The seemingly simple force of gravity sets the moon, planets, and the solar system's lesser players spinning in a complex dance of eclipses, conjunctions, and shooting stars during the coming year. Meanwhile, man-made gadgetry will perform its own vacuum-packed choreography, angling for prime viewing spots in space.
JANUARY The show begins in the very first hour of 2002, when Jupiter shines its brightest of the year. And during the first half of the month, rarely seen Mercury hovers noticeably in the evening twilight as the only prominent "star" immediately above the horizon. The crescent moon helpfully dangles just below it on the 14th.
FEBRUARY A team of astronauts plan to pay a service call on the Hubble Space Telescope and install upgraded instruments to boost the observatory's optics. The mission will be performed from the oldest space shuttle, Columbia, which began service in 1981 and is freshly refurbished for its ...
