2022 May 12

Young Stars of NGC 346
* Image Credit: NASA, ESA -
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.esa.int/
* acknowledgement: Antonella Nota (ESA/STScI) et al.
https://www.stsci.edu/

Explanation:
The massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. The star cluster is embedded in the largest star forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud, some 210,000 light-years distant. Their winds and radiation sweep out an interstellar cavern in the gas and dust cloud about 200 light-years across, triggering star formation and sculpting the region's dense inner edge. Cataloged as N66, the star forming region also appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. In this false-color Hubble Space Telescope image, visible and near-infrared light are seen as blue and green, while light from atomic hydrogen emission is red.
https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/young-stars-sculpt-gas-with-powerful-outflows-in-the-small-magellanic-cloud/
https://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/formal/stellar_ev/story/index2.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220512.html

#space #cluster #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA

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2022 May 12 Young Stars of NGC 346 * Image Credit: NASA, ESA - * acknowledgement: Antonella Nota (ESA/STScI) et al., Explanation: The massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. The star cluster is embedded in the largest star forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud, some 210,000 light-years distant. Their winds and radiation sweep out an interstellar cavern in the gas and dust cloud about 200 light-years across, triggering star formation and sculpting the region's dense inner edge. Cataloged as N66, the star forming region also appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. In this false-color Hubble Space Telescope image, visible and near-infrared light are seen as blue and green, while light from atomic hydrogen emission is red. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 October 27

LDN 43: The Cosmic Bat Nebula
* Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby
https://www.hansonastronomy.com/bio
https://throughlightandtime.com/about/
* Text: Michelle Thaller (NASA's GSFC)
https://science.nasa.gov/people/michelle-thaller/
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.nasa.gov/goddard

Explanation:
What is the most spook-tacular nebula in the galaxy? One contender is LDN 43, which bears an astonishing resemblance to a vast cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. Located about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, this molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not only from background stars, but from wisps of gas lit up by the nearby reflection nebula LBN 7. Far from being a harbinger of death, this 12-light year-long filament of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery. Glowing with eerie light, the bat is lit up from inside by dense gaseous knots that have just formed young stars.
https://www.jthommes.com/Astro/LBN7_LDN43.htm
https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/constellations/ophiuchus.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_cloud
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230129.html
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/r/Reflection+Nebula
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241027.html

#space #nebula #cluster #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA

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2024 October 27 A starfield is shown with a large brown dust nebula in the center. The nebula appears, to some, to be shaped like a bat. One of the stars in the dust nebula even appears to be the eye of the bat. LDN 43: The Cosmic Bat Nebula * Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby * Text: Michelle Thaller (NASA's GSFC) Explanation: What is the most spook-tacular nebula in the galaxy? One contender is LDN 43, which bears an astonishing resemblance to a vast cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. Located about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, this molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not only from background stars, but from wisps of gas lit up by the nearby reflection nebula LBN 7. Far from being a harbinger of death, this 12-light year-long filament of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery. Glowing with eerie light, the bat is lit up from inside by dense gaseous knots that have just formed young stars. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 October 22

NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula
* Image Credit & Copyright: Francis Bozon & Jean-Luc Gangloff

Explanation:
Can you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic close-up of the eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus), NGC 6995, known informally as the Bat Nebula, spans only 1/2 degree, about the apparent size of the Moon. That translates to 12 light-years at the Veil's estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from planet Earth. In the composite of image data recorded through several narrow band filters, with emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant shown in red and with strong emission from oxygen atoms shown in hues of blue. Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another seasonal apparition: the Witch's Broom Nebula.

https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/scale_distance.html
https://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251022.html

#space #nebula #cluster #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #apod #education

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2025 October 22 The featured image shows a starfield with a multi- colored nebula in the center. The nebula is quite filamentary but appears to some like a bat. NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula * Image Credit & Copyright: Francis Bozon-Gangloff Explanation: Can you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic close-up of the eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus), NGC 6995, known informally as the Bat Nebula, spans only 1/2 degree, about the apparent size of the Moon. That translates to 12 light-years at the Veil's estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from planet Earth. In the composite of image data recorded through several narrow band filters, with emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant shown in red and with strong emission from oxygen atoms shown in hues of blue. Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another seasonal apparition: the Witch's Broom Nebula. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 October 21

IC 1805: The Heart Nebula
* Image Credit & Copyright: Toni Fabiani
https://app.astrobin.com/u/Toni_Fabiani#gallery

Explanation:
What electrifies the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission nebula on the left, catalogued as IC 1805, looks somewhat like a human heart. The nebula glows brightly in red light emitted by its most prominent element, hydrogen, but this long-exposure image was also blended with light emitted by sulfur (yellow) and oxygen (blue). In the center of the Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star cluster Melotte 15 that are eroding away several picturesque dust pillars with their atom-exciting energetic light and winds. The Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia. At the top right of the Heart Nebula is the companion Fishhead Nebula. This wide and deep image clearly shows that glowing gas surrounds the Heart Nebula in all directions.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251021.html

#space #nebula #cluster #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #apod #education

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2025 October 21 A starfield is shown filled with colorful gas glowing in different colors, and dark dust. IC 1805: The Heart Nebula * Image Credit & Copyright: Toni Fabiani Explanation: What electrifies the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission nebula on the left, catalogued as IC 1805, looks somewhat like a human heart. The nebula glows brightly in red light emitted by its most prominent element, hydrogen, but this long-exposure image was also blended with light emitted by sulfur (yellow) and oxygen (blue). In the center of the Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star cluster Melotte 15 that are eroding away several picturesque dust pillars with their atom-exciting energetic light and winds. The Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia. At the top right of the Heart Nebula is the companion Fishhead Nebula. This wide and deep image clearly shows that glowing gas surrounds the Heart Nebula in all directions. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 October 20

Finding Comet Lemmon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava
https://www.petrhoralek.com/#about-1
https://www.slu.cz/phys/en/

Explanation:
Tonight, if you can see the stars of the Big Dipper, then you can find comet Lemmon in your evening sky. After sunset, look for the faint but extended comet above your northwestern horizon -- but below the handle of the famous celestial kitchen utensil of the north. It might be easier to see this visitor to the inner Solar System through your camera phone, which is better at picking up faint objects. Either way, look for a fuzzy green 'star' with a tail, though probably not so long a tail as in this impressive snapshot taken over Seč Lake in the Czech Republic two nights ago. Recent photographs of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) often show a detailed and changing ion tail which extends farther than the eye can follow. This Sun-orbiting comet is now near its closest approach to Earth and will pass its closest to the Sun in early November.

https://theskylive.com/c2025a6-info
https://www.petrhoralek.com/?p=25820
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-see-comet-lemmon-this-october/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251020.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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2025 October 20 A night sky is seen over a lake. The sky contains numerous stars including the Big Dipper asterism. Prominent in the sky is a comet with a long tail. Both the Big Dipper and the comet are seen reflected in the still water of the lake. Finding Comet Lemmon * Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava Explanation: Tonight, if you can see the stars of the Big Dipper, then you can find comet Lemmon in your evening sky. After sunset, look for the faint but extended comet above your northwestern horizon -- but below the handle of the famous celestial kitchen utensil of the north. It might be easier to see this visitor to the inner Solar System through your camera phone, which is better at picking up faint objects. Either way, look for a fuzzy green 'star' with a tail, though probably not so long a tail as in this impressive snapshot taken over Seč Lake in the Czech Republic two nights ago. Recent photographs of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) often show a detailed and changing ion tail which extends farther than the eye can follow. This Sun-orbiting comet is now near its closest approach to Earth and will pass its closest to the Sun in early November. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 October 11

Manicouagan Impact Crater from Space
* Image Credit: NASA, International Space Station Expedition 59

Explanation: 
Orbiting 400 kilometers above Quebec, Canada, planet Earth, the International Space Station Expedition 59 crew captured this snapshot of the broad St. Lawrence River and curiously circular Lake Manicouagan on April 11, 2019. Right of center, the ring-shaped lake is a modern reservoir within the eroded remnant of an ancient 100 kilometer diameter impact crater. The ancient crater is very conspicuous from orbit, a visible reminder that Earth is vulnerable to rocks from space. Over 200 million years old, the Manicouagan crater was likely caused by the impact of a rocky body about 5 kilometers in diameter. Currently, there is no known asteroid with a significant probability of impacting Earth in the next century. Each month, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office releases an update featuring the most recent figures on near-Earth object close approaches, and other facts about comets and asteroids that could pose a potential impact hazard with Earth.

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #education #apod

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2025 October 11  Manicouagan Impact Crater from Space Image Credit: NASA, International Space Station Expedition 59 Explanation: Orbiting 400 kilometers above Quebec, Canada, planet Earth, the International Space Station Expedition 59 crew captured this snapshot of the broad St. Lawrence River and curiously circular Lake Manicouagan on April 11, 2019. Right of center, the ring-shaped lake is a modern reservoir within the eroded remnant of an ancient 100 kilometer diameter impact crater. The ancient crater is very conspicuous from orbit, a visible reminder that Earth is vulnerable to rocks from space. Over 200 million years old, the Manicouagan crater was likely caused by the impact of a rocky body about 5 kilometers in diameter. Currently, there is no known asteroid with a significant probability of impacting Earth in the next century. Each month, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office releases an update featuring the most recent figures on near-Earth object close approaches, and other facts about comets and asteroids that could pose a potential impact hazard with Earth Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Did someone lose their giant flaming hunk of space debris?

ABC AU: Possible space junk found near Western Australian mine site

"...Suspected space debris is believed to have crashed near a WA mine site, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirming the object was not from a commercial aircraft.

WA Police were co-ordinating a "multi-agency response" after the burning object was found about 30 kilometres east of Newman in the Pilbara region. ..."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-19/wa-space-debris-reentry-investigation/105909612

#spacejunk #space #debris #spacedebris

😬

United MAX Hit By Falling Object At 36,000 Feet

h/t @ikluft

https://avbrief.com/united-max-hit-by-falling-object-at-36000-feet/

#spacejunk #aviation #spacedebris #space

I really like following anything on #facebook to do with the #moon or #space. Just to watch the two factions go to war. The more I think about it, I think it's people fighting with bots, or worse yet, bots fighting with bots.

