History
A Weird West Tale and the Hunt for Planet Vulcan
One of the most fascinating stories in modern astronomy involves the pursuit of a world that never was. Tomorrow marks…
Watch for the Delta Aquarid Meteors This Weekend
The meteor shower drought ends this weekend. The northern summer hemisphere meteor season is almost upon us. In a few…
Remembering the Great Meteor Procession of 1860
“Year of meteors! Brooding year!” -Walt Whitman July 20th is a red letter date in space history. Apollo 11, the…
Seeing Red: Hunting Herschel’s Garnet Star
Quick, what’s the reddest star visible to the naked eye? Depending on your sky conditions, your answer may well be…
Buzz Aldrin is on a Mission (to Mars), Part 1
Buzz Aldrin, celebrated Apollo astronaut and an outspoken champion for the pursuit of space exploration has written a new book…
Debunking Comet ISON Conspiracy Theories (No, ISON is Not Nibiru)
Comets always seem to bring ‘em out of the wood work. There’s a scene from the 1998 movie Deep Impact…
Stonehenge Was An Ancient Burial Ground For the Rich: Study
The site of Stonehenge -- that mysterious collection of British rocks that could have served as a calendar using the…
Incredible Astrophoto: Space Station Flies Over Stonehenge
In a gorgeous mix of archeology and space exploration, photographer Tim Burgess captured a stunning view of the International Space…
The Curious History of the Lyrid Meteor Shower
Today we residents of planet Earth meet up with a meteor stream with a strange and bizarre past. The Lyrid…
Mysterious Moon Flashes: Could the Transient Lunar Phenomena be Linked to the Solar Cycle?
A key mystery in observational lunar astronomy may be at least partially resolved. An interesting study appeared recently in the…