Following the July 2022 release of the first James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images —  a haunting deep field of galaxies, its stunning picture of the Carina Nebula, the captivating beauty of Stephan’s Quintet and the Southern Ring Nebula —  a flurry of other space images started widely circulating across social media platforms. That wasContinue reading "Astronomical hoaxes throughout...

Friday, May 26With the waxing Moon in the west after sunset, let’s concentrate our gaze east, where the cross-shaped constellation Cygnus is rising. About two hours after sunset, the Swan has sufficiently cleared the horizon for observers to seek out one of its many deep-sky treasures: The North America Nebula. Also cataloged as NGC 7000,Continue reading "The Sky This Week from May 26 to June 2:...

Can isolated black holes account for dark matter? Rick PinsonLong Beach, California Astronomers estimate about 100 million black holes wander the Milky Way. Since black holes emit no light, we rely on indirect methods to infer their presence. The first method is to search for a black hole’s gravitational influence on nearby objects, such asContinue reading "Ask Astro: Could isolated black holes...

Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is perched on the mountainous backbone of the Andes, which run through the center of this equatorial nation on the northwest shoulder of South America. Although February is the wet season, but it isn’t raining today so people lounge near a pond in Parque Alameda, with fountains spraying jetsContinue reading "A visit to Ecuador’s astronomical center" The post...

When a massive star dies, it goes out with a bang, creating a stunningly bright explosion that can temporarily change the look of the night sky. The brightest and closest may be visible with the naked eye, but even those in distant galaxies can be easily spotted with amateur equipment from your backyard. And now,Continue reading "Bright, young supernova now visible in M101" The post Bright, young...

For many of us, light pollution has robbed our skies of once readily visible objects. That’s why many residential observers have turned away from nebulae and galaxies to pursue other targets, such as double stars. This month, let’s enjoy a few of my favorite springtime binocular binaries. We begin with a challenging binocular target, IotaContinue reading "Binocular Universe: Double duty" The...

Astronomical websites and press releases brim with pictures of swirling gas giants, watery terrestrial worlds, and strange planetary systems with exotic suns. But just how realistic are these artist’s concepts? Do they truly show newly discovered worlds, or are they simply fanciful pictures meant to draw you into reading about the latest addition to theContinue reading "How do we draw alien...

Hi folks, tune in every week of 2023 for the best in astronomy from Astronomy Editor Dave Eicher, brought to you by Celestron. Dave’s weekly video series will cover all the latest sky events, scientific results, overviews of cosmic mysteries, and more! This week, we’re talking about dark nebulae — objects in the night skyContinue reading "What are dark nebulae? This Week in Astronomy...

Chad Hanna, Penn State, The Conversation – After a three-year hiatus, scientists in the U.S. have just turned on detectors capable of measuring gravitational waves – tiny ripples in space itself that travel through the universe. Unlike light waves, gravitational waves are nearly unimpeded by the galaxies, stars, gas and dust that fill the universe.Continue reading "Gravitational wave...

The next time you fly, be sure to secure a window seat opposite the Sun — and pray for clouds. Under the right conditions, you just might see a glorious atmospheric phenomenon known as, well, the glory. The glory is an optical effect that appears as a series of concentric colored rings on clouds orContinue reading "Secret Sky: High-flying glory" The post Secret Sky: High-flying glory appeared...

NASA has selected Blue Origin's Blue Moon as the second human landing system that will take future astronauts to the Moon. The post Blue Origin’s Blue Moon will become second Artemis lander appeared first on Astronomy...

Friday, May 19The Moon reaches its New phase at 11:53 A.M. EDT, leaving a perfectly dark sky overhead for us to seek out fainter targets like the Lagoon Nebula. Also cataloged as M8, the Lagoon is located in northwestern Sagittarius. It sits some 5.5° west of magnitude 2.8 Kaus Borealis (Lambda [λ] Sagittarii). You’ll findContinue reading "The Sky This Week from May 19 to 26: Deep-sky...

