Read news from the world of astronomy for the week of March 19, 2021.
Minerals in Mars's crust may have locked away most of the planet's water. Plus, the universe is expanding faster than scientists expected. And simulations show that the Karma family of asteroids might be sending members near Earth.
This week in pictures: Astronomers have watched auroral storms at Jupiter, imaged strands of the cosmic web, and seen stellar fireworks off the sword of Orion.
The Moon this evening shines with Mars and Aldebaran, which look identical. Earth crosses the March equinox point on its orbit at 5:37 a.m. EDT on Saturday. This is when the Sun crosses the equator (both Earth's equator and the celestial equator), heading north.
Leo, the Lion, stands high in the southern sky during the early spring. We visit some of the constellation’s brighter galaxy clumps then go asteroid hunting.
