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The Northeast Astronomy Forum will hold a free virtual experience on April 6, 2020.

Marvel at the universe with the free Northeast Astronomy Forum Virtual Experience today!

By Tariq Malik

The Northeast Astronomy Forum is holding a free "virtual experience" and you can watch it live online, and maybe even win some prizes! Here's how.

This animation combines two images of the potentially hazardous asteroid 1998 OR2, taken about 30 minutes apart, on March 20, 2020.

Huge asteroid 1998 OR2 will zip harmlessly by Earth April 29. See the latest telescope photos.

By Hanneke Weitering

The "potentially hazardous" asteroid 1998 OR2 is just a few weeks away from its close encounter with Earth, and you can watch the giant space rock's approach online or with a small telescope.

Venus and the Pleiades star cluster, photographed on April 1, 2020, by the Virtual Telescope Project.

Look up! Venus and Pleiades star cluster are putting on a rare evening show

By Mike Wall

The coronavirus pandemic may have restricted our movements, but our eyes and minds can still roam the heavens. And there's a great reason to look up over the next few evenings.

Earth and the moon as seen by BepiColombo on March 5, 2020, as the mission began preparing for its flyby of Earth.

Europe's Mercury-bound BepiColombo will swing past Earth soon! Here's what you need to know.

By Meghan Bartels

A mission dubbed BepiColombo is bound for Mercury, but in order to reach its destination, it needs to take the scenic route, beginning with a flyby of Earth later this month.

Zodiacal light glows in the sky at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal Observatory in Chile. Image released Dec. 2, 2013.

Zodiacal light: How to spot the rare celestial glow in the night sky

By Joe Rao

How to see the rare zodiacal light, the faint ghostly glow that appears when sunlight reflects off interplanetary debris likely left over from the formation of our solar system.

There's a lot going in space in 2019. Check out our up-to-date space launch schedule and calendar here!

Space calendar 2020: Rocket launches, sky events, missions & more!

By Hanneke Weitering

Here's a guide to all the rocket launches and astronomical events in 2020, as well as milestones for space missions, anniversaries and conferences.

Venus reaches its greatest brightness on April 28 at 10:24 a.m. EDT (1424 GMT). This sky map shows where the planet will be on the evening before (April 27) at 10:30 p.m. EDT, as seen from New York City.

April is the month of Venus! See the 'evening star' at its brightest

By Joe Rao

It will pass by the Pleiades star cluster before slimming to a thin crescent by the end of the month.

What might the "red sign" have looked like?

1,400-year-old mystery of strange 'red sign' in Japan's sky solved

By Meghan Bartels

A scarlet fan spread across the skies over Japan 1,400 years ago, and it's been puzzling astronomers ever since.

Full Moon with Airplane

2020 Full Moon Calendar

By Tim Sharp, Kimberly Hickok

The full moon happens once a month. Find out when.

As November begins, Mercury will be in the western evening sky and swinging sunward towards inferior conjunction on November 11, when the speedy planet will transit the sun. The transit will be visible in whole or in part from westernmost Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, North America (except for the extreme north), most of the Pacific Ocean, and New Zealand. After mid-month, Mercury will return to view with an excellent morning apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a poor one for the Southern Hemisphere. The planet will reach peak visibility at greatest western elongation on November 28. Viewed in a telescope during mornings in November, Mercury's disk will diminish in apparent size and wax in illuminated phase from a thin crescent to a 68% full. Over the same period, the planet will brighten. The old crescent moon will pass north of Mercury on November 24-25.

The brightest planets in April's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in April's night sky.

Celestron Astro Fi 130

Celestron Astro Fi 130 telescope: Full review

By Gemma Lavender, All About Space magazine

Celestron's Astro Fi 130 combines good optics with the latest in telescope technology — but is it the right telescope for you?

march 2020 skywatching starry night

Best night sky events of April 2020 (stargazing maps)

By Chris Vaughan

See what's up in the night sky for April 2020, including stargazing events and the moon's phases, in this Space.com gallery courtesy of Starry Night Software.

The night sky is more than just the moon and stars, if you know when and where to look.

Night sky, April 2020: What you can see this month [maps]

By Chris Vaughan

Find out what's up in your night sky during April 2020 and how to see it in this Space.com stargazing guide.

Saturn, Mars and Jupiter align over the New York City skyline on March 26, 2020.

Saturn, Mars and Jupiter align over New York City in gorgeous night-sky photos

By Hanneke Weitering

Three bright planets line up across the predawn sky above the New York City skyline in these gorgeous views by local photographer Alexander Krivenyshev.

See Saturn and Mars make a close approach in the predawn sky on March 31, 2020.

See Mars and Saturn tango in the predawn sky Tuesday. Here's where to look.

By Hanneke Weitering

The bright planets Mars and Saturn will tango in the predawn sky on Tuesday (March 31). You can catch them above the southeast horizon before sunrise.

The constellation of Gemini, the twins is visible from the Northern Hemisphere from November to April, and the Southern Hemisphere can see it from December through March.

Gemini, the 'heavenly twins' grace the evening sky this spring

By Joe Rao

Visible above the southwest horizon in the early evenings, the constellation of Gemini, the twins is rich with celestial sights. Here's the story behind the "heavenly twins."

See Venus swing by the crescent moon this weekend

By Hanneke Weitering

The "evening star" Venus will meet up with the waxing, crescent moon in the night sky this weekend. You can spot the celestial pair above the western horizon after sunset.

See Saturn, Mars and Jupiter line up in the southeast sky before dawn on Thursday (March 26).

See Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in Thursday's dawn sky

By Joe Rao

Early risers this month have been treated to an unusual celestial "pas de trois," as the three brightest superior planets have been changing positions relative to each other in the dawn twilight.

University of Puerto Rico undergraduate students Jorge Pérez Figueroa (left), Alejandra Ocasio (center) and Kevin Ortíz Ceballos (right) are investigating the history of an old observatory on campus.

Long-lost astronomy observatory in Puerto Rico rediscovered by university students

By Doris Elin Urrutia

Amid natural disasters and a spreading pandemic, three Puerto Rican students found hope in a project to restore an abandoned observatory on their university's campus.

The new Our Galaxy app contains thousands of deep-sky objects that can be displayed in their true locations within our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and viewed from any perspective. This view shows how globular clusters, densely packed balls of ancient stars, orbit the galactic core like bees around a hive. M13 is a bright globular cluster that is easily visible in backyard telescopes during the summer months.

Mobile astronomy: Put the Milky Way in your pocket with 'Our Galaxy' smartphone app

By Chris Vaughan

A new fun and educational app called "Our Galaxy" lets smartphone users explore the cosmos from the palm of their hand.