Somewhere far beyond Neptune, just on the edge of the sun’s gravitational field, a massive entity known as the Oort Cloud is thought to exist, acting as a sort of spherical barrier around the solar system. But what is the Oort Cloud? And is it really out there?

Although telescopes afford us incredible glimpses at objects too far and much too faint to see under normal circumstances, even the naked eye can catch a range of interesting phenomena going on right above our heads. Many events, it seems, are difficult to identify for casual gazers.

Where I live in Virginia, the sun, moon, and planets actually coast through the sky to the south most of the year here, traveling along a line called the ecliptic. It’s this phenomenon which keeps the sun low during the winter…and it also plays a big part in our seasons!

Everywhere we look, we see our home world throwing in all the correct ingredients to facilitate innumerable types of life across its surface. But just how special is the Earth compared to the rest of outer space? Could there be another Earth somewhere out there? And if there isn’t, do any planets come close?

Despite being the closest planet to our own, we know far less about Venus than our other neighbor, Mars. With NASA’s recent announcement of the DAVINCI+ probe and VERITAS orbiter, we might finally begin to understand the nuances of the Venusian landscape in a better light.

Introducing Alpha Centauri, easily one of the most famous and recognizable star systems. But how far is Alpha Centauri, exactly? What makes it so special?

Our solar system is home to a marvelous variety of eight planets, from the habitable living conditions of Earth to the dazzling rings of Saturn. But we’re not the only star system with colorful and unique planets.

With COVID and the pandemic having a hold on Earth’s social outings, it’s been more difficult than ever before to find opportunities to see our socially-distanced celestial neighbors! Here are my top 3 favorite astronomical computer programs designed to educate and inspire novices and experts alike, all from the comfort of your desktop.

This hypothetical fiery world was thought to orbit the sun even closer than Mercury. But why didn’t we find it? And what are the opinions of it today?

For all of human history, mankind has known about six of our eight planets. The other two, Uranus and Neptune, were only just discovered in the last 300 years. But did you know there could still be an undiscovered planet lurking in the reaches of our solar system, hidden from mortal eyes for millennia?