space exploration

Mars will come closer and closer as the year goes on. Venus’ extreme brilliance will be seen over most of the year, but it’s only now and the next two weeks that it hovers just above Mars. This week we’ll hear about our two nearest planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus, and why now is only time we’ll see them together.

One of today’s most fashionable astronomy pursuits is the hunt for planets beyond our solar system. And one was found orbiting Proxima Centauri, which happens to be the very nearest star to Earth. On this week’s “Strange Universe,” we talk about aliens and exoplanets.

That's Venus, popping out at you just before dawn. It's the single super-brilliant star low in the east as twilight brightens. If you’re up and have a window facing east, you can't miss it. And in case you do, it'll stick around right there the whole rest of the year.

The new James Webb Space Telescope is arriving at its permanent home at the Lagrangian 2 position on the far side of the Moon. The media say it will show us the birth of the universe. And reveal which exoplanets have life. Sounds great. But if you’re a realist, pull up a chair.

It will be a great sky year, so let’s get a sneak preview. Start now, the next clear evening. There’s Venus, the Evening Star, still close to its absolute brightest as it hovers low above the sunset point in the fading dusk. Steadily-braced binoculars or any small telescope will reveal its crescent shape, now bigger yet thinner than any time this year. It’s the best time to see it.

This essay is about Gerard K. O'Neill.There are many O'Neills that are better known -- for example Eugene O'Neill, author of "The Iceman Cometh", or the…

Legendary "space statesman" Buzz Aldrin is a vital advocate for the continuing quest to push the boundaries of the universe as we know it.As a pioneering…

On this edition of Vox Pop, we welcome renowned astronomer Bob Berman to the studio to field all of your Astronomy-related questions.One of the best-known…

On this edition of Vox Pop, we welcome renowned astronomer Bob Berman to the studio to field all of your Astronomy-related questions.One of the best-known…