Well, that's... interesting. They're raising money for the Columbia Memorial Space Center with "virtual" tiles. Wonder how that works. (vs. the old fashioned "inscribing your name on something like a brick").

https://www.nameashuttletile.org/tiles/right-side

#space

WIde Separation Planets In Time (WISPIT): A Gap-clearing Planet in a Multi-ringed
Disk around the Young Solar-type Star WISPIT 2

CREDIT:
Richelle F. van Capelleveen1 aa, Christian Ginski2aa, Matthew A. Kenworthy1 aa, Jake Byrne2 aa, Chloe Lawlor2 aa,
Dan McLachlan2aa, Eric E. Mamajek3aa, Tomas Stolker1 aa, Myriam Benisty4 aa, Alexander J. Bohn1aa, Laird M. Close5 aa,
Carsten Dominik6 aa, Sebastiaan Haffert1,5aa, Rico Landman1aa, Jie Ma7 aa, Ignas Snellen1 aa, Ryo Tazaki8 aa,
Nienke van der Marel1 aa, Lukas Welzel1 aa, and Yapeng Zhang9aa1 Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Postbus 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; capelleveen@strw.leidenuniv.nl
2 School of Natural Sciences, Center for Astronomy, University of Galway, Galway, H91 CF50, Ireland
3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, M/S 321-162, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
4 Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
5 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
6 Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
7 Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique (IPAG), F-38000, France
8 Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
9 Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Received 2025 July 3; revised 2025 July 28; accepted 2025 August 2; published 2025 August 26

.. please see:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adf721/pdf

#space #exoplanets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #ESO

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Figure 1. Shown here is a SPHERE/IRDIS multiband image of the WISPIT 2 system. The H-band Qϕ image was added as the blue channel and the median combination of H-band and Ks-band Qϕ images was added as the green channel. The red channel is a combination of a Ks-band Qϕ image and a Ks-band cADI image in which we masked all but the gap containing the thermal emission from WISPIT 2b. For more details, see Appendix G.

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Figure 4. All detections of the embedded planet WISPIT 2b in the various observation epochs and filters are shown. We indicate the embedded planet position with a white, dotted circle. The coronagraph position is indicated with a gray, hashed mask. For the 2025 Ks-band data, we show that the embedded planet is recovered with classical and PCA-based ADI as well as in iRDI.

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Figure 3. SPHERE/IRDIS observations of the WISPIT 2 system are shown here. The gray, hashed disk in the image center indicates the size of the coronagraphic mask. The differential imaging method and observed wave band for each image are indicated in the top-left corner. Blue-hued images reduced with the ADI or RDI (50 principal components) methods are showing total intensity, sensitive to disk scattered light and thermal emission from embedded planets. The gray-hued images are Qϕ images (reduced with the PDI method) showing linearly polarized scattered light, not sensitive to thermal emission.

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Figure 5. Polarized light Qϕ image of the WISPIT 2 system taken in the H band. We indicate the various substructures that we are detecting within the scattered light signal of the planet-forming disk. Clusters of bad pixels from the detector are seen near the lower edge of the image.

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Figure 6. Left and middle panels: geometric fitting of the disk in both H-band and Ks-band images. Right panel: the aspect ratio (h/r) vs. radius (au) of both bands. For comparison, we include the literature measurements of C. Ginski et al. (2016), H. Avenhaus et al. (2018),and C. Ginski et al. (2024) for a total of 17 disks (some of which also have a multiple ringed substructure) as gray data points.

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Figure 8. Top panel: predicted orbits of the planet (known astrometry denoted by red star) overlaid on the H-band polarized scattered light image. Bottom panel: extracted orbital elements and total system mass.

2025 August 27

WISPIT 2b: Exoplanet Carves Gap in Birth Disk
* Image Credit: ESO, VLT, SPHERE
https://www.eso.org/
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/
https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal/instruments/sphere.html
* Processing & Copyright: ESO, Richelle van Capelleveen (Leiden Obs.) et al.
https://richellevc.github.io/
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/astronomy
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adf721
https://www.eso.org/
* Text: Ogetay Kayali (MTU)
https://www.ogetay.com/
https://www.mtu.edu/physics/

Explanation:
That yellow spot -- what is it? It's a young planet outside our Solar System. The featured image from the Very Large Telescope in Chile surprisingly captures a distant scene much like our own Solar System's birth, some 4.5 billion years ago. Although we can't look into the past and see Earth's formation directly, telescopes let us watch similar processes unfolding around distant stars. At the center of this frame lies a young Sun-like star, hidden behind a coronagraph that blocks its bright glare. Surrounding the star is a bright, dusty protoplanetary disk -- the raw material of planets. Gaps and concentric rings mark where a newborn world is gathering gas and dust under its gravity, clearing the way as it orbits the star. Although astronomers have imaged disk-embedded planets before, this is the first-ever observation of an exoplanet actively carving a gap within a disk -- the earliest direct glimpse of planetary sculpting in action.
https://www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/en/discovery-of-the-first-ring-shaping-embedded-planet-around-a-young-solar-analog-4637
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protoplanetary_disk
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231017.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250827.html

#space #exoplanets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #ESO

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2025 August 27 A dark field has a series of light-colored elliptical rings in the center. Between two of the rings is a yellow-colored spot. WISPIT 2b: Exoplanet Carves Gap in Birth Disk * Image Credit: ESO, VLT, SPHERE * Processing & Copyright: ESO, Richelle van Capelleveen (Leiden Obs.) et al. * Text: Ogetay Kayali (MTU) Explanation: That yellow spot -- what is it? It's a young planet outside our Solar System. The featured image from the Very Large Telescope in Chile surprisingly captures a distant scene much like our own Solar System's birth, some 4.5 billion years ago. Although we can't look into the past and see Earth's formation directly, telescopes let us watch similar processes unfolding around distant stars. At the center of this frame lies a young Sun-like star, hidden behind a coronagraph that blocks its bright glare. Surrounding the star is a bright, dusty protoplanetary disk -- the raw material of planets. Gaps and concentric rings mark where a newborn world is gathering gas and dust under its gravity, clearing the way as it orbits the star. Although astronomers have imaged disk-embedded planets before, this is the first-ever observation of an exoplanet actively carving a gap within a disk -- the earliest direct glimpse of planetary sculpting in action. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

2025 October 10

50 Light-years to 51 Pegasi
* Image Credit & Copyright: José Rodrigues
https://joserodrigues.space/

Explanation:
It's only 50 light-years to 51 Pegasi. That star's position is indicated in this snapshot from August 2025, taken on a night with mostly brighter stars visible above the dome at Observatoire de Haute-Provence in France. Thirty years ago, in October of 1995, astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced a profound discovery made at the observatory. Using a precise spectrograph they had detected a planet orbiting 51 Peg, the first known exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star. Mayor and Queloz had used the spectrograph to measure changes in the star's radial velocity, a regular wobble caused by the gravitational tug of the orbiting planet. Designated 51 Pegasi b, the planet was determined to have a mass at least half of Jupiter's mass and an orbital period of 4.2 days. That made the exoplanet much closer to its parent star than Mercury is to the Sun. Their discovery was quickly confirmed and Mayor and Queloz were ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2019. Now recognized as the prototype for the class of exoplanets fondly known as hot Jupiters, 51 Pegasi b was formally named Dimidium, Latin for half, in 2015. Since its discovery 30 years ago, over 6,000 exoplanets have been found.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995Natur.378..355M/abstract
https://www.planetary.org/articles/color-shifting-stars-the-radial-velocity-method

https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.06117
https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-first-planet-discovered-around-sunlike-star/

3D (INTERACTIVE):
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/exo/#/planet/51_Peg_b

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251010.html

#space #exoplanets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #tech #NASA #ESA #education #apod

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2025 October 10 50 Light-years to 51 Pegasi * Image Credit & Copyright: José Rodrigues Explanation: It's only 50 light-years to 51 Pegasi. That star's position is indicated in this snapshot from August 2025, taken on a night with mostly brighter stars visible above the dome at Observatoire de Haute-Provence in France. Thirty years ago, in October of 1995, astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced a profound discovery made at the observatory. Using a precise spectrograph they had detected a planet orbiting 51 Peg, the first known exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star. Mayor and Queloz had used the spectrograph to measure changes in the star's radial velocity, a regular wobble caused by the gravitational tug of the orbiting planet. Designated 51 Pegasi b, the planet was determined to have a mass at least half of Jupiter's mass and an orbital period of 4.2 days. That made the exoplanet much closer to its parent star than Mercury is to the Sun. Their discovery was quickly confirmed and Mayor and Queloz were ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2019. Now recognized as the prototype for the class of exoplanets fondly known as hot Jupiters, 51 Pegasi b was formally named Dimidium, Latin for half, in 2015. Since its discovery 30 years ago, over 6,000 exoplanets have been found. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

2025 October 9

The Jenga Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Carroll
https://www.instagram.com/jerseyportraits/?hl=en

Explanation:
That big, bright, beautiful Full Moon you watched rise on the night of October 6 was the Harvest Moon. Famed in festival, story, and song, Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the time of the northern hemisphere's autumnal equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing daylight hours, as the growing season drew to a close in the north, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn. Later this year than usual, in 2025 October's Harvest Moon was also known to some as a supermoon, a term becoming a traditional name for a full moon near the time of lunar perigee. And this telephoto snapshot of the (almost) full moon rising above a conspicuous skyscraper in New York city, taken on October 5, is suggestive of yet another full moon moniker.
https://science.nasa.gov/moon/supermoons/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/56_Leonard_Street
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/56_Leonard_Street

#space #earth #moon #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #apod

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2025 October 9 The Jenga Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Carroll Explanation: That big, bright, beautiful Full Moon you watched rise on the night of October 6 was the Harvest Moon. Famed in festival, story, and song, Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the time of the northern hemisphere's autumnal equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing daylight hours, as the growing season drew to a close in the north, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn. Later this year than usual, in 2025 October's Harvest Moon was also known to some as a supermoon, a term becoming a traditional name for a full moon near the time of lunar perigee. And this telephoto snapshot of the (almost) full moon rising above a conspicuous skyscraper in New York city, taken on October 5, is suggestive of yet another full moon moniker. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

TOPIC> "Full Moon"

~*~
Above the Dock

Above the quiet dock in mid night,
Tangled in the tall mast’s corded height,
Hangs the moon. What seemed so far away
Is but a child’s balloon, forgotten after play.

