Stories by Phil Plait

The ocean’s twice-daily rise and fall is only the most obvious effect of tides—they slow Earth’s spin and shape stars and galaxies, too

To make the most of any total solar eclipse, put down your gadgets and bask in one of our solar system’s most glorious spectacles

Figuring out whether there are more stars in the universe than sand grains on Earth’s seashores requires math—and imagination

Quirks of orbital mechanics make a cadre of sun-orbiting asteroids appear to be moons of Earth

Snapshots of a plethora of planet-forming disks offer more than just eye candy—they also reveal some fundamental aspects of how worlds are born

Exorbitant launch costs and daunting engineering challenges make the dream of space-
based solar power look dicey for the space agency

The scale of the cosmos exceeds the bounds of human comprehension. But that doesn’t mean the universe is beyond our understanding

Maps of stellar motions can show whether the Milky Way will someday merge with the Andromeda galaxy—and a whole lot more

Without adding an extra day to February every four years, our calendar would get increasingly out of sync with the cosmos

Despite being some six billion kilometers away, the sun from Pluto would be a dazzling sight to behold—carefully, that is

Images of possible planets around white dwarf stars suggest that some gas-giant worlds survive the deaths of their stellar host

We’re looking for another Earth. But how likely is it that we’ll find a duplicate of home?

The popular limit of a 100-kilometer altitude for the edge of space should probably be adjusted down to 80 km

The edge of the world is closer than you think, and simple geometry proves it

Glowing methane on a brown dwarf dozens of light-years from Earth may signal the presence of a large lunar companion

Our planet’s precession is scarcely noticeable during anyone’s lifetime, but across history, it has had enormous effects

Here’s a calendar of cosmic events to keep your eyes on in the coming year

This year’s most interesting space images include infrared views of galactic “bones,” an asteroid’s double moon, Jupiter’s giant polar vortex, and more

How can the December solstice have the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere but neither the earliest sunset nor the latest sunrise? Earth’s orbital quirks offer answers

Ice crystals suspended in the air put on a gorgeous show if you know when and where to look

No one has ever seen a newborn star feeding on its natal disk anywhere outside our galaxy—that is, until now

Where can you find the best sites for stargazing—and why is a dark sky important?

This beginner’s guide to telescope basics will help make holiday shopping a little more heavenly

Money, engineering and sheer geometry may mark an end of the line for building ever larger astronomical telescopes