The winter solstice is almost here, the Northern Hemisphere's darkest day

The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets. For those who would rather have more sunlight, you can try to make your way to the Southern Hemisphere, where...

Two stars may be orbiting each other near a supermassive black hole in our Milky Way galaxy

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have spotted what appear to be two stars whipping around each other near the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Nearly every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its heart. The one in the middle of the Milky Way,...

How old are Saturn's rings? Study suggests they could be 4.5 billion years old just like the planet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — New research suggests that Saturn’s rings may be older than they look — possibly as old as the planet. Instead of being a youthful 400 million years old as commonly thought, the icy, shimmering rings could be around 4.5 billion years old just like...

How to catch the Geminids, one of the strongest meteor showers of the year

The Geminids — among the few major meteor showers to come from asteroids — will be visible until Dec. 21, although peak viewing was on Dec. 13. Here’s what to know about the Geminids and other meteor showers. It's one of the year's last chances to see fireballs in the sky. The...

European satellites launched to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A pair of European satellites rocketed into orbit Thursday on the first mission to create artificial solar eclipses through fancy formation flying in space. Each fake eclipse should last six hours once operations begin next year. That's considerably...

European satellites launch from India on a mission to create artificial solar eclipses in a tech demo

Northern lights may be faintly visible across parts of the US this Thanksgiving

NEW YORK (AP) — This Thanksgiving, solar storms may produce faint auroras across the northern rim of the United States. Pale auroras may be seen across many northern states Thursday and Friday, but they may be brief and and seeing them will depend on how intense the solar storms...

Earth bids farewell to its temporary 'mini moon' that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that’s been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months. The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun’s gravity. But it will zip closer for a...

PHOTO COLLECTION: Supermoon

The Leonid meteor shower peaks as the supermoon wanes

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a treat to see a supermoon. But that bright glowing orb will still be almost full when the Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, likely obscuring all but the brightest meteors in most locations. The Leonids are known for their high-speed meteors, which can...