A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, briefly blocking it from view. Before people understood the science, however, they created legends to explain the Suns disappear

The Great North American Eclipse is coming up on Monday. The Moon will briefly cover the Sun. That will turn day to night along a narrow path across Mexico, the United States, and Canada.The timing

On Monday, millions of people will see something theyve never seen before: the Suns corona its hot outer atmosphere. It extends hundreds of thousands of miles from the surface of the Sun. But its

Many people dread Mondays and the start of the new work week. But theres something to look forward to next Monday: the Great North American Eclipse. The Moon will completely cover the Sun, turning th

In Greek mythology, you didnt have to actually do anything to incur the wrath of the gods. One example is the constellation Crater, the cup, which is in the southeast at nightfall. The story says the

The stories behind the constellations dont always match the pictures we see in the sky. Consider Corvus, which rises in the southeast in mid-evening. In Greek mythology, it represented a naughty crow

No one knows for sure what living on Mars might be like. The planet is bitterly cold and almost completely dry. The atmosphere is less than one percent as thick as Earths. And Mars is a long, long wa

A couple of dozen missions have studied Mars. And theyve told us a lot about the history of the Red Planet. We know that it was much warmer and wetter in the distant past. And there might have been p

Mars is working hard to climb into view in the dawn sky. But for much of the country, its not quite there yet. Its low in the east-southeast as twilight brightens the sky. It looks like a moderately

Most astronomical observatories are up high. That gives them a clearer view of the heavens.But some go deep. Theyre submerged in the oceans, or buried deep in the ice at the south pole. They use the