Edging toward its August 21 date with the sun, the moon sweeps past Venus before dawn. Look east. Moon and Venus are the brightest things up before sunup now.
Like Blue Moon, the name Black Moon is from folklore. It's the 3rd of 4 new moons in a season. The August 21 eclipse will be caused by such a moon. Some will call it a Black Moon eclipse.
Insights and a cool chart from astronomer Guy Ottewell. Plus, if you click in, you'll find photos of waning crescent moons from the past few mornings ... heading toward Monday's date with the sun!
NASA's Balloon Program is preparing new missions, including one designed to investigate the birth of our universe. And on a less scientific note: How gorgeous is this balloon?
Major airports around the world will see more frequent flight restrictions in the coming decades because of increasingly common hot temperatures, say scientists.
Iconic Mount Rainier in the U.S. state of Washington, with a glorious summer Milky Way above. The light strings on the mountain are climbers! Photo: Gary Peltz