Saturday, September 30, 2017

Cluster and Pillars



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day peeks through nebula NGC 281 at open cluster IC 1590. From the gasses and dust of creation to the young stars "recently" born.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Dust and Gas



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows supernova remnant Puppis A. Imagine if this were spread visibly across our night sky!

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Mapping Waves



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows ripples in spacetime, courtesy of combined LIGO observations. When black holes collide, the universe rings.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Full Image



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us a parting gift. As it fell towards the end of its mission, the Cassini Orbiter snapped one final whole-ring image of Saturn.

I will miss that orbiter.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Expansive Mood



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day depicts G79.29+0.46, brought to us courtesy of both ground and space-based telescopes. As the star throws off gas, it is painting a very pretty cosmic image.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

What's That?



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a handy diagram to help you identify (in the broadest sense) what you're looking at in the sky!

Saturday, September 23, 2017

When Comets "Collide"



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us multiple comets seemingly on a rendezvous. What a sight for the sky! "Mouseover" the image in the link for a guide.

Friday, September 22, 2017

Charting the Eclipse



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the path of the Sun (using a pinhole solargraph) on the day of the Great American Eclipse.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Lineup at Dawn



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us a dawn sky near Castle Vesprem in Hungary. As the sky brightens, several celestial objects (including the Moon) remain visible. "Mouseover" the image in the link for a guide.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Corona and Prominences



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day combines forty separate images to produce this view of our home star and our own moon during the recent eclipse, plus the corona and looping prominences of our quiet sun.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Veil



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a classic image from the Hubble Space Telescope of the Veil Nebula. If this nebula were bright enough to be seen with your "naked" eye it would cover the sky larger than five full Moons. Imagine living under that sight!

Monday, September 18, 2017

Orion Over



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day gives Orion a new stance for me: He soars over one of the enigmatic heads of Easter Island, on his "head". "Mouseover" the image in the link for a constellation guide.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Messier's Gems



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a "stacked image" (ground and space-based telescopes contributing) of Messier 81, a striking spiral galaxy in Ursa Major.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Grand Finale



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the last image transmitted by the Cassini Orbiter as it was deorbited into Saturn. The science continued during Cassini's final trajectory, lasting nearly sixty seconds after it was estimated the spacecraft would be unable to maintain communications with Earth.

Goodbye, Cassini. You were, possibly, the grandest of our grand explorations.

Friday, September 15, 2017

100 Steps



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the winner of the 2017 The World at Night's International Earth & Sky Photo Contest.

Goodbye, Cassini



Right now, as I write this, the venerable hard-working Cassini Orbiter is plunging into the atmosphere of Saturn. This is being done to protect the moons of Saturn, or rather the potential life on the moons of Saturn (wouldn't want anything from Earth contaminating!).

The mission ran for 20 years, 13 of them in the Saturn system. Data from the mission will bring us discoveries for years to come.

It's strange to feel sad at the loss of a robot, but Cassini was more than a robot. It was a working representation of our desire to explore and learn.

Goodbye, Cassini. May we follow in your robotic footsteps soon.



Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Travels with Blackthrone (on the Cusp of the Storm)

The Three Hoarsemen return! Stina Leicht returns! The podcast returns!

Spouting Off



Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a waterspout in the waters of Florida.

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