T. E. Hulme
1883 –
1917
~*~

2025 July 12

Clouds and the Golden Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright:
https://www.instagram.com/alexsandromota805/p/DL8VjPIy8Ed/

Explanation:
As the Sun set, a bright Full Moon rose on July 10. Its golden light illuminates clouds drifting through southern hemisphere skies in this well-composed telephoto image from Conceição do Coité, Bahia, Brazil. The brightest lunar phase is captured here with both a short and long exposure. The two exposures were combined to reveal details of the lunar surface in bright moonlight and a subtle iridescence along the dramatically backlit cloudscape. Of course, July's Full Moon is a winter moon in the southern hemisphere. But in the north it's known to some as the Thunder Moon, likely a nod to the sounds of this northern summer month's typically stormy weather.
https://www.instagram.com/alexsandromota805/p/DL8VjPIy8Ed/
https://moon.nasa.gov/moon-observation/daily-moon-guide/?intent=021

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

#space #moon #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #NASA

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2025 July 12 Clouds and the Golden Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Alexsandro Mota Explanation: As the Sun set, a bright Full Moon rose on July 10. Its golden light illuminates clouds drifting through southern hemisphere skies in this well-composed telephoto image from Conceição do Coité, Bahia, Brazil. The brightest lunar phase is captured here with both a short and long exposure. The two exposures were combined to reveal details of the lunar surface in bright moonlight and a subtle iridescence along the dramatically backlit cloudscape. Of course, July's Full Moon is a winter moon in the southern hemisphere. But in the north it's known to some as the Thunder Moon, likely a nod to the sounds of this northern summer month's typically stormy weather. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 August 24

South Pacific Shadowset
* Image Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang

Explanation:
The full Moon and Earth's shadow set together in this island skyscape. The alluring scene was captured Tuesday morning, August 20, from Fiji, South Pacific Ocean, planet Earth. For early morning risers shadowset in the western sky is a daily apparition. Still, the grey-blue shadow is often overlooked in favor of a brighter eastern horizon. Extending through the dense atmosphere, Earth's setting shadow is bounded above by a pinkish glow or anti-twilight arch. Known as the Belt of Venus, the arch's lovely color is due to backscattering of reddened light from the opposite horizon's rising Sun. Of course, the setting Moon's light is reddened by the long sight-line through the atmosphere. But on that date the full Moon could be called a seasonal Blue Moon, the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons. And even though the full Moon is always impressive near the horizon, August's full Moon is considered by some the first of four consecutive full Supermoons in 2024.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240824.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2024 August 24 South Pacific Shadowset * Image Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang Explanation: The full Moon and Earth's shadow set together in this island skyscape. The alluring scene was captured Tuesday morning, August 20, from Fiji, South Pacific Ocean, planet Earth. For early morning risers shadowset in the western sky is a daily apparition. Still, the grey-blue shadow is often overlooked in favor of a brighter eastern horizon. Extending through the dense atmosphere, Earth's setting shadow is bounded above by a pinkish glow or anti-twilight arch. Known as the Belt of Venus, the arch's lovely color is due to backscattering of reddened light from the opposite horizon's rising Sun. Of course, the setting Moon's light is reddened by the long sight-line through the atmosphere. But on that date the full Moon could be called a seasonal Blue Moon, the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons. And even though the full Moon is always impressive near the horizon, August's full Moon is considered by some the first of four consecutive full Supermoons in 2024. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 August 20

Supermoon Beyond the Temple of Poseidon
* Image Credit: Alexandros Maragos
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-3NZVEOdaV/

Explanation:
A supermoon occurred yesterday. And tonight's moon should also look impressive. Supermoons appear slightly larger and brighter than most full moons because they reach their full phase when slightly nearer to the Earth -- closer than 90 percent of all full moons. This supermoon was also a blue moon given the definition that it is the third of four full moons occurring during a single season. Blue moons are not usually blue, and a different definition holds that a blue moon is the second full moon that occurs during a single month. The featured image captured the blue supermoon right near its peak size yesterday as it was rising beyond the Temple of Poseidon in Greece. This supermoon is particularly unusual in that it is the first of four successive supermoons, the next three occurring in September, October, and November.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240820.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2024 August 20 A large and orange-tinted moon is pictured rising beyond the pillars of an ancient structure. The foreground is dark and the night sky behind the Moon appear blue. Supermoon Beyond the Temple of Poseidon * Image Credit: Alexandros Maragos Explanation: A supermoon occurred yesterday. And tonight's moon should also look impressive. Supermoons appear slightly larger and brighter than most full moons because they reach their full phase when slightly nearer to the Earth -- closer than 90 percent of all full moons. This supermoon was also a blue moon given the definition that it is the third of four full moons occurring during a single season. Blue moons are not usually blue, and a different definition holds that a blue moon is the second full moon that occurs during a single month. The featured image captured the blue supermoon right near its peak size yesterday as it was rising beyond the Temple of Poseidon in Greece. This supermoon is particularly unusual in that it is the first of four successive supermoons, the next three occurring in September, October, and November. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 June 20

Sandy and the Moon Halo
* Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
https://greenflash.photo/about-me/

Explanation:
Last Year April's Full Moon shines through high clouds near the horizon, casting shadows in this garden-at-night skyscape. Along with canine sentinel Sandy watching the garden gate, the wide-angle snapshot also captured the bright Moon's 22 degree ice halo.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240620.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2024 June 20 Sandy and the Moon Halo * Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace Explanation: Last Year April's Full Moon shines through high clouds near the horizon, casting shadows in this garden-at-night skyscape. Along with canine sentinel Sandy watching the garden gate, the wide-angle snapshot also captured the bright Moon's 22 degree ice halo. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 January 27

Full Observatory Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory, TWAN)
https://www.instagram.com/yuribeletsky/
https://carnegiescience.edu/
https://www.lco.cl/

Explanation:
A popular name for (2024) January's full moon in the northern hemisphere is the Full Wolf Moon. As the new year's first full moon, it rises over Las Campanas Observatory in this dramatic Earth-and-moonscape. Peering from the foreground like astronomical eyes are the observatory's twin 6.5 meter diameter Magellan telescopes. The snapshot was captured with telephoto lens across rugged terrain in the Chilean Atacama Desert, taken at a distance of about 9 miles from the observatory and about 240,000 miles from the lunar surface. Of course the first full moon of the lunar new year, known to some as the Full Snow Moon, will rise on February 24.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240127.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2024 January 27 Full Observatory Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory, TWAN) Explanation: A popular name for (2024) January's full moon in the northern hemisphere is the Full Wolf Moon. As the new year's first full moon, it rises over Las Campanas Observatory in this dramatic Earth-and-moonscape. Peering from the foreground like astronomical eyes are the observatory's twin 6.5 meter diameter Magellan telescopes. The snapshot was captured with telephoto lens across rugged terrain in the Chilean Atacama Desert, taken at a distance of about 9 miles from the observatory and about 240,000 miles from the lunar surface. Of course the first full moon of the lunar new year, known to some as the Full Snow Moon, will rise on February 24. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 January 2

Rocket Transits Rippling Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Madow
https://www.instagram.com/stevenmadow/

Explanation:
Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a background moon appear wavy. The rocket, in this case, was a SpaceX Falcon Heavy that blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center last week. In the featured launch picture, the rocket's exhaust plume glows beyond its projection onto the distant, rising, and nearly full moon. Oddly, the Moon's lower edge shows unusual drip-like ripples. The Moon itself, far in the distance, was really unchanged. The physical cause of these apparent ripples was pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or compressed air: refraction. Although the shot was planned, the timing of the launch had to be just right for the rocket to be transiting the Moon during this single exposure.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240102.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2024 January 2 A rocket is pictured ascending during launch. A nearly full moon is behind it. The rocket exhaust, itself visible, causes the bottom of the Moon to appear unusually rippled. Rocket Transits Rippling Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Madow Explanation: Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a background moon appear wavy. The rocket, in this case, was a SpaceX Falcon Heavy that blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center last week. In the featured launch picture, the rocket's exhaust plume glows beyond its projection onto the distant, rising, and nearly full moon. Oddly, the Moon's lower edge shows unusual drip-like ripples. The Moon itself, far in the distance, was really unchanged. The physical cause of these apparent ripples was pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or compressed air: refraction. Although the shot was planned, the timing of the launch had to be just right for the rocket to be transiting the Moon during this single exposure. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 December 30

The Persistence of Moonlight
* Image Credit & Copyright: Giacomo Venturin

Explanation:
Known to some in the northern hemisphere as December's Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon, the last full moon of 2023 is rising in this surreal mountain and skyscape. The Daliesque scene was captured in a single exposure with a camera and long telephoto lens near Monte Grappa, Italy. The full moon is not melting, though. Its stretched and distorted appearance near the horizon is caused as refraction along the line of sight changes and creates shifting images or mirages of the bright lunar disk. The changes in atmospheric refraction correspond to atmospheric layers with sharply different temperatures and densities. Other effects of atmospheric refraction produced by the long sight-line to this full moon rising include the thin red rim seen faintly on the distorted lower edge of the Moon and a thin green rim along the top.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231230.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2023 December 30 The Persistence of Moonlight * Image Credit & Copyright: Giacomo Venturin Explanation: Known to some in the northern hemisphere as December's Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon, the last full moon of 2023 is rising in this surreal mountain and skyscape. The Daliesque scene was captured in a single exposure with a camera and long telephoto lens near Monte Grappa, Italy. The full moon is not melting, though. Its stretched and distorted appearance near the horizon is caused as refraction along the line of sight changes and creates shifting images or mirages of the bright lunar disk. The changes in atmospheric refraction correspond to atmospheric layers with sharply different temperatures and densities. Other effects of atmospheric refraction produced by the long sight-line to this full moon rising include the thin red rim seen faintly on the distorted lower edge of the Moon and a thin green rim along the top. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 September 30

