Mercury reaches its greatest elongation - greatest distance from the sunrise - on December 25, 2024. Look east at dawn. It'll brighten for the next few weeks. The post Mercury farthest from the sunrise this week first appeared on EarthSky.

Here are the top 10 stories of 2024. We had a busy year with asteroids hitting Earth's atmosphere, dinosaur tracks, cicadas and more! The post See the top 10 stories of 2024 from EarthSky first appeared on EarthSky.

The European Space Agency has announced its 2025 calendar, featuring the best images from Hubble and Webb from the past year. And it's free for you to download! The post ESA’s 2025 calendar: Best of Hubble and Webb first appeared on EarthSky.

See the top photos from 2024 submitted by our EarthSky community. We had an amazing year for skywatchers, from auroras to comets to a total solar eclipse. The post EarthSky’s top photos from 2024: See them here! first appeared on EarthSky.

Spend Christmas with Comet A3 in this live feed from the Virtual Telescope Project! Plus see more fantastic images here from community members around the world. The post Spend Christmas with Comet A3 through the Virtual Telescope first appeared on EarthSky.

Sun news for December 21-22, 2024. Three large filaments took the limelight over 24 hours with two from the east and one from the west. Happy sun day! The post Sun news: Flare production increases as filaments reign first appeared on EarthSky.

The Christmas Tree Cluster is a collection of sparking bluish-white stars. It is above a cone-shaped cloud of gas in the constellation Monoceros. The post The Christmas Tree Cluster, a December delight first appeared on EarthSky.

Visible planets and night sky guide. Tonight the moon reaches last quarter. It will rise about midnight, and appear half-lit in the sky. The post Visible planets and night sky guide for December first appeared on EarthSky.

On December 19, 2024, a Chinese rocket disintegrated over the Caribbean, and meteor cameras on Puerto Rico captured multiple views of the event. The post Chinese rocket disintegrates over the Caribbean first appeared on EarthSky.

Happy solstice, y'all! The 2024 December solstice will fall early in the day on December 21. Shortest day for Northern Hemisphere. Great time to celebrate the seasons. The post 2024 December solstice: All you need to know first appeared on EarthSky.