2020 February 14 The Pale Blue Dot Image Credit: Voyager Project, NASA, JPL-Caltech Explanation: On Valentine’s Day in 1990, cruising four billion miles from the Sun, the Voyager 1 spacecraft looked back one last time to make the first ever Solar System family portrait. The portrait consists o […]
2020 February 13 Spitzer’s Trifid Image Credit: J. Rho (SSC/Caltech), JPL-Caltech, NASA Explanation: The Trifid Nebula, also known as Messier 20, is easy to find with a small telescope. About 30 light-years across and 5,500 light-years distant it’s a popular stop for cosmic tourists in t
2020 February 12 Star Trails of the North and South Image Credit & Copyright: Saeid Parchini Explanation: What divides the north from the south? It all has to do with the spin of the Earth. On Earth’s surface, the equator is the dividing line, but on Earth’s sky, the dividing line is
2020 February 10 Solar Eclipse over the UAE Image Credit & Copyright: Joshua Cripps Explanation: What’s happening behind that camel? A partial eclipse of the Sun. About six and a half weeks ago, the Moon passed completely in front of the Sun as seen from a narrow band on the Earth. Despite
2020 February 9 To Fly Free in Space Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B Explanation: What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100 meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce McCandless II was living the dream — floating farther out than anyone had ever been before. Gu
2020 February 8 Cosmic Clouds in the Unicorn Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls Explanation: Interstellar clouds of hydrogen gas and dust abound in this gorgeous skyscape. The 3 degree wide field of view stretches through the faint but fanciful constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. A star form
2020 February 7 NGC 7331 Close Up Image Credit & License: ESA/Hubble & NASA/D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University) Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus, N
2020 February 6 Southern Moonscape Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Glenn Explanation: The Moon’s south pole is near the top of this detailed telescopic view. Looking across the rugged southern lunar highlands it was captured from southern California, planet Earth. At the Moon’s third q
2020 February 5 Lunar Eclipse Perspectives Image Credit: F. Pichardo, G. Hogan, P. Horálek, F. Hemmerich, S. Schraebler, L. Hašpl, R. Eder; Processing & Copyright : Matipon Tangmatitham; Text: Matipon Tangmatitham (NARIT) Explanation: Do we all see the same Moon? Yes, but we all see it different
2020 February 4 A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Q. Fugate Explanation: Seeing mountain peaks glow red from inside the Grand Canyon was one of the most incredible sunset experiences of this amateur photographer’s life. They appeared even more incred
