Skywatching

What's in a name? Well, for the amateur astronomers and scientists fixated on Jupiter, there's been a recent need to describe its iconic storm as more than just a great red spot.

The moon will make a close pass to Saturn this evening (May 22), so close that our natural satellite will block the view of the ringed planet for skywatchers in parts of the world.

Here's a guide to SpaceX's launch schedule, other rocket missions, astronomical events of the next year, as well as milestones for spacecraft already in travel.

An Illinois police officer on a routine trip earlier this month saw a fireball suddenly light up the sky in front of the car's dashboard camera.

You can watch the "Blue Moon" rise live over Rome in a broadcast from the Virtual Telescope Project. Tune in today (May 18) to see the show, starting at 1:45 p.m. EDT (1745 GMT).

The full moon of May, also called the Flower Moon, will occur on May 18, at 5:11 p.m. EDT (2111 GMT).

In this dreamy moonlit scene, the Super Snow Moon rises over the Pena Palace (Palácio da Pena), a 19th-century, Romanticist hilltop castle overlooking the town of Sintra, Portugal.

An astronaut's vantage point offers a stunning view of not just Earth, but also our nearest neighbor, as proved by this newly published photograph of the moon.

Recently, a friend of mine asked when we might be able to see a comet. He was surprised when I said there are several visible right now.

In this panoramic view of Niagara Falls, a golden moon rises against the pink band of the anti-twilight arch, an atmospheric phenomenon also known as the "Belt of Venus."

The slender crescent moon meets up with Mars in the night sky on Tuesday (May 7). You can catch the cosmic duo above the western horizon after sunset.

Here's how to see three naked-eye planets visible in May's night sky.

Look toward the water jar of the constellation Aquarius after midnight this Sunday morning to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

You won't see a moon rise into the sky this "Star Wars Day" (May 4), because only the moon's "dark side" will be facing Earth as it reaches its new phase.

Southern Hemisphere skywatchers, look up in the early hours of May 5 to spot the Eta Aquarid meteor shower at its peak. Northern Hemisphere viewers may catch a few special shooting stars, too.