2020 May 11 Behind Betelgeuse Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona Explanation: What’s behind Betelgeuse? One of the brighter and more unusual stars in the sky, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse can be found in the direction of famous constella […]
2020 May 10 The Porpoise Galaxy from Hubble Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Reprocessing & Copyright: Raul Villaverde Explanation: What’s happening to this spiral galaxy? Just a few hundred million years ago, NGC 2936, the upper of the two large galaxies shown, was likely a normal s
2020 May 9 Full Flower Moonrise Image Credit & Copyright: Tiziano Boldrini Explanation: Rising as the Sun set, the Moon was bright and full in planet Earth skies on May 7 and known to some as a Flower Moon. Near the horizon it does seem to take on rose pink hues of reddened sunlight in this ref
2020 May 8 Long Tailed Comet SWAN Image Credit & Copyright: D. Peach, Chilescope team Explanation: Blowing in the solar wind the spectacular ion tail of Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) extends far across this 10 degree wide telephoto field of view. Captured on May 2 its greenish coma was about 6 light-m
2020 May 7 Analemma of the Moon Image Credit & Copyright: Gyorgy Soponyai Explanation: An analemma is that figure-8 curve you get when you mark the position of the Sun at the same time each day for one year. But the trick to imaging an analemma of the Moon is to wait bit longer. On average the
2020 May 6 LDN 1471: A Windblown Star Cavity Image Credit: Hubble, NASA, ESA; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt Explanation: What is the cause of this unusual parabolic structure? This illuminated cavity, known as LDN 1471, was created by a newly forming star, seen as the bright source at the p
2020 May 5 Carina in Perspective Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Kiko Fairbairn Explanation: You need to be in the south, looking south, to see such a sky. And only then if you’re lucky. Just above the picturesque tree is the impressive Carina Nebula, one of the few nebulas in the sky tha
2020 May 4 Earth Flyby of BepiColombo Image Credit & License: ESA, BepiColombo, MTM Explanation: What it would look like to approach planet Earth? Such an event was recorded visually in great detail by ESA’s and JAXA’s robotic BepiColombo spacecraft last month as it swung back past E
2020 May 3 A Message from Earth Image Credit: Frank Drake (UCSC) et al., Arecibo Observatory (Cornell U.); License: Arne Nordmann (Wikimedia) Explanation: What are these Earthlings trying to tell us? The featured message was broadcast from Earth towards the globular star cluster M13 in 1974. During
2020 May 2 Radio, The Big Ear, and the Wow! Signal Image Credit & Copyright: Rick Scott Explanation: Since the early days of radio and television we have been freely broadcasting signals into space. For some time now, we have been listening too. A large radio telescope at Ohio State University
