Penumbral lunar eclipse of November 30, 2020

Penumbral lunar eclipse of November 30, 2020

A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place on November 30, 2020, and be visible from Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Americas. This lunar eclipse is followed two weeks later by a total solar eclipse on December 14, 2020. The instant of greatest eclipse…

2020 Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight

2020 Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight

The Perseid meteor shower — one of the best and brightest of the year — is set to peak in the late hours of Tuesday into Thursday, August 11 into 13. This is one of the most anticipated showers of the year, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. This year,…

Powerful outburst from Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN)

Powerful outburst from Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN)

Astronomers monitoring Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) spotted a powerful outburst from the comet on May 5. Such outbursts usually indicate a fragmentation, but scientists are hopeful that this could just be a volatile comet. The comet is approaching Earth and the Sun– its…

Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) rapidly brightening, now visible to naked eye

Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) rapidly brightening, now visible to naked eye

Approaching Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) has become bright enough that it is already visible to the naked eye. As of 14:30 UTC on April 30, 2020, the comet is 115 million km (71 million miles) away from Earth, with a magnitude of 6.0. The comet appears like a bright fuzz…

Hubble telescope captures comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) crumbling into 25 pieces

Hubble telescope captures comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) crumbling into 25 pieces

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the sharpest view of Comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS disintegrating into pieces. About 30 fragments were identified on April 20, but just three days later on April 23, the telescope spotted only 25. "Their appearance…