Happy International Year of Astronomy! Capitalizing on the fact that 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s earliest telescopic forays into the night sky, the International Astronomical Union ...

Observing the phases of Venus helped Galileo conclude that planets in our solar system orbit the sun, not the Earth. Credit: Creators.com illustration Ask your friends and neighbors, and most will ...

It’s hard to miss the planet Venus. Unless the moon is up, this second planet from the sun can be the brightest object in the night sky. Right now, Venus is high in the west as darkness falls. It’s ...

If you’re wondering what the bright white “star” in the east is in the predawn sky this week then wonder no more—it’s Venus in its new apparition as the “Morning Star.” This Tuesday, Sept. 19 the ...

On Sunday evening, the two brightest planets in the night sky will appear very close to each other in a nearly annual astronomical event known as a conjunction. People that step outside after sunset ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it. This article is more than 4 years old. Periodically, the Moon and Venus ...