A Harvest Moon over Tuscany
* Image Credit & Copyright: Antonio Tartarini

Explanation:
For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon was the Harvest Moon. Reflecting warm hues at sunset, it rises behind cypress trees huddled on a hill top in Tuscany, Italy in this telephoto view from September 28. Famed in festival, story, and song, Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing daylight hours as the growing season drew to a close, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn. This Harvest Moon was also known to some as a supermoon, a term becoming a traditional name for a full moon near perigee. It was the fourth and final supermoon for 2023.
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/harvest-moon-2/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230930.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2023 September 30 A Harvest Moon over Tuscany * Image Credit & Copyright: Antonio Tartarini Explanation: For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon was the Harvest Moon. Reflecting warm hues at sunset, it rises behind cypress trees huddled on a hill top in Tuscany, Italy in this telephoto view from September 28. Famed in festival, story, and song, Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing daylight hours as the growing season drew to a close, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn. This Harvest Moon was also known to some as a supermoon, a term becoming a traditional name for a full moon near perigee. It was the fourth and final supermoon for 2023. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

What can I say? The title of the last post almost cries out for this song and I just can't resist, sorry.. I hope you like this version 🤠 😅

Music & Video Credit:
The Brothers Comatose & AJ Lee - "Harvest Moon" (by Neil Young)

** Note by grobi:
"To upload this video, I converted it and compressed it to a smaller file-size under linux with the free software ffmpeg and the corresponding command:

'ffmpeg -i video_in.webm -vcodec libx265 -crf 30 video_out.mp4'

Maybe you would like to post a corresponding video on a scientifically related 😅 topic, but it is perhaps too big? Then try ffmpeg."

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #music #grobi_muzak

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The Brothers Comatose & AJ Lee - "Harvest Moon" (by Neil Young)

"So really... on the way back to the peak of normal I say "Good Night" for today with this composition of Mars and the Moon, I dream of a mandolin, like AJ Lee's but everything in its time.. I am happy that several friends of mine were convinced to meet 1 time a week for house music after the summer holidays. Making music together is something great and gives so much strength for everyday life, doesn't it? The Brothers Comatose & AJ Lee (previous post) are an inspiring example!"

2022 December 15

Full Moon, Full Mars
* Image Credit & Copyright: Tomas Slovinsky
https://www.tomasslovinsky.com/#about

Explanation:
On (2022) December 8 a full Moon and a full Mars were close, both bright and opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. In fact Mars was occulted, passing behind the Moon when viewed from some locations across Europe and North America. Seen from the city of Kosice in eastern Slovakia, the lunar occultation of Mars happened just before sunrise. The tantalizing spectacle was recorded in this telescopic timelapse sequence of exposures. It took about an hour for the Red Planet to disappear behind the lunar disk and then reappear as a warm-hued full Moon, the last full Moon of 2022, sank toward the western horizon. The next lunar occultation of bright planet Mars will be in the new year on January 3, when the Moon is in a waxing gibbous phase. Lunar occultations are only ever visible from a fraction of the Earth's surface, though. The January 3 occultation of Mars will be visible from parts of the South Atlantic, southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221215.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #SilentSunsday

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2022 December 15 Full Moon, Full Mars * Image Credit & Copyright: Tomas Slovinsky Explanation: On (2022) December 8 a full Moon and a full Mars were close, both bright and opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. In fact Mars was occulted, passing behind the Moon when viewed from some locations across Europe and North America. Seen from the city of Kosice in eastern Slovakia, the lunar occultation of Mars happened just before sunrise. The tantalizing spectacle was recorded in this telescopic timelapse sequence of exposures. It took about an hour for the Red Planet to disappear behind the lunar disk and then reappear as a warm-hued full Moon, the last full Moon of 2022, sank toward the western horizon. The next lunar occultation of bright planet Mars will be in the new year on January 3, when the Moon is in a waxing gibbous phase. Lunar occultations are only ever visible from a fraction of the Earth's surface, though. The January 3 occultation of Mars will be visible from parts of the South Atlantic, southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Der Mond ist aufgegangen
Die goldnen Sternlein prangen
Am Himmel hell und klar:
Der Wald steht schwarz und schweiget,
Und aus den Wiesen steiget
Der weiße Nebel wunderbar.

The moon is risen, beaming,
The golden stars are gleaming
So brightly in the skies;
The hushed, black woods are dreaming,
The mists, like phantoms seeming,
From meadows magically rise.

* 1st verse of the song "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" by Matthias Claudius translated by Margarete Münsterberg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Mond_ist_aufgegangen.

Welcome back to the weekend full moon topic and have a nice and relaxed evening! 🌕 🔭

2022 June 16

Strawberry Supermoon from China
* Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
https://twanight.org/profile/jeff-dai/

Explanation:
There were four Full Supermoons in 2022. Using the definition of a supermoon as a Full Moon near perigee, that is within at least 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit, the year's Full Supermoon dates were May 16, June 14, July 13, and August 12. Full Moons near perigee really are the brightest and largest in planet Earth's sky. But size and brightness differences between Full Moons are relatively small and an actual comparison with other Full Moons is difficult to make by eye alone. Two exposures are blended in this supermoon and sky view from June 14. That Full Moon was also known to northern hemisphere skygazers as the Strawberry moon. The consecutive short and long exposures allow familiar features on the fully sunlit lunar nearside to be seen in the same image as a faint lunar corona and an atmospheric cloudscape. They were captured in skies over Chongqing, China.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220616.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2022 June 16 Strawberry Supermoon from China * Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN) Explanation: There were four Full Supermoons in 2022. Using the definition of a supermoon as a Full Moon near perigee, that is within at least 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit, the year's Full Supermoon dates were May 16, June 14, July 13, and August 12. Full Moons near perigee really are the brightest and largest in planet Earth's sky. But size and brightness differences between Full Moons are relatively small and an actual comparison with other Full Moons is difficult to make by eye alone. Two exposures are blended in this supermoon and sky view from June 14. That Full Moon was also known to northern hemisphere skygazers as the Strawberry moon. The consecutive short and long exposures allow familiar features on the fully sunlit lunar nearside to be seen in the same image as a faint lunar corona and an atmospheric cloudscape. They were captured in skies over Chongqing, China. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 September 5
A large Moon is seen behind a historic stone structure.

Blue Supermoon Beyond Syracuse
* Credit & Copyright: Kevin Saragozza
https://www.facebook.com/kevinsaragozza/

Explanation:
This full moon was doubly unusual. First of all, it was a blue moon. A modern definition of a blue moon is a second full moon to occur during one calendar month. Since there were 13 full moons in 2023, one month has to have two -- and that month was August. The first full moon was on August 1 and named a Sturgeon Moon. The second reason that the last full moon was unusual was because it was a supermoon. A modern definition of supermoon is a moon that reaches its full phase when it is relatively close to Earth -- and so appears a bit larger and brighter than average. Pictured, the blue supermoon of 2023 was imaged hovering far behind a historic castle and lighthouse in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230905.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature

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2023 September 5 A large Moon is seen behind a historic stone structure. Blue Supermoon Beyond Syracuse * Credit & Copyright: Kevin Saragozza Explanation: This full moon was doubly unusual. First of all, it was a blue moon. A modern definition of a blue moon is a second full moon to occur during one calendar month. Since there were 13 full moons in 2023, one month has to have two -- and that month was August. The first full moon was on August 1 and named a Sturgeon Moon. The second reason that the last full moon was unusual was because it was a supermoon. A modern definition of supermoon is a moon that reaches its full phase when it is relatively close to Earth -- and so appears a bit larger and brighter than average. Pictured, the blue supermoon of 2023 was imaged hovering far behind a historic castle and lighthouse in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"Ah Bella Italia! Let's linger a little longer in the beautiful Mediterranean south of this country, whose people are so particularly warm and lovable, and treat ourselves to the sight of this fantastic "Harvest Moon". Inevitably, I remember the famous song by Neil Young and that yesterday I uploaded a folk version of it, which, despite its great charm, received little attention from you. Maybe yesterday it was already too late for that and we have better luck today .."
https://defcon.social/@grobi/114842524039878298

2022 September 15

Harvest Moon over Sicily
* Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile
https://www.dariogiannobile.com/

Explanation:
For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon was the Harvest Moon. Reflecting warm hues at sunset it rises over the historic town of Castiglione di Sicilia in this telephoto view from September 9. Famed in festival, story, and song Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing daylight hours as the growing season drew to a close, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220915.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #italy

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2022 September 15 Harvest Moon over Sicily * Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile Explanation: For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon was the Harvest Moon. Reflecting warm hues at sunset it rises over the historic town of Castiglione di Sicilia in this telephoto view from September 9. Famed in festival, story, and song Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing daylight hours as the growing season drew to a close, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2022 August 18

Full Moon Perseids
* Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlhttps://twanight.org/profile/juan-carlos-casado/os Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN)
https://twanight.org/profile/juan-carlos-casado/

Explanation:
The annual Perseid meteor shower was near its peak on 2022 August 13. As planet Earth crossed through streams of debris left by periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle meteors rained in northern summer night skies. But even that night's nearly Full Moon shining near the top of this composited view couldn't hide all of the popular shower's meteor streaks. The image captures some of the brightest perseid meteors in many short exposures recorded over more than two hours before the dawn. It places the shower's radiant in the heroic constellation of Perseus just behind a well-lit medieval tower in the village of Sant Llorenc de la Muga, Girona, Spain. Observed in medieval times, the Perseid meteor shower is also known in Catholic tradition as the Tears of St. Lawrence, and festivities are celebrated close to the annual peak of the meteor shower. Joining the Full Moon opposite the Sun, bright planet Saturn also shines in the frame at the upper right.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220818.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2022 August 18 Full Moon Perseids * Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN) Explanation: The annual Perseid meteor shower was near its peak on August 13. As planet Earth crossed through streams of debris left by periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle meteors rained in northern summer night skies. But even that night's nearly Full Moon shining near the top of this composited view couldn't hide all of the popular shower's meteor streaks. The image captures some of the brightest perseid meteors in many short exposures recorded over more than two hours before the dawn. It places the shower's radiant in the heroic constellation of Perseus just behind a well-lit medieval tower in the village of Sant Llorenc de la Muga, Girona, Spain. Observed in medieval times, the Perseid meteor shower is also known in Catholic tradition as the Tears of St. Lawrence, and festivities are celebrated close to the annual peak of the meteor shower. Joining the Full Moon opposite the Sun, bright planet Saturn also shines in the frame at the upper right. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Let's get a little inspiration as we walk on this beach at night ..

