SkyCaramba

Venus is getting closer to the sun, but you'd never know that from the way things look lately. The deceptive view of the solar system we get from Earth made it hard for sky watchers to figure out how the planets actually move.

Mercury is emerging into the morning sky and will soon be joined by Mars.

Try to spy on Jupiter's "Great Red Spot". It's not actually red.

Venus goes through the southern end of Ophiuchus, the zodiac constellation most people don't know about.

Get to know the Hyades.

This week's astronomical action: Venus passes through the scorpion's head. The moon passes in front of the archer's bow. Jupiter and Saturn keep hanging out in Capricornus.

Naming a new constellation after a reptile turned out to be more popular than naming it after any king.

And how did one variable star get the name of something fearsome but another is called wonderful?

Watch Venus and the moon making a nice cluster--or clutter--in Scorpius.

Opposite behavior by stars on opposite sides of the sky from the same cause.

Not all variable stars are thought to be ghoulish. One is considered to be wonderful.

You won't be able to see it, but there's a meteor shower this week. It happens in the daytime.

Venus goes through the Libra diamond.

Astronomy tails and tales.

Don't panic or you might end up like Capricornus the goat-fish.

What you've heard your whole life about day and night being of exactly equal length on the equinox is wrong. I'll tell you why.

And remember that myth about eggs standing up on their ends only on the equinox? For some reason, the myth only considers the March equinox.

Follow Venus into the evening sky and see Jupiter and Saturn nearly all night.

What would you think of a star that blinks? Maybe you'd think there's something sinister about it. That's how Algol got its name. It's from Arabic for the demon. To the ancient Greeks, Algol was a blinking eye of Medusa. Before that, the ancient Egyptians may have thought of the star as a bringer of luck--good or bad depending on when the eye of Horus looked upon them. Algol still blinks. Listen to this podcast to understand why and then go see it for yourself.

Neptune is at opposition this week. Mercury's at greatest elongation. Mars remains hidden. Jupiter and Saturn dominate most of the night.

This is the time of year to see the dawn before the dawn. Depending on the circumstances, this faint glow might make you think the sun is rising sooner than it is or that you're approaching a city when there's just open country ahead.

Mercury moves farther into the evening sky and Venus scoots along Virgo while Mars is elusive in the evening light. Jupiter and Saturn are retrograde in Capricornus. Neptune's at opposition. Earth's at equinox.

Mars is at its northern solstice.

There's more to space than what we see orbiting stars. And between the stars, there's more than just nothing.

Mars and Mercury start the week close. Venus voyages through Virgo. The moon with Jupiter and Saturn. And try to find Neptune.