This weekend will provide the full Moon’s closest approach of the year to Earth. On Saturday, May 5, 2012 the Moon could appear as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2012, according to some calculations.Every month, as the Moon circles the
Each year the Earth passes through trail of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1) as it makes a 415-year highly elliptical journey around the Sun and have been observed for more than 2,600 years. The meteors from comet Thatcher occur when comet dust slams into Earth’s
The last big meteor shower of the year — the annual Geminids shower — peaks tonight (Dec. 13), but bright moonlight could illuminate the night sky and spoil one of the most spectacular light show of the year. On a clear night, skywatchers have reported seeing up to
According to the International Meteor Organization, this year’s Leonid meteor shower peaked on Nov. 18th with a maximum rate of ~18 meteors per hour. That’s not many (especially compared to the Leonid storms of a decade ago), but sometimes just one Leonid can be
Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. International observers are now reporting more than a dozen Perseids per hour, a number that will increase as the shower reaches its peak on August 12-13. Full
A surprise meteor shower spotted in February was likely caused by cosmic “bread crumbs” dropped by an undiscovered comet that could potentially pose a threat to Earth.The tiny meteoroids that streaked through Earth’s atmosphere for a few hours on Feb. 4 represent a
Bits and pieces of the famous Halley’s Comet will light up the overnight sky in a promising meteor shower, weather permitting, skywatching experts say.The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak early tomorrow morning (May 6) and is expected to put on a
Get up in the wee hours of the morning May 6th and head out into the country, far from the city lights so you can observe eta Aquarid meteor shower. The eta Aquarids are best viewed from the southern hemisphere, but there's something special about them no matter…
Every year in late April Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), and the encounter causes a meteor shower–the Lyrids. This year the shower peaks on Friday morning, April 22nd. The best time to look, no matter where you live, is
