2019 November 9 Saturn the Giant Image Credit: NASA Explanation: On May 25, 1961 U.S. president John Kennedy announced the goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the decade. By November 9, 1967 this Saturn V rocket was ready for launch and the first full test of its capabilities on the
2019 November 8 NGC 3572 and the Southern Tadpoles Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis Explanation: This cosmic skyscape features glowing gas and dark dust clouds along side the young stars of NGC 3572. A beautiful emission nebula and star cluster in far southern skies, the region is often o
2019 November 7 Messier 45: The Daughters of Atlas and Pleione Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona Explanation: Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud a mere 400 light-years away, the lovely Pleiades or Seven Sisters open star cluster is well-known for
2019 November 6 21st Century M101 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, JPL – Caltech, STScI Explanation: One of the last entries in Charles Messier’s famous catalog, big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is definitely not one of the least. About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous,
2019 November 5 Spiral Galaxies Spinning Super-Fast Image Credit: Top row: NASA, ESA, Hubble, P. Ogle & J. DePasquale (STScI); Bottom row: SDSS, P. Ogle & J. DePasquale (STScI) Explanation: Why are these galaxies spinning so fast? If you estimated each spiral’s mass by how much light
2019 November 4 Near the Center of the Lagoon Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Zhuoqun Wu, Chilescope Explanation: Stars are battling gas and dust in the Lagoon Nebula but the photographers are winning. Also known as M8, this photogenic nebula is visible even without binoculars towards the const
2019 November 3 Daphnis and the Rings of Saturn Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Cassini Explanation: What’s happening to the rings of Saturn? A little moon making big waves. The moon is 8-kilometer Daphnis and it is making waves in the Keeler Gap of Saturn’s rin
2019 November 2 Inside the Flame Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Optical: DSS; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/ K.Getman, E.Feigelson, M.Kuhn & the MYStIX team Explanation: The Flame Nebula stands out in this optical image of the dusty, crowded star forming regions toward Or
2019 November 1 The Day After Mars Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST) Explanation: October 31, 1938 was the day after Martians encountered planet Earth, and everything was calm. Reports of the invasion were revealed to be part of a Halloween radio drama, the now famo
