NASA

The sun, Earth, and moon will align at approximately 3:54 p.m. EDT today — but you may miss it if you blink! One of the century's shallowest and shortest partial eclipses will occur this afternoon. Catch the quick astrological phenomena in the sky or on the web with this mini guide to today's lunar eclipse.

• When can I see it? — Today, April 25, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. EDT and 12:45 p.m. PDT.
• Where is it in the sky? — North and South America won't be able to watch Earth's umbral shadow clip the moon, but it will be visible to much of the Eastern Hemisphere (specifically western Australia, Africa, Europe, and central Asia).
• Is there a live stream of the lunar eclipse? — Why, yes there is! Telescopes on the Canary Islands with their eyes on the eclipse will be broadcasting the event via Slooh Space Camera, beginning at 3 p.m. EDT.
• How long will it last? — Scientists are projecting a full 27 minutes (the third shortest partial lunar eclipse of the 21st century). If you miss this one, the Earth's dark umbral shadow will touch the moon's face again next year, on April 15, 2014, and this time, it'll be a total eclipse!

An annual star event called the Lyrids meteor shower is lighting up the sky this weekend, peaking late Sunday, April 21 and before dawn on Monday, April 22. The light show can actually be seen through the 25th, but a bright, shining moon might get in the way of the spectacle.

Thanks to that glowing moon, around 4 a.m. on Monday morning will be the best time to see the sparkling comets in the sky. Lucky skygazers in the southern US are in for the best view of all.

Earth Month is an annual celebration every April, when eco-conscious citizens around the globe help other earthlings reduce their carbon footprint and put an end to "environmental apathy." NASA is celebrating this month's green awareness with a video showcasing what we're trying to save — the Earth.

"NASA Science Eyes" is the name of the video, and rightly so — the footage was taken by astronauts on the International Space Station orbiting the globe. NASA's scientists are working on a daily basis to better understand how our planet really works and how we can protect it.

You can participate in the official Earth Day — April 22 — by adhering to eco-friendly tech tips, cutting down on electricity, planning a green wedding, and more! Let us know what you'll be doing to protect the environment throughout the month.

For those who want to experience the sights of Mars (you know, without taking in the toxic fumes), the interactive 360-degree, four-billion-pixel panorama by photographer Andrew Bodrov is the most sweeping view of the Red Planet you're going to get.

Andrew stitched together over 400 photos taken by the Curiosity Rover's narrow angle camera (NAC), which has a 100mm focal length, and medium angle camera (MAC), which has a 34mm focal length. The end result is a totally immersive 90,000-by-45,000-pixel image that takes you right to the surface of Mars. Andrew creates all sorts of interactive photography for 360pano.eu, including some older photo composites from the early days of NASA's Curiosity rover.

Super-high-resolution gigapixel panoramas are nothing new — we were geeking out on photographer Toni Sandys's GigaPan image of President Obama's inaugural address a couple months ago — but this may be the most impressive panoramic image of Mars that we've seen so far.

See all four billion pixels (make sure you get the full-screen experience!) after the break.

Listen up, space cowboys: this project has been Wil Wheaton-approved. We Are the Explorers is an Indiegogo campaign to get space exploration back in the public consciousness. The project is raising money for a 30-second trailer before the premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness in over 50 movie theaters around the country.

Space, the endless abyss of the unknown, is the key to answering life's greatest questions — but financial support for exploring the final frontier has dwindled significantly due to mandatory spending cuts. NASA shut down its shuttle program in 2011 after 30 years of human spaceflight, and an internal NASA memo citing the suspension of educational outreach programs has been circling the web.

We Are the Explorers has raised well more than half of its $33K goal, with 34 days left to go. The campaign's video features the booming voice of Peter Cullen (aka Optimus Prime in the original '80s Transformers) telling the tale of extraterrestrial discovery in the modern age.

After the break, watch the moving video about the final frontier and help out your space-faring friends at NASA!

Always wanted to work for NASA? Well, here's your chance! Our favorite galaxy-faring adventurers at NASA are inviting developers, scientists, and other problem solvers like you to participate in the second annual International Space Apps Challenge, which begins on April 20 at 75 locations around the world.

The goal? To harness the power of thinking brains across the globe to improve life on Earth and in space. NASA has posted over 50 different challenges requiring software, hardware, data visualization, or citizen science solutions. From an app that fosters connections between the Mars rover and earthlings to a conceptual model of what the Kennedy Space Center should look like in 2040, the prompts cover every aspect of NASA's diverse set of initiatives.

My Virtual Mentor was one project that caught our eye. NASA GIRLS (Giving Initiative and Relevance to Learning Science) is a digital platform that puts middle school girls in touch with engineers, astronauts, scientists, and technologists from NASA. The challenge includes developing a mobile version of the website and a mobile app that focuses on mentor-mentee resources.

The website doesn't explicitly detail rewards for winners per se ("there are prizes offered for great solutions," according to the about page), but we can guarantee the glory of having successfully created something for NASA. Read more about the Space Apps Challenge from astronaut Ron Garan, who did an insightful Reddit AMA about the global event. Even if you're not participating, tell us what space challenges you think need solving!

Despite the jarring news of a meteor crossing through the Earth's atmosphere and its resulting sonic boom causing damage in western Siberia this morning, the other asteroid passing by Earth, 2012 DA14, will not be making the same planetary appearance. Thought to be about 150 feet in diameter and weigh about 130,000 metric tons, this asteroid won't come any closer than 17,200 miles of our planet's surface today.

Though it's the closest-ever predicted Earth approach for an object this size, NASA scientists assure the public it will not see an event like what happened in Russia today. Which is a good thing, because as Neil deGrasse Tyson not so delicately put it on Twitter, "The day Asteroid #2012DA14 hits Earth it will likely explode in our atmosphere, with 1000x the power of Hiroshima atomic bomb." Well, that's sobering.

Watch asteroid 2012 DA14 fly by Earth in the live NASA stream at 11 a.m. PST.

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