On May 20-21, 2012 an annular eclipse of the Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor along Earth's northern Hemisphere -- beginning in eastern Asia, crossing the North Pacific Ocean, and ending in the western United States.

Approximately every 11 years the magnetic field on the sun reverses completely – the north magnetic pole switches to south, and vice versa.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan.

Comets are icy and fragile. They spend most of their time orbiting through the dark outskirts of the solar system safe from destructive rays of intense sunlight. The deepest cold is their natural habitat.

Australian astronomer Terry Lovejoy spotted a Kreutz family comet by using a ground-based telescope for the first time since the 1970s.