EarthSky News:
- Feed has no items.
Universe Today:
- Strange Winds Blow Through this Exoplanet’s Atmosphereby Evan Gough on February 21, 2025 at 7:46 pm
Some exoplanets have characteristics totally alien to our Solar System. Hot Jupiters are one such type. They can have orbital periods of less than 10 days and surface temperatures that can climb to well over 4,000 K (3,730 °C or 6,740 °F). Unlike any planets in our system, they’re usually tidally locked. Astronomers probed the … Continue reading "Strange Winds Blow Through this Exoplanet’s Atmosphere" The post Strange Winds Blow Through this Exoplanet’s Atmosphere appeared first on Universe Today.
- Fluffy Molecular Clouds Formed Stars in the Early Universeby Evan Gough on February 21, 2025 at 5:18 pm
Stars form in Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs), vast clouds of mostly hydrogen that can span tens of light years. These stellar nurseries can form thousands of stars. Astronomers know this because they observe these regions in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds and watch as stars take shape. But the Universe is more than … Continue reading "Fluffy Molecular Clouds Formed Stars in the Early Universe" The post Fluffy Molecular Clouds Formed Stars in the Early Universe appeared first on Universe Today.
- If You’re Going to Call Aliens, Use This Numberby Paul M. Sutter on February 21, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Let’s dive into one of those cosmic curiosities that’s bound to blow your mind: how we might chat with aliens. And no, I’m not talking about elaborate coded messages or flashy signals. We’re talking about something incredibly fundamental—21cm radiation. If you’re planning on having a conversation across the vastness of space, using light waves (electromagnetic … Continue reading "If You’re Going to Call Aliens, Use This Number" The post If You’re Going to Call Aliens, Use This Number appeared first on Universe Today.
APOD: Astronomy Picture of the Day:
- Hubble s Andromeda Galaxy Mosaicon February 21, 2025 at 7:04 pm
The largest photomosaic
- Messier 87on February 21, 2025 at 7:04 pm
Enormous elliptical galaxy
- Post Titleon February 21, 2025 at 7:04 pm
How do stars and planets form?
NASA Breaking News:
- NASA Awards Planetary Defense Space Telescope Launch Services Contractby Tiernan P. Doyle on February 21, 2025 at 10:35 pm
NASA has selected SpaceX of Starbase, Texas, to provide launch services for the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission, which will detect and observe asteroids and comets that could potentially pose an impact threat to Earth. The firm fixed price launch service task order is being awarded under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity NASA Launch Services II
- NASA Awards Delivery Order for NOAA’s Space Weather Programby Tiernan P. Doyle on February 21, 2025 at 9:32 pm
NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded a delivery order to BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, to build spacecraft for the Lagrange 1 Series project as a part of NOAA’s Space Weather Next program. The award made under the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV contract,
- Hubble Captures a Cosmic Cloudscapeby Monika Luabeya on February 21, 2025 at 8:36 pm
The universe is a dusty place, as this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image featuring swirling clouds of gas and dust near the Tarantula Nebula reveals. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Tarantula Nebula is the most productive star-forming region in the nearby universe, home to the
- NASA Sets Coverage for Intuitive Machines’ Next Commercial Moon Launchby Roxana Bardan on February 21, 2025 at 8:22 pm
Carrying NASA science and technology to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission is targeted to launch no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26. The mission will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s
- NASA Marks Artemis Progress With Gateway Lunar Space Stationby Briana R. Zamora on February 21, 2025 at 7:43 pm
NASA and its international partners are making progress on Gateway – the lunar space station that will orbit the Moon as a centerpiece of the agency’s Moon to Mars architecture.
Space Station News:
- Feed has no items.
Sky & Telescope Observing News:
- This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 21 – March 2by Alan MacRobert on February 21, 2025 at 9:41 am
Venus, after standing alone, is joined by the crescent Moon and low little Mercury in twilight late this week. Higher in the night, Jupiter and Mars continue in their distinctive triangles. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 21 – March 2 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 14 – 23by Alan MacRobert on February 14, 2025 at 10:12 am
Jupiter makes a triangle with Aldebaran and the Pleiades. Mars makes a nicer triangle with Pollux and Castor. The pre-dawn Moon hangs with Spica, then Antares. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 14 – 23 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- See Crescent Venus This Valentine's Dayby Bob King on February 12, 2025 at 2:49 pm
In a delightful cosmic coincidence, Venus will shine brightest on Valentine's Day. The post See Crescent Venus This Valentine's Day appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 7 – 16by Alan MacRobert on February 7, 2025 at 9:42 pm
Watch the bright Moon step past Mars, Castor, and Pollux. They bunch up on Sunday evening the 9th. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, "full moon" spans two evenings. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 7 – 16 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Planets “Parade” with Waxing Moonby Bob King on January 31, 2025 at 4:04 pm
The "planet parade" isn't over yet — the waxing Moon will pair with the planets in the coming week, with a pretty Venus-Moon pairing on February 1st. The post Planets “Parade” with Waxing Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Sky & Telescope – Explore the Night with Bob King:
- See Crescent Venus This Valentine's Dayby Bob King on February 12, 2025 at 2:49 pm
In a delightful cosmic coincidence, Venus will shine brightest on Valentine's Day. The post See Crescent Venus This Valentine's Day appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Best Double Stars in the Pleiades Clusterby Bob King on February 5, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Like a gift that keeps on giving, the Pleiades is also home to several fine double and triple stars for small telescopes. Plus, details of a rare comet occultation on Feb. 5. The post Best Double Stars in the Pleiades Cluster appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Planets “Parade” with Waxing Moonby Bob King on January 31, 2025 at 4:04 pm
The "planet parade" isn't over yet — the waxing Moon will pair with the planets in the coming week, with a pretty Venus-Moon pairing on February 1st. The post Planets “Parade” with Waxing Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Take a Look at R Leonis, Leo's Giant Tickerby Bob King on January 29, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Big, bright and red, the Mira variable R Leonis portends the Sun's fate. A pair of binoculars is all you need to get acquainted. The post Take a Look at R Leonis, Leo's Giant Ticker appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
- Witness the First-ever Sight and Sound Recording of a Meteorite Impactby Bob King on January 22, 2025 at 8:13 pm
To our best knowledge, the fall of last summer's Charlottetown meteorite stands as the only video-and-audio recording of a meteorite impact. The post Witness the First-ever Sight and Sound Recording of a Meteorite Impact appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Stardate Podcast: The supergiant star Antares could use a supergiant dust mop. The star has created clumps of dust that can be more than a billion miles across. The dust can be both a help and a hindrance. It tells us something about the star itself. But it also makes it more difficult to see the “edge” of the […] Two bright orange stars pass high across the south this evening: Betelgeuse, at the shoulder of Orion the hunter; and Aldebaran, the eye of the bull, well to its upper right.
An even redder star perches below Orion’s feet, although you need binoculars or a telescope to see it.
Hind’s Crimson […] Dying stars are among the most beautiful objects in the universe. They create colorful bubbles that can glow for thousands of years. And depending on our viewing angle, they can look like a butterfly, a cat’s eye, an hourglass, or other fanciful forms.
An example is NGC 3242. It’s known as the […] Whether you like your mythology impish or scary, the constellation Hydra has a story for you. It represents a serpent – a water snake or a dragon. It either got involved with a sneaky crow, or had to be destroyed by the strongman.
In one version, Hydra was a multi-headed monster that lived in a […] The Moon has an especially close companion at dawn tomorrow: Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. Depending on your location, they might be separated by as little as the width of a pencil held at arm’s length. And from some parts of the world, the Moon will briefly cover the star.
Spica is a […]