EarthSky News:
- Sun news May 8: X and M flares all day longby C. Alex Young on May 8, 2024 at 10:00 am
Sun news for May 7, 2024. X4.5 flare! Region AR3663 has had a week of high activity. Today is no exception as it finally approaches the horizon. What's next? The post Sun news May 8: X and M flares all day long first appeared on EarthSky.
- Meet Omega Centauri, a giant star clusterby Bruce McClure on May 8, 2024 at 10:00 am
Omega Centauri is the Milky Way's largest globular star cluster and contains about 10 million stars. It's even visible from parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The post Meet Omega Centauri, a giant star cluster first appeared on EarthSky.
- Visible planets and night sky guide for Mayby Marcy Curran on May 8, 2024 at 6:00 am
Visible planets and night sky guide for May 2024. The nights before and after new moon are the perfect time for stargazing under dark skies. The post Visible planets and night sky guide for May first appeared on EarthSky.
- Ring the fish doorbell to help fish migrate!by Kelly Kizer Whitt on May 7, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Ring the fish doorbell to help fish migrating to their spawning grounds! The fish are stuck behind a lock in the Netherlands, but you can help. The post Ring the fish doorbell to help fish migrate! first appeared on EarthSky.
Universe Today:
- A Nebula that Extends its Hand into Spaceby Evan Gough on May 8, 2024 at 12:04 am
The Gum Nebula is an emission nebula almost 1400 light-years away. It’s home to an object known as “God’s Hand” among the faithful. The rest of us call it CG 4. Many objects in space take on fascinating, ethereal shapes straight out of someone’s psychedelic fantasy. CG4 is definitely ethereal and extraordinary, but it’s also … Continue reading "A Nebula that Extends its Hand into Space" The post A Nebula that Extends its Hand into Space appeared first on Universe Today.
- 41,000 Years Ago Earth’s Shield Went Downby Evan Gough on May 7, 2024 at 9:20 pm
Earth is naked without its protective barrier. The planet’s magnetic shield surrounds Earth and shelters it from the natural onslaught of cosmic rays. But sometimes, the shield weakens and wavers, allowing cosmic rays to strike the atmosphere, creating a shower of particles that scientists think could wreak havoc on the biosphere. This has happened many … Continue reading "41,000 Years Ago Earth’s Shield Went Down" The post 41,000 Years Ago Earth’s Shield Went Down appeared first on Universe Today.
- Fall Into a Black Hole With this New NASA Simulationby Evan Gough on May 7, 2024 at 9:05 pm
No human being will ever encounter a black hole. But we can’t stop wondering what it would be like to fall into one of these massive, beguiling, physics-defying singularities. NASA created a simulation to help us imagine what it would be like. Jeremy Schnittman is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and he … Continue reading "Fall Into a Black Hole With this New NASA Simulation" The post Fall Into a Black Hole With this New NASA Simulation appeared first on Universe Today.
APOD: Astronomy Picture of the Day:
- Post Titleon May 8, 2024 at 9:40 am
What would it look like to circle a black hole?
- Post Titleon May 8, 2024 at 9:40 am
What happens when a black hole devours a star?
- Post Titleon May 8, 2024 at 9:40 am
This is how the Sun disappeared from the daytime sky last month.
NASA Breaking News:
- International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction on May 7, 2024 at 10:47 pm
A partnership between NASA and the French space agency, the satellite is poised to help improve forecasts of where and when flooding will occur in Earth’s rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet’s arteries, carrying life-sustaining water in interconnected networks. When Earth’s water cycle runs too fast, flooding can result,
- 20 Years Ago: NASA Selects its 19th Group of Astronautsby Kelli Mars on May 7, 2024 at 9:34 pm
On May 6, 2004, NASA announced the selection of its 19th group of astronauts. The group comprised 11 candidates – two pilots, six mission specialists, and three educator mission specialists – and included two women, two Hispanic Americans, and one African American. Three astronauts from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) joined the 11 NASA
- NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operationson May 7, 2024 at 8:51 pm
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) returned to science operations May 3 and is once again making observations. The satellite went into safe mode April 23 following a separate period of down time earlier that month. The operations team determined this latest safe mode was triggered by a failure to properly unload momentum from the
- NASA Challenge Gives Artemis Generation Coders a Chance to Shineby Justin Locke on May 7, 2024 at 8:16 pm
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement selected seven student teams to participate in a culminating event for the 2024 App Development Challenge (ADC), one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston from April 15-18, 2024. The coding challenge, celebrating its fifth year and a part of NASA’s Next Generation STEM
- New Proposals to Help NASA Advance Knowledge of Our Changing Climateby Tiernan P. Doyle on May 7, 2024 at 8:14 pm
NASA has selected four proposals for concept studies of missions to help us better understand Earth science key focus areas for the benefit of all including greenhouse gases, the ozone layer, ocean surface currents, and changes in ice and glaciers around the world. These four investigations are part of the agency’s new Earth System Explorers
Space Station News:
- Astronaut Suni Williams Prepares for Crew Flight Testby Monika Luabeya on May 6, 2024 at 7:18 pm
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronaut Suni Williams gives a thumbs up during a mission dress rehearsal on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Williams was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and has been aboard the International Space Station twice. She is set to return to
- NASA Mission Strengthens 40-Year Friendship by Elyna N. Niles-Carnes on May 2, 2024 at 2:34 pm
As NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore launches aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station Monday, May 6 on its first crewed flight, one of his best friends will have played a key role in getting him there. Billy Stover, chief safety officer for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and Wilmore have been friends for more
- NASA Sets Coverage for Boeing Starliner’s First Crewed Launch, Dockingby Tiernan P. Doyle on April 29, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on May 6, 2024, to reflect a change in the list of participants for the postlaunch news conference. Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on May 5, 2024, to reflect a change in the list of participants for the postlaunch news conference. Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on
NASA Universe:
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Sky & Telescope Observing News:
- This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 3 – 12by Alan MacRobert on May 3, 2024 at 3:18 pm
This week in the moonless dark, the Summer Triangle appears over the eastern treetops star by star. Leo walks down toward the west. And the Sombrero Galaxy positions itself ideally on the south meridian for your telescope. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 3 – 12 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Ready the Hot Cocoa and Recliner — Here Comes the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower!by Bob King on May 1, 2024 at 3:40 pm
You might be tempted to sleep through this annual shower but then you'd miss seeing some of the fastest meteors around. Not to mention their parent is the most famous comet of all. The post Ready the Hot Cocoa and Recliner — Here Comes the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 26 – May 5by Alan MacRobert on April 26, 2024 at 5:30 pm
All the planets now huddle around our line of sight toward the Sun. However, these moonless evenings present us the Spring Triangle, the Great Diamond with a sugar sprinkle on its edge, and the Pointers aligned vertically. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 26 – May 5 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 19 – 28by Alan MacRobert on April 19, 2024 at 9:08 am
Springtime Leo walks high in the south, springtime Hydra snakes a quarter of the way around the celestial sphere, and the bright Moon aligns with Spica. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 19 – 28 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Jupiter Meets Uranus in Twilight; Supernova Erupts in Nearby Spiral Galaxyby Bob King on April 17, 2024 at 5:08 am
Jupiter aligns with distant Uranus before it exits the evening sky as a bright supernova flares in the southern galaxy NGC 3621. The post Jupiter Meets Uranus in Twilight; Supernova Erupts in Nearby Spiral Galaxy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Sky & Telescope – Explore the Night with Bob King:
- Ready the Hot Cocoa and Recliner — Here Comes the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower!by Bob King on May 1, 2024 at 3:40 pm
You might be tempted to sleep through this annual shower but then you'd miss seeing some of the fastest meteors around. Not to mention their parent is the most famous comet of all. The post Ready the Hot Cocoa and Recliner — Here Comes the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Jupiter Meets Uranus in Twilight; Supernova Erupts in Nearby Spiral Galaxyby Bob King on April 17, 2024 at 5:08 am
Jupiter aligns with distant Uranus before it exits the evening sky as a bright supernova flares in the southern galaxy NGC 3621. The post Jupiter Meets Uranus in Twilight; Supernova Erupts in Nearby Spiral Galaxy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- What Will We See in the Sky During Totality?by Bob King on March 27, 2024 at 2:58 pm
Most of our time will be focused on Sun during the minutes of totality on April 8th, but consider tearing yourself away for a few seconds to put it all in context. The post What Will We See in the Sky During Totality? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Is Betelgeuse Fading Again?by Bob King on March 13, 2024 at 2:39 pm
Betelgeuse has dipped nearly half a magnitude since late January. Could it be headed for another Great Dimming Event? We also take a look at this spring's "other" eclipse. The post Is Betelgeuse Fading Again? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Fuzzy Glows: See Zodiacal Light, Gegenschein, Airglow, and Auroraeby Bob King on February 28, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Find time this season to set aside your telescope and seek the night sky's ghostly glows. The post Fuzzy Glows: See Zodiacal Light, Gegenschein, Airglow, and Aurorae appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Stardate Podcast: In our region of the Milky Way Galaxy, the stars are a long way apart. The Sun’s nearest neighbor is more than four light-years away — 25 trillion miles. In the core of a globular cluster, though, the stars are packed hundreds of times more densely. That means the stars are only a few […] The geography of the sky owes a lot to Claudius Ptolemy. He was a Greek astronomer who lived and worked in Alexandria, the capital of Greek-controlled Egypt.
Almost 1900 years ago, Ptolemy published one of the most important astronomical works in history. Known as the Almagest, it contained […] Most of the “star pictures” in the night sky look nothing like their namesakes. But one beautiful exception lunges across the southwestern sky on May evenings: Leo, the lion. It’s high in the sky at nightfall.
Leo consists of two patterns of stars that the brain puts together to make a […] Over the centuries, no planet has been as frustrating to study as Mercury. The Sun’s closest planet never moves far from the Sun in our sky. So when astronomers pointed telescopes at Mercury, it was almost always screened by twilight and a thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere. So most of what we […] The atmosphere of Mars is quite different from Earth’s. It’s colder, thinner, and it’s made mainly of carbon dioxide. In one way, though, the skies of the two planets are similar: both of them have clouds. And for the most part, the clouds themselves are alike as well.
Because Mars is so […]