A new study has found that an asteroid NASA used for target practice a few years ago was nudged into a slightly different route around the sun. It's the first time that a celestial body's solar orbit was deliberately changed. Scientists reported Friday that the 2022 impact by the Dart spacecraft not only trimmed the asteroid's orbit around its bigger space rock companion, but also around the sun. Researchers say their findings could help divert an incoming killer space rock given enough advance notice. The study was published in Science Advances.

A blood-red moon will soon grace the skies for a total lunar eclipse. There won’t be another until late 2028. The spectacle will be visible Tuesday morning from North America, Central America and western part of South America. Australia and eastern Asia will see it Tuesday night. During a full lunar eclipse, the Earth is between the sun and moon, casting a shadow that covers the full moon. The moon looks red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere. A partial lunar eclipse is in store for August, visible across the Americas, Europe, Africa and west Asia.

Six planets will be visible in the night sky at the end of February, and most can be seen with the naked eye. It’s what’s known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. On Saturday, go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune, but those last two are only visible with binoculars and telescopes.