A dazzling snapshot from ESO’s Paranal Observatory captures a rare sky parade — the Moon, a comet, and nearly every visible planet strung across the heavens. This celestial lineup is an optical ...

When the moon crosses the ecliptic — Earth's orbital plane — it is known as a lunar node. The distance at which the new moon approaches a node will determine the type of solar eclipse.

It’s said that if you catch one in the night sky the universe might grant you a wish. On any given night, shooting stars are ...

Technically, the ecliptic represents the extension or projection of the plane of Earth's orbit out toward the sky. But because the moon and the planets move in orbits whose planes do not differ ...