Stellary Starry Universe

It won't happen again until December 2117: On June 5th, 2012, Venus will transit the face of the sun. The best places to watch are in the south Pacific, but travel is not required. The event is widely visible around the world, including at sunset from the USA.

NASA has just released a new count of asteroids that come close to the orbit of Earth and could survive entry through our planet's atmosphere. The data, gathered by an infrared space telescope named WISE, reveal important new information about the origin and make-up of these potentially hazardous space rocks.

On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, producing an annular solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth from China to the United States.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light emanating from a "super-Earth" beyond our solar system for the first time.

Another "super-Moon" is in the offing. The perigee full Moon of May 5-6 will be as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of 2012.