2024 March 11

A Full Plankton Moon
* Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava
https://www.petrhoralek.com/#about-1
https://www.slu.cz/phys/en/

Explanation:
What glows in the night? This night featured a combination of usual and unusual glows. Perhaps the most usual glow was from the Moon, a potentially familiar object. The full Moon's nearly vertical descent results from the observer being near Earth's equator. As the Moon sets, air and aerosols in Earth's atmosphere preferentially scatter out blue light, making the Sun-reflecting satellite appear reddish when near the horizon. Perhaps the most unusual glow was from the bioluminescent plankton, likely less familiar objects. These microscopic creatures glow blue, it is thought, primarily to surprise and deter predators. In this case, the glow was caused primarily by plankton-containing waves crashing onto the beach. The image was taken on Soneva Fushi Island, Maldives just over one year ago.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240311.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA

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2024 March 11 Several images of a full moon setting are superposed. The moon images are nearly white near the top, but turn orange and then are covered by low clouds near the horizon. Unusually, the setting moon images line up almost vertically. In the foreground is a beach with waves illuminated by blue-glowing plankton. A Full Plankton Moon * Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava Explanation: What glows in the night? This night featured a combination of usual and unusual glows. Perhaps the most usual glow was from the Moon, a potentially familiar object. The full Moon's nearly vertical descent results from the observer being near Earth's equator. As the Moon sets, air and aerosols in Earth's atmosphere preferentially scatter out blue light, making the Sun-reflecting satellite appear reddish when near the horizon. Perhaps the most unusual glow was from the bioluminescent plankton, likely less familiar objects. These microscopic creatures glow blue, it is thought, primarily to surprise and deter predators. In this case, the glow was caused primarily by plankton-containing waves crashing onto the beach. The image was taken on Soneva Fushi Island, Maldives just over one year ago. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation

2024 June 29

A Solstice Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
https://twanight.org/profile/tunc-tezel/

Explanation:
Rising opposite the setting Sun, June's Full Moon occurred within about 28 hours of the solstice. The Moon stays close to the Sun's path along the ecliptic plane and so while the solstice Sun climbed high in daytime skies, June's Full Moon remained low that night as seen from northern latitudes. In fact, the Full Moon hugs the horizon in this June 21 rooftop night sky view from Bursa, Turkey, constructed from exposures made every 10 minutes between moonrise and moonset. In 2024 the Moon also reached a major lunar standstill, an extreme in the monthly north-south range of moonrise and moonset caused by the precession of the Moon's orbit over an 18.6 year cycle. As a result, this June solstice Full Moon was at its southernmost moonrise and moonset along the horizon.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240629.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2024 June 29 A Solstice Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN) Explanation: Rising opposite the setting Sun, June's Full Moon occurred within about 28 hours of the solstice. The Moon stays close to the Sun's path along the ecliptic plane and so while the solstice Sun climbed high in daytime skies, June's Full Moon remained low that night as seen from northern latitudes. In fact, the Full Moon hugs the horizon in this June 21 rooftop night sky view from Bursa, Turkey, constructed from exposures made every 10 minutes between moonrise and moonset. In 2024 the Moon also reached a major lunar standstill, an extreme in the monthly north-south range of moonrise and moonset caused by the precession of the Moon's orbit over an 18.6 year cycle. As a result, this June solstice Full Moon was at its southernmost moonrise and moonset along the horizon. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2021 December 4

Iridescent by Moonlight
* Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
https://greenflash.photo/about-me/

Explanation:
In this snapshot from November 18, the Full Moon was not far from Earth's shadow. In skies over Sicily the brightest lunar phase was eclipsed by passing clouds though. The full moonlight was dimmed and momentarily diffracted by small but similar sized water droplets near the edges of the high thin clouds. The resulting iridescence shines with colors like a lunar corona. On that night, the Full Moon was also seen close to the Pleiades star cluster appearing at the lower left of the iridescent cloud bank. The stars of the Seven Sisters were soon to share the sky with a darker, reddened lunar disk.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211204.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2021 December 4 Iridescent by Moonlight * Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace Explanation: In this snapshot from November 18, the Full Moon was not far from Earth's shadow. In skies over Sicily the brightest lunar phase was eclipsed by passing clouds though. The full moonlight was dimmed and momentarily diffracted by small but similar sized water droplets near the edges of the high thin clouds. The resulting iridescence shines with colors like a lunar corona. On that night, the Full Moon was also seen close to the Pleiades star cluster appearing at the lower left of the iridescent cloud bank. The stars of the Seven Sisters were soon to share the sky with a darker, reddened lunar disk. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2015 June 15

A Colorful Lunar Corona
* Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Montúfar , Planetario Ciudad de La Plata
https://www.ferventastronomy.com/Gallery/BrandAmbassadors/SergioMontufar/
https://planetario.unlp.edu.ar/

Explanation:
What are those colorful rings around the Moon? A corona. Rings like this will sometimes appear when the Moon is seen through thin clouds. The effect is created by the quantum mechanical diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an intervening but mostly-transparent cloud. Since light of different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts differently. Lunar Coronae are one of the few quantum mechanical color effects that can be easily seen with the unaided eye. The featured lunar corona was captured around a Strawberry Moon on June 2 from La Plata, Argentina. Similar coronae that form around the Sun are typically harder to see because of the Sun's great brightness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(optical_phenomenon)
https://youtu.be/r_nPQcfxhOM
https://www.atoptics.co.uk/blog/corona-formation/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgiOjqTiwn8
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/65397/quantum-mechanics-and-everyday-nature
https://epod.usra.edu/blog/2014/02/coronas-around-the-moon.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150615.html

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #quantummechanic #nature #NASA

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2015 June 15 A Colorful Lunar Corona * Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Montúfar , Planetario Ciudad de La Plata Explanation: What are those colorful rings around the Moon? A corona. Rings like this will sometimes appear when the Moon is seen through thin clouds. The effect is created by the quantum mechanical diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an intervening but mostly-transparent cloud. Since light of different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts differently. Lunar Coronae are one of the few quantum mechanical color effects that can be easily seen with the unaided eye. The featured lunar corona was captured around a Strawberry Moon on June 2 from La Plata, Argentina. Similar coronae that form around the Sun are typically harder to see because of the Sun's great brightness. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC

Video of the lunar corona around the blood moon of 2015 April 4.

If you look closely, you can see not only the lunar corona but also that the structure of the higher clouds is influenced by the gravitational wave effect.
.. and last but not least the ISS crossing the sky ..

VIDEO CREDIT
Nature 3D Taeuber

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgiOjqTiwn8

#space #earth #moon #atmosphere #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #quantummechanic #nature #NASA

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Video of the lunar corona around the blood moon of 2015 April 4. VIDEO CREDIT Nature 3D Taeuber

2025 August 23

Fishing for the Moon
* Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Bellelli

Explanation:
How big is planet Earth's Moon? Compared to other moons of the Solar System, it's number 5 on the largest to smallest ranked list, following Jupiter's moon Ganymede, Saturn's moon Titan, and Jovian moons Callisto and Io. Continuing the list, the Moon comes before Jupiter's Europa and Neptune's Triton. It's also larger than dwarf planets Pluto and Eris. With a diameter of 3,475 kilometers the Moon is about 1/4 the size of Earth though, and that does make it the largest moon when compared to the size of its parent Solar System planet. Of course in this serene, twilight sea and skyscape, August's rising Full Moon still appears small enough to be caught in the nets of an ancient fishing rig. The telephoto snapshot was taken along the Italian Costa dei Trabocchi, on the Adriatic Sea.
https://science.nasa.gov/moon/facts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Solar_System_objects_by_size
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231128.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250503.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020120.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240329.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231023.html
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140826.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250823.html

#space #earth #moon #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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2025 August 23 Fishing for the Moon * Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Bellelli Explanation: How big is planet Earth's Moon? Compared to other moons of the Solar System, it's number 5 on the largest to smallest ranked list, following Jupiter's moon Ganymede, Saturn's moon Titan, and Jovian moons Callisto and Io. Continuing the list, the Moon comes before Jupiter's Europa and Neptune's Triton. It's also larger than dwarf planets Pluto and Eris. With a diameter of 3,475 kilometers the Moon is about 1/4 the size of Earth though, and that does make it the largest moon when compared to the size of its parent Solar System planet. Of course in this serene, twilight sea and skyscape, August's rising Full Moon still appears small enough to be caught in the nets of an ancient fishing rig. The telephoto snapshot was taken along the Italian Costa dei Trabocchi, on the Adriatic Sea. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

🛰️ 1 to 2 Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth each day

｢ Many of these are in low-Earth orbits, which extend up to an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 km) above our planet. And the lifespan of low-Earth orbit satellites, such as Starlink, is only about 5 to 7 years. Soon, McDowell told us, there will be up to 5 satellite reentries per day ｣

https://earthsky.org/human-world/1-to-2-starlink-satellites-falling-back-to-earth-each-day/

#starlink #musk #space

2025 October 8

NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula
* Images Credit & Copyright: Nevenka Blagovic Horvat & Miroslav Horvat
https://www.instagram.com/miroslav.horvat/
https://www.flickr.com/people/miroslav1/

