... At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. ... A meteoroid fell to Earth on February 15, streaking some 20 to 30 kilometers above the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia at 9:20am local time. ... Mercury on the Horizon . ... Because Mercury orbits so close to the Sun, it never wanders far from the Sun in Earth's sky. ... Asteroid 2012 DA14 Passes the Earth . ... February . ...