Just a couple of days ago, Comet ISON was ten times brighter than it was on Nov. 13-14 when an unexpected outburst propelled the sundiver into the realm of naked-eye visibility.
Observers around the world confirmed seeing the comet as a faint smudge low in the eastern sky before sunrise.
Backyard telescopes revealed a riot of gaseous streamers trailing behind … Read the rest of this article
Comet ISON is brightening as it approaches the sun. Multiple observers now report that it is a binocular object. “I finally saw Comet ISON for the first time using small binoculars!” says pilot Brian Whittaker. He was flying 38,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 8th at the time.
“It was faint, but is predicted to brighten and move … Read the rest of this article
From the tiniest fraction of a second after the Big Bang to the evolution of stars and galaxies over 13.8 billion years, ESA’s Planck space telescope has provided new insight into the history of our Universe. Although science observations are now complete, the legacy of the Planck mission lives on.
Planck was launched in 2009 and spent 4.5 years scanning … Read the rest of this article
Using a telescope in Antarctica and ESA’s Herschel space observatory, astronomers have made the first detection of a subtle twist in the relic radiation from the Big Bang, paving the way towards revealing the first moments of the Universe’s existence.
The elusive signal was found in the way the first light in the Universe has been deflected during its journey … Read the rest of this article
This week Venus, the second planet from the sun, will pass directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. It’s a rare sunset conjunction that’s easy to find with the unaided eye, but best seen through binoculars or a small telescope.
Venus approaching the Pleiades on March 31st, photographed by astronomy professor Jimmy Westlake of Stagecoach, Colorado.
The action begins … Read the rest of this article
The human eye is crucial to astronomy. Without the ability to see, the luminous universe of stars, planets and galaxies would be closed to us, unknown forever. Nevertheless, astronomers cannot shake their fascination with the invisible.
Outside the realm of human vision is an entire electromagnetic spectrum of wonders. Each type of light–Âfrom radio waves to gamma-rays–reveals something unique about … Read the rest of this article
Note to sky watchers: Put on your winter coats. What you’re about to read might make you feel an uncontrollable urge to dash outside.
The brightest planets in the solar system are lining up in the evening sky, and you can see the formation – some of it at least – tonight.
Go out at sunset and look west. Venus … Read the rest of this article
This year’s Perseid meteor shower could be even better than usual. According to NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, a filament of comet dust has drifted across Earth’s path and when Earth passes through it, sometime between 0800 and 0900 UT (1 – 2 am PDT) on August 12th, the Perseid meteor rate could surge to twice its normal value.
Perseids On … Read the rest of this article
The Sun Now (Visible light)
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The Sun Now (H-Alpha light)
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Aurora Oval
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Aurora Oval
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