lines on an earth map, there are lines showing where to plot points to represent starts, planets, and other object on a sky map. Find out about the two coordinate systems.

One of the most famous star patterns isn't considered a constellation in its own right. But it's so easily recognized, many people have told stories about it and surely will for as long as they can see the stars.

Two of the stars in the Big Dipper's handle were said to foretell life or death.

That handle is a bear's tail. But for a bear's tail, it's very long. And there's a tale about that.

The sun passes through 13 constellations during the year. The one people are surprised to learn about is the snake-bearer Ophiuchus.

Jupiter and Mercury are very close in the morning sky this week. Not many people will get to see them though.

Venus is hidden behind the sun.

The morning planet meetup continues.

For barely one full day, four planets will be within the boundaries of one constellation.

Learn a little about Aries, a constellation that's setting not long after the sun this time of year.

The morning meetup of planets continues. The moon joins the party.

How to quickly measure angular distances in the sky.

The naked eye planet watching is very interesting these mornings, especially from near the equator and in the southern hemisphere.

The crab remembered in the constellation Cancer did a bold enough thing to be put on the celestial dome, but he didn't earn any medals in the form of bright stars. In fact, his mission failed.

Goodbye, Jupiter. See you some morning. Three planets are still in a morning triangle. Full moon in Leo.

The unicorn has existed in stories for thousands of years, but it didn't exist among the constellations until fairly recently.

The naked eye planets continue migrating to the morning sky.

Two constellations are named after things you'd look at the sky with. One is the sextant.

The old legends say Perseus rescued Andromeda from a sea monster. They still circle the north celestial pole together.

Naked eye planet watching is coming to an end in the evening, but you may see Uranus and Neptune.

Find out where Venus and Mars are in the morning. One of them is by a shield.

And learn about the hare or rabbit at Orion's feet.

The planet watching continues to migrate to the morning.

Astronomers realized in 1844 that Sirius has a companion star. But it took 18 years before anyone built a telescope that could reveal it.

Sky watchers of long ago described Sirius as red. Why would they say that when the star is bluish-white?

Venus moves into the morning with Mars. Mercury's leaving the evening with Saturn in its wake. Jupiter's not ready to go just yet.

Many of the legends of Gemini say one twin is immortal but the other isn't. Learn about some stars in the constellation.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter claims to have seen a strange light in the sky one night in 1969. He doesn't think it was a spacecraft. Neither do most of the UFO researchers who've studied the case, although he disagrees with their assessment of what it was.

Venus begins its ingress into the morning sky. Saturn's on its way out of the evening.

A colorfully named asteroid, Iris, is at opposition this week.

Orion is the most recognizable constellation and now's the best time of year to get to know him.

A river is an important part of many ancient Greek legends whose characters are represented in our constellation maps. So, of course, it makes sense to have a river up there too.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks this week.

Earth is closest to the sun.

The moon passes in front of planets somewhat often. Planets passing in front of other planets? Every once in a few lifetimes.

A long snake slithers across the evening sky, taking a bird and a bowl with it. And some sky watchers can see Saturn disappear behind the moon.

Most of the naked eye planets are congregating in the evening sky this week. December evenings are also a good time to see the Andromeda Galaxy. A century ago, astronomers weren't sure what it was. When one astronomer noticed something the rest missed, he blew their minds.

Mercury is an evening object, but you'll have trouble finding it.

Comet Leonard enters Microscopium as its orbital position takes it closer to the sun.

A popular question this time of year is what was the Star of Bethlehem. Most of the possible answers don't actually involve stars. When they do, they involve planets too.

Fast-moving Comet Leonard becomes an evening object this week.

Venus slows its march eastward to turn around.

The Geminid meteor shower peaks.

If you ever discover an asteroid, you'll get to name it after yourself, someone else, a place, or a thing. But it's not a case of anything goes. And it's not a fast process.