2019 March 10 Moonrise Through Mauna Kea’s Shadow Images Credit & Copyright: Michael Connelley (U. Hawaii) Explanation: How can the Moon rise through a mountain? It cannot — what was photographed here is a moonrise through the shadow of a large volcano. The volcano is Mauna Kea, Hawa […]
2019 March 9 Crescent Enceladus Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA Explanation: Peering from the shadows, the Saturn-facing hemisphere of tantalizing inner moon Enceladus poses in this Cassini spacecraft image. North is up in the dramatic scene captured during November 2016 as C
2019 March 8 Stardust and Starlight in M78 Image Credit & Copyright: Richard S. Wright Jr. Explanation: Interstellar dust clouds and bright nebulae abound in the fertile constellation of Orion. One of the brightest, M78, is near the center in this colorful telescopic view, covering an area nort
2019 March 7 Sharpless 249 and the Jellyfish Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Data – Steve Milne & Barry Wilson, Processing – Steve Milne Explanation: Normally faint and elusive, the Jellyfish Nebula is caught in this alluring telescopic field of view. The entire scene is a two
2019 March 6 A February without Sunspots Images Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman (Averted Imagination) Explanation: Where have all the sunspots gone? Last month the total number of spots that crossed our Sun was … zero. Well below of the long term monthly average, the Sun’s surface
2019 March 5 X-Ray Superbubbles in Galaxy NGC 3079 Image Credit: X-ray: NASA, CXC, U. Michigan, J-T Li et al.; Optical: NASA, STScI Explanation: What created these huge galactic superbubbles? Two of these unusual bubbles, each spanning thousands of light-years, were recently discovered near the cent
2019 March 4 Celestial Alignment over Sicilian Shore Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile Explanation: This was a sunrise to remember. About a month ago, just before the dawn of the Sun, an impressive alignment of celestial objects was on display to the east. Pictured, brightest and closes
2019 March 3 The Orion Bullets Image Credit: GeMS/GSAOI Team, Gemini Observatory, AURA, NSF; Processing: Rodrigo Carrasco (Gemini Obs.), Travis Rector (Univ. Alaska Anchorage) Explanation: Why are bullets of gas shooting out of the Orion Nebula? Nobody is yet sure. First discovered in 1983, each bul
2019 March 2 NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Reprocessing & Copyright: Robert Eder Explanation: The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth’s night sky are often named for flowers or insects. Though its wingspan covers over 3 light-years, NGC 6302 i
2019 March 1 A Charioteer’s Comet Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST) Explanation: Still racing across planet Earth’s night skies, Comet Iwamoto (C/2018 Y1) shares this pretty telescopic field of view with stars and nebulae of northern constellation Auriga