Explanation:
What powers are being wielded in the Wizard Nebula? Gravitation strong enough to form stars, and stellar winds and radiations powerful enough to create and dissolve towers of gas. Located only 8,000 light years away, the Wizard nebula, featured here, surrounds developing open star cluster NGC 7380. Visually, the interplay of stars, gas, and dust has created a shape that appears to some like a fictional medieval sorcerer. The active star forming region spans about 100 light years, making it appear larger than the angular extent of the Moon. The Wizard Nebula can be located with a small telescope toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (Cepheus). Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the stars being formed may outlive our Sun.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magician_(fantasy)#/media/File:Saluzzo-Castello_della_Manta-mago.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7380
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AJ....142...71C/abstract
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AJ....142...71C/abstract
https://lco.global/spacebook/sky/using-angles-describe-positions-and-apparent-sizes-objects/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251008.html

#space #nebula #cluster #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #apod #education

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2025 October 8 A starfield is shown surrounding a bright gaseous nebula in red with bits of white and blue. Pillars of dust and gas appear around the interior of the nebula pointing to energetic stars in a cluster in the nebula. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula * Images Credit & Copyright: Nevenka Blagovic Horvat & Miroslav Horvat Explanation: What powers are being wielded in the Wizard Nebula? Gravitation strong enough to form stars, and stellar winds and radiations powerful enough to create and dissolve towers of gas. Located only 8,000 light years away, the Wizard nebula, featured here, surrounds developing open star cluster NGC 7380. Visually, the interplay of stars, gas, and dust has created a shape that appears to some like a fictional medieval sorcerer. The active star forming region spans about 100 light years, making it appear larger than the angular extent of the Moon. The Wizard Nebula can be located with a small telescope toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (Cepheus). Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the stars being formed may outlive our Sun. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 October 7

SN Encore: A Second Supernova Seen Several Times
* Images Credit:
+ Webb (main): NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Pierel (STScI) & A. Newman (Carnegie Inst. for Science)
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
https://www.esa.int/
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/
https://www.stsci.edu/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinr3
https://carnegiescience.edu/bio/dr-andrew-newman
https://carnegiescience.edu/
+ Hubble (rollover): NASA, ESA, STScI, S. A. Rodney (U. South Carolina) & G. Brammer (NBI, U. Copenhagen)
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/
https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2018/08/garnet_apple_steven_rodney.php
https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/physics_and_astronomy/
https://nbi.ku.dk/english/staff/?pure=en/persons/625553
https://nbi.ku.dk/

Explanation:
Now a second supernova in this same galaxy is repeating. The cause is the gravitational lens effect of a massive foreground cluster of galaxies (MACS J0138) -- it creates multiple images of a perfectly aligned background galaxy (MRG-M0138). What's particularly interesting is that this background galaxy has young stars that keep blowing up. And images of each supernova explosion keep coming to us multiple times through different paths through the cluster. The original lensed supernova set, shown in the rollover, is called Requiem and was first seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2016. This second lensed supernova set is called Encore and was first seen by the Webb Space Telescope in 2023. More images from these supernovas are predicted to be on the way, and exactly when they arrive should help humanity to better understand the mass distribution of the galaxy cluster, the supernovas themselves, and possibly even the universe.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasawebbtelescope/53412181911/in/album-72177720305127361
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/webb/2024/10/01/webb-researchers-discover-lensed-supernova-confirm-hubble-tension/

https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/gravitational-lensing/
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/supernova/en/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251007.html

#space #galaxy #astrophotography #photography #science #physics #nature #NASA #ESA #hubble #webb #education #apod

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2025 October 7 An image shows a cluster of galaxies with unusual arcs. The arcs are background galaxies distorted by the gravitational lens effect of the foreground cluster. The background galaxy shows several spots that are supernovas occurring in the galaxy. SN Encore: A Second Supernova Seen Several Times * Images Credit: + Webb (main): NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Pierel (STScI) & A. Newman (Carnegie Inst. for Science) + Hubble (rollover): NASA, ESA, STScI, S. A. Rodney (U. South Carolina) & G. Brammer (NBI, U. Copenhagen) Explanation: Now a second supernova in this same galaxy is repeating. The cause is the gravitational lens effect of a massive foreground cluster of galaxies (MACS J0138) -- it creates multiple images of a perfectly aligned background galaxy (MRG-M0138). What's particularly interesting is that this background galaxy has young stars that keep blowing up. And images of each supernova explosion keep coming to us multiple times through different paths through the cluster. The original lensed supernova set, shown in the rollover, is called Requiem and was first seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2016. This second lensed supernova set is called Encore and was first seen by the Webb Space Telescope in 2023. More images from these supernovas are predicted to be on the way, and exactly when they arrive should help humanity to better understand the mass distribution of the galaxy cluster, the supernovas themselves, and possibly even the universe.

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RollOver Image Hubble 2016 Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

https://www.space.com/stargazing/harvest-moon-rises-tonight-see-1st-supermoon-of-2025-brighten-october-sky #space #news

2025 October 6

The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Lemmon
* Images Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter
https://www.instagram.com/dwj85

Explanation:
How does a comet tail change? It depends on the comet. The ion tail of Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) has been changing markedly, as detailed in the featured image sequenced over six days between September 25 and October 3 (left to right) from Texas, USA. On some days, the comet's ion tail was relatively more complex than other days. Reasons for tail changes include the rate of ejection of material from the comet's nucleus, the strength and complexity of the passing solar wind, and the rotation rate of the comet. Sometimes, over the course of a week, apparent differences even result from a change of perspective from the Earth. In general, a comet's ion tail will point away from the Sun, as gas expelled is pushed out by the Sun's wind. Comet Lemmon is still inbound and brightening, passing nearest the Earth on October 21 and nearest the Sun on November 8.
https://theskylive.com/c2025a6-info
http://www2.ess.ucla.edu/~jewitt/tail.html
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251006.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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2025 October 6 A comet with a green head at the bottom and a complex tail extending toward the top is shown, horizontally side by side, six times. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Lemmon * Images Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter Explanation: How does a comet tail change? It depends on the comet. The ion tail of Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) has been changing markedly, as detailed in the featured image sequenced over six days between September 25 and October 3 (left to right) from Texas, USA. On some days, the comet's ion tail was relatively more complex than other days. Reasons for tail changes include the rate of ejection of material from the comet's nucleus, the strength and complexity of the passing solar wind, and the rotation rate of the comet. Sometimes, over the course of a week, apparent differences even result from a change of perspective from the Earth. In general, a comet's ion tail will point away from the Sun, as gas expelled is pushed out by the Sun's wind. Comet Lemmon is still inbound and brightening, passing nearest the Earth on October 21 and nearest the Sun on November 8. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

From Contributors to Wikimedia projects:
[...]
Saturn's axial inclination

Saturn's axial tilt is 26.7°, meaning that widely varying views of the rings, of which the visible ones occupy its equatorial plane, are obtained from Earth at different times. Earth makes passes through the ring plane every 13 to 15 years, about every half Saturn year, and there are about equal chances of either a single or three crossings occurring in each such occasion. The most recent ring plane crossings were on 22 May 1995, 10 August 1995, 11 February 1996, 4 September 2009 and 23 March 2025; upcoming events will occur on 15 October 2038, 1 April 2039 and 9 July 2039. Favorable ring plane crossing viewing opportunities (with Saturn not close to the Sun) only come during triple crossings.

Saturn's equinoxes, when the Sun passes through the ring plane, are not evenly spaced. The sun passes south to north through the ring plane when Saturn's heliocentric longitude is 173.6 degrees (e.g. 11 August 2009), about the time Saturn crosses from Leo to Virgo. 15.7 years later Saturn's longitude reaches 353.6 degrees and the sun passes to the south side of the ring plane. On each orbit the Sun is north of the ring plane for 15.7 Earth years, then south of the plane for 13.7 years. Dates for north-to-south crossings include 19 November 1995 and 6 May 2025, with south-to-north crossings on 11 August 2009 and 23 January 2039. During the period around an equinox the illumination of most of the rings is greatly reduced, making possible unique observations highlighting features that depart from the ring plane.
[...]
More in next post.

* The ALT-Text for this image is pretty detailed, full discription of this image here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saturn,_its_rings,_and_a_few_of_its_moons.jpg

#space #saturn #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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Seen from our planet, the view of Saturn's rings during equinox is extremely foreshortened and limited. But in orbit around Saturn, Cassini has no such problems. From 20 degrees above the ring-plane, Cassini's wide angle camera shot 75 exposures in succession for this mosaic showing Saturn, its rings, and a few of its moons a day and a half after exact Saturn equinox, when the Sun's disk was exactly overhead at the planet's equator. The novel illumination geometry that accompanies equinox lowers the Sun's angle to the ring-plane, significantly darkens the rings, and causes out-of-plane structures to look anomalously bright and to cast shadows across the rings. These scenes are possible only during the few months before and after Saturn's equinox which occurs only once in about 15 Earth years. Also at equinox, the shadows of the planet's expansive rings are compressed into a single, narrow band cast onto the planet as seen in this mosaic. The images comprising the mosaic, taken over about eight hours, were extensively processed before being joined together. First, each was re-projected into the same viewing geometry and then digitally processed to make the image "joints" seamless and to remove lens flares, radially extended bright artefacts resulting from light being scattered within the camera optics .. * URL for full image description in main text CREDIT NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

From Contributors to Wikimedia projects:

[...]
The rings have numerous gaps where particle density drops sharply: two opened by known moons embedded within them, and many others at locations of known destabilizing orbital resonances with the moons of Saturn. Other gaps remain unexplained. Stabilizing resonances, on the other hand, are responsible for the longevity of several rings, such as the Titan Ringlet and the G Ring. Well beyond the main rings is the Phoebe ring, which is presumed to originate from Phoebe and thus share its retrograde orbital motion. It is aligned with the plane of Saturn's orbit. Saturn has an axial tilt of 27 degrees, so this ring is tilted at an angle of 27 degrees to the more visible rings orbiting above Saturn's equator.
[...]
More in next post.

