I don’t have any particularly profound thoughts about the hexagon on Saturn (though hexagons are not unknown to nature, even if not on this scale), but Alan Henderson does.

Here’s a cool movie, displaying the variation in lunar distance and angle from the earth. It’s explained here.

The Leonids are this weekend.

Paul Spudis writes that there’s still a good possibility of lunar ice.

Paul Spudis writes that there’s still a good possibility of lunar ice.

Paul Spudis writes that there’s still a good possibility of lunar ice.

Mars Express has delivered a nice animation of the Cydonia region. Needless to say, Richard Hoagland‘s lunatic fans will be disappointed. Or rather, they should be, and would be if they weren’t nuts. As it is, they’ll probably, along with Hoagland, decry the conspiracy to hide the truth, and claim that now ESA has become part of NASA’s cover up.

Jupiter’s spots may be disappearing, as a result of climate change.

The Perseids peaked last night, but you should still be able to see them tonight if you get out of the city. Unfortunately, the moon is still bright.

Planet formation may be much more common than previously thought:

Scientists say the latest finding should shed light on how planetary systems form.

“It shows that planet formation is really ubiquitous in the universe. It’s a very robust process and can happen in all sorts of unexpected environments,” said lead researcher Deepto Chakrabarty, an astrophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.