Sprites from Space
An old Moon and the stars of Orion rose above the eastern horizon on August 10. The Moon’s […]
NASA
M27: Not a Comet
While hunting for comets in the skies above 18th century France, astronomer Charles Messier diligently kept a list […]
Central Cygnus Skyscape
In cosmic brush strokes of glowing hydrogen gas, this beautiful skyscape unfolds across the plane of our Milky […]
Announcing Comet Catalina
Will Comet Catalina become visible to the unaided eye? Given the unpredictability of comets, no one can say […]
Andromeda Rising over the Alps
Have you ever seen the Andromeda galaxy? Although M31 appears as a faint and fuzzy blob to the […]
M1: The Crab Nebula from Hubble
This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula, the result of a […]
Perihelion Approaches
This dramatic outburst from the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko occured on August 12, just hours before perihelion, its […]
Comet Dust over Enchanted Rock
Dusty debris from periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle was swept up by planet Earth this week. Vaporized by their passage […]
Moonless Meteors and the Milky Way
Have you watched the Perseid meteor shower? Though the annual shower’s predicted peak was last night, meteor activity […]
Milky Way and Exploding Meteor
Tonight the Perseid Meteor Shower reaches its maximum. Grains of icy rock will streak across the sky as […]