* The ALT-Texts for the images are pretty detailed, full discription for
+ upper right image:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saturn%27s_rings_in_visible_light_and_radio.jpg

#space #saturn #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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Natural-color mosaic of Cassini narrow-angle camera images of the unilluminated side of Saturn's D, C, B, A and F rings (left to right) taken on May 9, 2007 (distances are to the planet's center). A scan across Saturn's incredible halo of ice rings yields a study in precision and order. This natural color mosaic was acquired by the Cassini spacecraft as it soared 39 degrees above the unilluminated side of the rings. Major named gaps are labeled at the top. The main rings themselves, along with the F ring, are labeled at the bottom, along with their inner and outer boundaries. This mosaic was constructed from narrow-angle camera images taken immediately after the wide-angle camera mosaic PIA08388. Radial features can be seen in the rings that are about ten times smaller than in the wide-angle view. This scan is rotated 180 degrees compared to PIA08388 in order to present the rings with distance from Saturn increasing left to right. The view combines 45 images -- 15 separate sets of red, green and blue images -- taken over the course of about 2.5 hours, as Cassini scanned across the rings. The images in this view were obtained on May 9, 2007, at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale in the radial (horizontal) direction is about 6 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel. CREDIT NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

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Cassini instruments provide complementary information about the structure of Saturn's rings. Narrow and wide angle cameras provide images in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum much like a digital camera does. The images have information about how the ring structure differs both with distance from the planet and with position around the equatorial circle. However, resolution is usually limited to few kilometers at best. Radio and stellar occultations of the rings also provide important information about ring structure, but only along a one-dimensional track through the rings. The radial resolution can be as fine as 50 meters (164 feet). An "image" is then constructed by assuming circular symmetry over the ring region of interest. Color is usually added to encode other information related to the observed structure. This image compares structure of Saturn's rings observed by these two approaches. The upper half is a natural color mosaic of images of the illuminated side of the rings by the Cassini narrow-angle camera (see PIA06175). The bottom simulated image is constructed from a radio occultation observation conducted on May 3, 2005. For another view created using this process, see PIA07872. Color in the lower image is used to represent information about ring particle sizes .. * URL for full image description in main text CREDIT NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

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Not all of Saturn's rings are created equal: here the C and D rings appear side-by-side, but the C ring, which occupies the bottom half of this image, clearly outshines its neighbor. The D ring appears fainter than the C ring because it is comprised of less material. However, even rings as thin as the D ring can pose hazards to spacecraft. Given the high speeds at which Cassini travels, impacts with particles just fractions of a millimeter in size have the potential to damage key spacecraft components and instruments. Nonetheless, near the end of Cassini's mission, navigators plan to thread the spacecraft's orbit through the narrow region between the D ring and the top of Saturn's atmosphere. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 12 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 11, 2015. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 372,000 miles (599,000 kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 133 degrees. Image scale is 2.2 miles (3.6 kilometers) per pixel. CREDIT NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

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This fantastic close-up of Saturn's outer C ring shows large and sharp changes in brightness across the rings, owing to the extreme variations in ring particle concentrations at different distances from the planet. The dark gap running through the center contains the Maxwell ringlet, as well as a faint, narrow ringlet discovered in Cassini images. Another very dark region to the right of the Maxwell gap is also a narrow gap. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Oct. 29, 2004, at a distance of about 836,000 kilometers (519,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles) per pixel. CREDIT NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

From Contributors to Wikimedia projects:

Rings of Saturn

Saturn has the most extensive and complex ring system of any planet in the Solar System. The rings consist of particles in orbit around the planet and are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material. Particles range from micrometers to meters in size. There is no consensus as to what mechanism facilitated their formation: while investigations using theoretical models suggested they formed early in the Solar System's existence, newer data from Cassini suggests a more recent date of formation. In September 2023, astronomers reported studies suggesting that the rings of Saturn may have resulted from the collision of two moons "a few hundred million years ago,".

Though light reflected from the rings increases Saturn's apparent brightness, they are not themselves visible from Earth with the naked eye. In 1610, the year after his first observations with a telescope, Galileo Galilei became the first person to observe Saturn's rings, though he could not see them well enough to discern their true nature. In 1655, Christiaan Huygens was the first person to describe them as a disk surrounding Saturn. The concept that Saturn's rings are made up of a series of tiny ringlets can be traced to Pierre-Simon Laplace, although true gaps are few – it is more correct to think of the rings as an annular disk with concentric local maxima and minima in density and brightness.
[..]
Read more next post ..

* The ALT-Texts for the images are pretty detailed, full discription for
+ upper left image:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PIA17172_Saturn_eclipse_mosaic_bright_crop.jpg
+ and the upper right image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unraveling_Saturn%27s_Rings.jpg

#space #saturn #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #NASA #ESA #education

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The full set of rings, imaged on 19 July 2013 as Saturn eclipses the Sun from the vantage of the Cassini orbiter, 1.2 million kilometres (3⁄4 million miles) distant. Earth appears as a dot at 4 o'clock, between the G and E rings – with its brightness artificially exaggerated in this photograph. CREDIT NASA JPL-Caltech Space Science Institute On July 19, 2013, in an event celebrated the world over, NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings -- and, in the background, our home planet, Earth. With the sun's powerful and potentially damaging rays eclipsed by Saturn itself, Cassini's onboard cameras were able to take advantage of this unique viewing geometry. They acquired a panoramic mosaic of the Saturn system that allows scientists to see details in the rings and throughout the system as they are backlit by the sun. With both Cassini's wide-angle and narrow-angle cameras aimed at Saturn, Cassini was able to capture 323 images in just over four hours. This final mosaic uses 141 of those wide-angle images. Images taken using the red, green and blue spectral filters of the wide-angle camera were combined and mosaicked together to create this natural-color view. This image spans about 404,880 miles (651,591 kilometers) across. The outermost ring shown here is Saturn's E ring, the core of which is situated about 149,000 miles (240,000 kilometers) from Saturn *See URL to full discription in main text

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In this simulated image of Saturn's rings, color is used to present information about ring particle sizes in different regions based on the measured attenuations of three radio signals. Specially designed Cassini orbits place Earth and Cassini on opposite sides of Saturn's rings, a geometry known as occultation. Cassini conducted the first radio occultation observation of Saturn's rings on May 3, 2005. Three simultaneous radio signals of 0.94, 3.6, and 13 centimeter wavelength (Ka-, X-, and S-bands) were sent from Cassini through the rings to Earth. The observed change of each signal as Cassini moved behind the rings provided a profile of the distribution of ring material as a function of distance from Saturn, or an optical depth profile. This simulated image was constructed from the measured optical depth profiles. It depicts the observed ring structure at a resolution of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). Shades of purple, primarily over most of the middle ring, the B ring, and the inner portion of the outer ring, the A ring, indicate regions where there is a lack of particles less than 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) in diameter. Green and blue shades indicate regions where there are particles of sizes smaller than 5 centimeters (2 inches) and 1 centimeter (less than one third of an inch), respectively, primarily in the outer A ring and within most of the inner ring, the C ring ... * See URL to full discription in main text CREDIT NASA / JPL

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Saturn and its A, B and C rings in visible and (inset) infrared light. In the false-color IR view, greater water ice content and larger grain size lead to blue-green color, while greater non-ice content and smaller grain size yield a reddish hue. PIA23170: Infrared Eye Yields New Spectral Map The false-color image at right shows spectral mapping of Saturn's A, B and C rings, captured by Cassini's Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). It displays an infrared view of the rings, rather than an image in visible light. The blue-green areas are the regions with the purest water ice and/or largest grain size (primarily the A and B rings), while the reddish color indicates increasing amounts of non-icy material and/or smaller grain sizes (primarily in the C ring and Cassini Division). At left, the same image is overlaid on a natural-color mosaic of Saturn taken by Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem. CREDIT NASA/JPL-Caltech

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The Odd Trio September 22, 2014 The Cassini spacecraft captures a rare family photo of three of Saturn's moons that couldn't be more different from each other! As the largest of the three, Tethys (image center) is round and has a variety of terrains across its surface. Meanwhile, Hyperion (to the upper-left of Tethys) is the "wild one" with a chaotic spin and Prometheus (lower-left) is a tiny moon that busies itself sculpting the F ring. To learn more about the surface of Tethys (660 miles, or 1,062 kilometers across), see PIA17164. More on the chaotic spin of Hyperion (168 miles, or 270 kilometers across) can be found at PIA07683. And discover more about the role of Prometheus (53 miles, or 86 kilometers across) in shaping the F ring in PIA12786. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 1 degree above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2014. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.2 million miles (1.9 million kilometers) from Tethys and at a Sun-Tethys-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 22 degrees. Image scale is 7 miles (11 kilometers) per pixel. CREDIT NASA/JPL-Caltech

From Contributors to Wikimedia projects:

Huygens' Ring Hypothesis
and later developments

Christiaan Huygens began grinding lenses with his father Constantijn Huygens in 1655 and was able to observe Saturn with greater detail using a 43× power refracting telescope that he designed himself. He was the first to suggest that Saturn was surrounded by a ring detached from the planet, and famously published the letter string "aaaaaaa­ccccc­deeeeeg­hiiiiiii­llllmm­nnnnnnnnn­oooopp­qrrs­tttttuuuuu". Three years later, he revealed it to mean Annulo cingitur, tenui, plano, nusquam coherente, ad eclipticam inclinato ("Saturn is surrounded by a thin, flat, ring, nowhere touching the body of the planet, inclined to the ecliptic"). He published his ring hypothesis in Systema Saturnium (1659) which also included his discovery of Saturn's moon, Titan, as well as the first clear outline of the dimensions of the Solar System.

In 1675, Giovanni Domenico Cassini determined that Saturn's ring was composed of multiple smaller rings with gaps between them; the largest of these gaps was later named the Cassini Division. This division is a 4,800-kilometre-wide (3,000 mi) region between the A ring and B Ring.

In 1787, Pierre-Simon Laplace proved that a uniform solid ring would be unstable and suggested that the rings were composed of a large number of solid ringlets.