If the exploration of the planets has taught us one thing, it is that Murphy’s law — “anything that can go wrong will go wrong” — is alive and well throughout the solar system. But one planet in particular exhibits more than its share of quirks: Venus. It’s no wonder. Venus is a tough placeContinue reading "Why is Venus so different from Earth?" The post Why is Venus so different from...

As a long-time observer of galaxies, I have a saying: “Why look at just one galaxy when you can look at multiple galaxies at the same time?” By observing groups and clusters, you not only get treated to the glow of potentially many trillions of stars all at once, but you can also survey theContinue reading "Target 10 galaxy groups" The post Target 10 galaxy groups appeared first on Astronomy...

On May 14, 1973, watched by 25,000 rapt spectators, the last Saturn V patiently sat on Launch Pad 39A at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Atop the rocket was Skylab, the biggest, heaviest single object ever to be put into space and the nation’s first long-term, off-planet homestead. At 12:30 P.M. EDT, the Saturn’s fiveContinue reading "Remembering Skylab’s launch, 50 years on" The...

Many amateur astronomers start observing with the Messier catalog, a list of “fuzzy” deep-sky targets that present wonderful sights through a telescope. Although Messier objects may be bright and well known, there’s so much more in the sky to enjoy. The following list of beautiful globular clusters, galaxies, and other celestial entities of the springContinue reading "20 best deep-sky...

Centaurus A (Cen A), located some 12 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus the Centaur, is the fifth-brightest galaxy in the night sky and hosts an exceptionally powerful supermassive black hole at its core. This oddly shaped galaxy was the latest target of two of NASA’s orbiting X-ray telescopes, the Chandra X-ray Observatory andContinue reading "Centaurus A captured in...

When designing robots for space exploration, engineers and developers often turn to nature for inspiration. From snakes to caterpillars to even fish, many different types of natural movements have been mimicked by the bodies of space robots. The latest of these so-called biomimetic robotic bodies comes from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Genoa,Continue reading "Earthworm robots could...

Friday, May 12Last Quarter Moon occurs at this morning 10:28 A.M. EDT. Because the Moon rises early and sets in the afternoon during this phase, the evening sky is clear of moonlight for easier deep-sky viewing after dark. The large constellation Ophiuchus is climbing above the eastern horizon a few hours after sunset. This circularContinue reading "The Sky This Week from May 12 to 19: Ceres...

Friday, May 5The week kicks off with a stunning Full Flower Moon, the name for May’s Full Moon. Luna reaches Full phase at 1:34 P.M. EDT; this evening, observers in Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand will enjoy a subtle penumbral lunar eclipse. This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the outerContinue reading "The Sky This Week: Enjoy Venus and Mars in the evenings" The...

Perhaps nothing has revolutionized amateur astronomy more than go-to telescopes with motorized drives that find and track any of thousands of deep-sky objects. No longer must users rely on a celestial map to star-hop to the wonders of the sky. Some models, however, have proven a bit too complicated for beginners — and, as theContinue reading "We test Celestron’s 10-inch StarSense...

On May 5, 2023, people around the world will witness a a lunar eclipse when Earth gets between the Sun and the Moon and casts part of its shadow on the Moon. The eclipse will be visible in Africa, Asia, Australia, and large portions of Europe, though not in the U.S. this time around. This eclipse isContinue reading "Lunar eclipse on May 5 will be a subtle show of astronomical wonder" The...

The Hubble Space Telescope recently captured this captivating image of the lenticular galaxy NGC 3489, located some 30 million light-years away in the constellation Leo the Lion. Lenticular galaxies are disk-shaped galaxies that skirt the line between spirals and ellipticals. Unlike ellipticals, lenticulars do show some internal structure, hosting distinct central bulges surrounded by thin...

Will the Sun’s expansion into a red giant be gradual or explosive? John HaleyHuntsville, Alabama Stars use pressure created by nuclear fusion to combat gravity and stay “alive.” More accurately, this balance allows stars to stay in what is called hydrostatic equilibrium. Stars in the prime of their lives, fusing hydrogen into helium in theirContinue reading "Ask Astro: How quickly will the...