Meteors
11 Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2025, From a Total Lunar Eclipse to Rare Planetary Alignments
Keep your eyes on the sky this upcoming year for a chance to spot breathtaking meteor showers, a special view of Saturn and a blood-red moon
How to Watch the Quadrantid Meteor Shower, an Intense Spectacle With a Short but Strong Peak
The skyward show will produce many shooting stars from the evening of January 2 into the early morning hours of January 3—here’s how to make the most of the fleeting celestial event
Astronomers Detect the Smallest Main Belt Asteroids Ever Found by Repurposing a Technique for Exoplanet Discovery
An unusual approach to spotting tiny asteroids uses James Webb Space Telescope data in a boost for planetary defense research
How to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower This Weekend
The peak of this popular annual meteor shower risks being washed out by an almost full moon this year—but stargazers can still spot shooting stars if they follow the right tips
See the Full Beaver Moon on Friday, the Last Dazzling Supermoon of 2024
November's spectacle closes out a series of four big and bright full moons that have captivated sky watchers since late summer
How to See the Stunning Leonid Meteor Shower This Weekend
Though the nearly full moon will likely outshine some of these speedy meteors, you may still be able to catch a glimpse of bright fireballs and low Earth-grazers
Watch a Starlink Satellite Plummet Through the Atmosphere in Videos Captured Last Weekend
The fireball—one of many decommissioned satellites from SpaceX's internet service—was spotted by dozens of people across at least four states, and many mistook it for a meteor
Americans Fell in Love With Science When the Breathtaking Leonid Meteor Shower Lit Up the Skies Across the Nation
In 1833, hundreds of thousands of shooting stars inspired songs, prophecies and a crowdsourced research paper on the origins of meteors
A Giant Meteorite Ripped Up the Seafloor and Boiled Earth's Oceans 3.26 Billion Years Ago. Then, Life Blossomed in Its Wake
Geologists suggest the catastrophic impact of "S2" delivered key nutrients to the oceans, prompting microorganisms to thrive
Astronomers Uncover the Origin of Most of Earth's Meteorites, Shedding Light on Our Solar System's Past
Prior to the new research, scientists had traced the source of just 6 percent of the known meteorites that fell on our planet
How to Watch the Bright and Speedy Orionid Meteor Shower
While the Orionids, peaking early Sunday and Monday, might be hard to see because of the waning gibbous moon, these zippy meteors can produce long "trains" that last up to several minutes
How to Catch a Glimpse of the Draconid Meteor Shower
While the annual shower usually makes for a sleepy showing, it has been known to produce fantastic outbursts in the past
Did Earth Once Have a Ring Like Saturn? Geologists Find Evidence for a Halo of Orbiting Space Rocks 466 Million Years Ago
A ring could explain a mysterious arrangement of impact craters near the equator and might even have caused an ice age, according to a new study
An Asteroid Hit Earth's Atmosphere Today—Here's Why Astronomers Say That's a Good Thing
Asteroid 2024 RW1 was discovered early this morning, marking the ninth time in history that humans have detected an approaching space rock before its impact
How to Watch the Perseids, the 'Best Meteor Shower of the Year'
The annual celestial event is one of the year's most anticipated, and it will peak from August 11 to 12
How to Watch the Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower
Though not as prolific as the Perseids, this annual spectacle is 'scientifically interesting' because its comet of origin remains a mystery
Pineapple-Sized Hail Stone Falls in Texas—and It Might Set a New State Record
Veteran storm chaser Val Castor spotted the behemoth ice chunk in a ditch near Vigo Park in the Texas panhandle
These National Parks Are Hosting Astronomy Festivals in 2024
Get outside, ditch the light pollution and marvel at the cosmos on these protected public lands
Watch a Blue-Green Comet Illuminate Skies Over Spain and Portugal
The colorful fireball mesmerized onlookers—and its unexpected appearance surprised astronomers who are hoping to better predict when space rocks enter Earth's atmosphere
How to Watch the Dazzling Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower, Bringing an Unusual 'Outburst' to Skies This Weekend
This year's spectacle will be more impressive than usual, as the Earth passes through a concentrated clump of 3,000-year-old comet debris
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