Astronomy Essentials
2024 Eta Aquariid meteor shower: All you need to know
May's Eta Aquariid meteor shower is good over several mornings. Try Saturday morning, May 4! Best mornings might be May 5 and 6 in the hours before dawn.
Earth
Tyrannosaurus rex not so smart, after all
Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs had huge skulls, but does that imply they were very smart? Were they as intelligent as monkeys? Crocodiles?
Earth

Brazil floods engulf state of Rio Grande do Sul

Brazil floods have inundated the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with houses washed away and rescues ongoing. See more about this and other floods.
Astronomy Essentials
Tonight

Visible planets and night sky guide for May

Visible planets and night sky guide for May 2024. Watch for the moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury in the next few mornings. Will you see Mercury? It's hard to see.
Earth

Mammatus clouds are ominous and beautiful

Mammatus clouds look like bubbling, low-hanging clouds. They're often associated with thunderstorms. Learn more about them here and see photos.
Brightest Stars
Sun

Sun news May 3: KABOOM, X flare! Big storm at Earth

Sun news for May 3, 2024. Kaboom! X flare from recently arrived AR3663. And an unexpected G3 storm brought some auroras - more tonight?
Space

Did Webb find signs of life on exoplanet K2-18 b?

NASA's Webb telescope looked at the sub-Neptune exoplanet K2-18 b. It found methane, carbon dioxide, a possible ocean, and even ... maybe ... a biosignature.
Space

The strange case of methane on Mars: Possible new answers

New experiments show that methane on Mars, in Gale crater, may seep out of the ground when hard crusts of perchlorate salt temporarily warm up and weaken.
Astronomy Essentials

Mercury farthest from the sunrise on May 9

Mercury reaches its greatest elongation - greatest distance from the sunrise - on May 9, 2024. Look east at dawn. It'll brighten for the next few weeks.
Space

See the Martian spiders of Inca City in new images

Martian spiders? Inca City? Both geologic features on Mars. The European Space Agency (ESA) just released new images of them. Take a look!