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The Soviet Union’s Sputnik spacecraft launched 64 years ago today (1957). History changed forever as this large-pumpkin sized craft orbited the Earth. This one event sparked the beginning of the space race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. NASA wasn’t established yet, but this singular event spurred Congress to take...

Brisk mornings, warm days, cool nights - feels like fall! Today is the autumnal equinox and the Sun is directly over Earth's equator, making day and night approximately equal in length (equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).

Full Moon tonight! Watch the Sun set in the west as the Harvest Moon rises in the east. Notice the orange color as the Moon rises? Check it out a few hours later when the Moon is higher in the sky — the orange/sepia filter has faded. This color shift...

Got a burning question about astronomy and space? Stop by the Â鶹ӰԺ Planetary Scientist booth Saturday morning at the Â鶹ӰԺ Farmer’s Market . Our head space guru, Dr. John Keller will be there to answer your questions. Can you stump him?

Take a moment and give yourself a gift of watching the sunset over the next few evenings. The waxing crescent Moon joins Venus in the western sky and then meets up with Antares on Sunday. Check out Stellarium to see what your sky looks like! (Free on mobile or web.)...

Jupiter joins Saturn tonight as both planets officially reach opposition this month. The gas giants are visible all night long, because they’re directly opposite of the Sun in our sky. Spot Jupiter in Aquarius and Saturn in Capricornus only about 20 degrees apart.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the night of Wednesday, August 11 through dawn on Thursday morning. Every August this meteor shower dazzles us with a reliable display of celestial fireworks. Even in areas suffering from light pollution, the brightest Perseids will still be visible. Check out this article from...

New Moon weekend, Sunday to be exact! Great time to grab your telescope and observe summer’s faint fuzzies in Scorpius and Sagittarius. The conditions this summer are challenging with increasing light pollution, rain, transparency, seeing conditions and smoke from wildfires. Fiskers rely on Clear Sky Charts and Astrospheric to plan...

Night owls watch the Moon play with Jupiter and Saturn this weekend! Tonight, the nearly full Moon rises slightly before the giant planets. Saturday, the full Moon, known in July as the Thunder, Hay, or Buck Moon will be placed between Saturn (to the right) and Jupiter (to the left)...

Our Sun, the powerhouse of the solar system and life-giving orb in our sky is approximately 93 million miles away and it takes 8.3 minutes to receive its energy and warmth. Fun Fact: This is easily calculated by dividing 93,000,000 miles by 186,000mps (speed of light in miles per second) = 500 seconds.