In 1859, James Clerk Maxwell demonstrated that a nonuniform solid ring, solid ringlets or a continuous fluid ring would also not be stable, indicating that the ring must be composed of numerous small particles, all independently orbiting Saturn. Later, Sofia Kovalevskaya also found that Saturn's rings cannot be liquid ring-shaped bodies. Spectroscopic studies of the rings which were carried out independently in 1895 by James Keeler of the Allegheny Observatory and by Aristarkh Belopolsky of the Pulkovo Observatory showed that Maxwell's analysis was correct.

#space #saturn #science #astronomy #physics #nature #history

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Huygens' ring hypothesis in Systema Saturnium (1659) Diagram showing how Saturn's appearance to us changes due the changing positions of the Earth (E) and Saturn as they orbit the Sun (G). Bottom: Huygens's observation of Saturn presenting its rings to us at their greatest inclination. CREDIT Christiaan Huygens

From Contributors to Wikimedia projects:

SATURN AS SEEN BY GALILEO. Detail of the letter sent by Galileo to Belisario Vinta, written in Padova on 30.07.1610. The shape of Saturn first seen by the Pisan astronomer, squared in green. Here Galileo writes: "It is that the star of Saturn is not a single one, but an aggregate of three that almost touch each other and that never move or change with each other, they are arranged in a row along the Zodiac, the middle one being three times larger than the other two lateral ones and being situated in this way: oOo,..."

From "Galileo-Kepler. The Message and the Sidereal Messenger", Alianza Editorial. 1984. In another letter addressed to Giuliano de Medici, Galileo writes: "... I observed that the highest planet was threefold: that is, with great admiration on my part I have observed that Saturn is not a single star, but three together that almost touch. They are completely immobile with each other, arranged in this way oOo, the middle one being much larger than the lateral ones. They are situated one to the east and to the west of the other, exactly in a straight line. They are not just according to the line of the Zodiac, but the western line rises somewhat to the north; perhaps they are parallel to the equator.

If it were observed with a spectacle that was not of great magnification, three very different stars would not appear, but Saturn would appear to be an elongated star in the shape of an olive, like this [small ellipse]; but by means of a spectacle that multiplies more than a thousand times on the surface, the three globes will be seen very clear and almost touching, not appearing between them a division greater than a subtle dark thread..."

Image Credit:
Galileo Galilei - Museo Galileo Galilei, Florence. Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Ms. Gal. 86, f. 42r

#space #saturn #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #physics #nature #history #NASA #ESA #education

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SATURN AS SEEN BY GALILEO. Detail of the letter sent by Galileo to Belisario Vinta, written in Padova on 30.07.1610. The shape of Saturn first seen by the Pisan astronomer, squared in green. Here Galileo writes: "It is that the star of Saturn is not a single one, but an aggregate of three that almost touch each other and that never move or change with each other, they are arranged in a row along the Zodiac, the middle one being three times larger than the other two lateral ones and being situated in this way: oOo,..." From "Galileo-Kepler. The Message and the Sidereal Messenger", Alianza Editorial. 1984. In another letter addressed to Giuliano de Medici, Galileo writes: "... I observed that the highest planet was threefold: that is, with great admiration on my part I have observed that Saturn is not a single star, but three together that almost touch. They are completely immobile with each other, arranged in this way oOo, the middle one being much larger than the lateral ones. They are situated one to the east and to the west of the other, exactly in a straight line. They are not just according to the line of the Zodiac, but the western line rises somewhat to the north; perhaps they are parallel to the equator. Image Credit: Galileo Galilei - Museo Galileo Galilei, Florence. Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Ms. Gal. 86, f. 42r

TOPIC> Interstellar Visitors

2025 July 7
A drawing of our Solar System shows the orbits of Jupiter and interior planets. A white line shows the trajectory of passing comet 3I/ATLAS.

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
* Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
https://www.nasa.gov/

Explanation:
It came from outer space. An object from outside our Solar System is now passing through at high speed. Classified as a comet because of its gaseous coma, 3I/ATLAS is only the third identified macroscopic object as being so alien. The comet's trajectory is shown in white on the featured map, where the orbits of Jupiter, Mars, and Earth are shown in gold, red, and blue. Currently Comet 3I/ATLAS is about the distance of Jupiter from the Sun -- but closing, with its closest approach to our Sun expected to be within the orbit of Mars in late October. Expected to pass near both Mars and Jupiter, 3I/ATLAS is not expected to pass close to the Earth. The origin of Comet 3I/ATLAS remains unknown. Although initial activity indicates a relatively normal comet, future observations about 3I/ATLAS' composition and nature will surely continue.
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_tracks_rare_interstellar_comet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3I/ATLAS
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191018.html

Our Solar System:
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/
https://science.nasa.gov/mars/

https://www.swri.org/newsroom/press-releases/ibex-spacecraft-measures-alien-particles-outside-solar-system-reveals-interactions-surrounding-regions

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250707.html

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA

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2025 July 7 A drawing of our Solar System shows the orbits of Jupiter and interior planets. A white line shows the trajectory of passing comet 3I/ATLAS. Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS * Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech Explanation: It came from outer space. An object from outside our Solar System is now passing through at high speed. Classified as a comet because of its gaseous coma, 3I/ATLAS is only the third identified macroscopic object as being so alien. The comet's trajectory is shown in white on the featured map, where the orbits of Jupiter, Mars, and Earth are shown in gold, red, and blue. Currently Comet 3I/ATLAS is about the distance of Jupiter from the Sun -- but closing, with its closest approach to our Sun expected to be within the orbit of Mars in late October. Expected to pass near both Mars and Jupiter, 3I/ATLAS is not expected to pass close to the Earth. The origin of Comet 3I/ATLAS remains unknown. Although initial activity indicates a relatively normal comet, future observations about 3I/ATLAS' composition and nature will surely continue. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

ESA tracks rare interstellar comet

Space Safety
03/07/2025

Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of a rare celestial visitor: a comet from beyond our Solar System.

Officially named 3I/ATLAS, this newly identified interstellar object is only the third of its kind ever observed, following the famous 1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
A visitor from beyond the void

The comet was first spotted on 1 July 2025 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile. Its unusual trajectory immediately raised suspicions that it originated from interstellar space. This was later confirmed by astronomers around the world, and the object was given its formal designation: 3I/ATLAS, indicating its status as the third known interstellar object.

3I/ATLAS is approximately 670 million kilometres from the Sun and will make its closest approach in late October 2025, passing just inside the orbit of Mars. It is thought to be up to 20 kilometres wide and is travelling roughly 60 km/s relative to the Sun. It poses no danger to Earth, coming no closer than 240 million kilometres – over 1.5 times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

CREDIT:
ESA
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_tracks_rare_interstellar_comet

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA

Where did this interstellar object come from?

3I/ATLAS formed in another star system and was somehow ejected into interstellar space, which is the space between the stars. For millions or even billions of years, it has drifted until it recently arrived at our solar system. It has been approaching from the general direction of the constellation Sagittarius, which is where the central region of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is located. When discovered, 3I/ATLAS was about 410 million miles (670 million kilometers) away from the Sun, within the orbit of Jupiter.

How was it determined that 3I/ATLAS didn’t originate in our solar system?

Observations of the comet’s trajectory show that it is moving too fast to be bound by the Sun’s gravity and that it's on what is known as a hyperbolic trajectory. In other words, it does not follow a closed orbital path around the Sun. It is simply passing through our solar system and will continue its journey into interstellar space, never to be seen again.

How many interstellar objects have been discovered?

This is the third known interstellar object to have been observed. Discovered in 2017, ‘Oumuamua was the first known interstellar object; the second was 2I/Borisov, which was discovered in 2019.

How big is 3I/ATLAS, and is it an asteroid or comet?

Astronomers don’t yet know how big 3I/ATLAS is, but from observations, they can see that it’s active, which means it has an icy nucleus and coma (a bright cloud of gas and dust surrounding a comet as it approaches the Sun). This is why astronomers categorize it as a comet and not an asteroid.

How fast is it moving?

Very fast. When it was discovered, the interstellar comet was traveling about 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 kilometers per hour, or 61 kilometers per second), and its speed will increase as it approaches the Sun.

CREDIT:
ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA

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This image shows the observation of comet 3I/ATLAS when it was discovered on July 1, 2025. The NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Chile first reported that the comet originated from interstellar space. CREDIT: ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA

What We Know About Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

An interstellar traveler has been discovered passing through our solar system. The NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, first reported observations of comet 3I/ATLAS on July 1, 2025. Since the first report, additional observations from before the discovery were gathered from the archives of three ATLAS telescopes around the world and Caltech’s Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. These “pre-discovery” observations extend back to June 14. The fast-moving comet, which originated outside our solar system around a different star, was discovered as a tiny speck moving across the vastness of space. When discovered it was about 410 million miles (670 million kilometers) away from the Sun, within the orbit of Jupiter.

This is the third interstellar object ever discovered, hence its name begins with the number 3 and the letter I. Scientists will have several months to observe and study the comet as it passes through our solar system and before it exits. As of July 3, 2025, the comet is just inside the orbit of Jupiter and in late October 2025 it will make its closest approach to our sun from just inside the orbit of Mars. It poses no threat to Earth but offers a fascinating and rare opportunity for scientists to study these interstellar interlopers.

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/

CREDIT:
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

#space #comets #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #ESA

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An interstellar traveler has been discovered passing through our solar system. The NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, first reported observations of comet 3I/ATLAS on July 1, 2025. Since the first report, additional observations from before the discovery were gathered from the archives of three ATLAS telescopes around the world and Caltech’s Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. These “pre-discovery” observations extend back to June 14. The fast-moving comet, which originated outside our solar system around a different star, was discovered as a tiny speck moving across the vastness of space. When discovered it was about 410 million miles (670 million kilometers) away from the Sun, within the orbit of Jupiter. This is the third interstellar object ever discovered, hence its name begins with the number 3 and the letter I. Scientists will have several months to observe and study the comet as it passes through our solar system and before it exits. As of July 3, 2025, the comet is just inside the orbit of Jupiter and in late October 2025 it will make its closest approach to our sun from just inside the orbit of Mars. It poses no threat to Earth but offers a fascinating and rare opportunity for scientists to study these interstellar interlopers. CREDIT: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory