Astronomy Picture of the Week – Rings of Uranus
This series of images of the rings of Uranus were taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. They were taken at different times when the rings were facing the Earth at slightly different angles. In the third image, the edge-on rings appear as two spikes above and below the planet.
Monthly Stargazing Calendar for July 2011
On the 1st of July there was a partial solar eclipse. Unfortunately it was only visible in a small area off the coast of Antarctica. Very few people, if any, would have had the chance to witness it. Featured astronomical event Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower: On the night of July 28 and 29 the Delta Aquarids ...
Earth’s Size Compared to Other Astronomical Objects [Infographic]
The Earth is only a speck of dust in the grand scale of the universe. There are stars that would even dwarf our Sun. If you thought that Aldebaran was huge, wait until you see supergiant or hypergiant stars like Betelgeuse, Antares or VV Cephei! They are so astronomically large that it is hard to visualize. ...
Follow Friday & Weekly Stumbles For 2011-07-01
A piece of space junk zoomed uncomfortably close by the International Space Station today (June 28), so close that the outpost's six-man crew had to take shelter in Russian space capsules in case of a collision.
Aquarius Constellation
Aquarius is one of the oldest of the recognized constellations along the sun's apparent path, also known as the zodiac. It was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for "water-bearer" or "cup-bearer". It is found in a region ...
Astronomy Picture of the Week – Interacting Galaxy NGC 7469
This stunning pair of interacting galaxies are in the process of merging. The barred spiral Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 and its smaller companion IC 5283 are both located about 200 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Pegasus. This image was taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble ...
NASA Mars Science Laboratory [Video]
This animation depicts the artist's vision of the key events of the future NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission. It is planned to launch in late 2011 and reach Mars in August 2012. The rover will be called "Curiosity".
Follow Friday & Weekly Stumbles For 2011-06-24
Europe's ambition for a spacecraft to return autonomously from low orbit is a cornerstone for a wide range of space applications, including space transportation, exploration and robotic servicing of space infrastructure.
Astronomy Picture of the Week – NGC 2346 Planetary Nebula
NGC 2346 is a planetary nebula which is ejected from Sun-like stars which are near the ends of their lives. It is remarkable because its central star is a very close pair of stars, orbiting each other every 16 days. The nebula lies about 2,000 light-years away from us, and is about one-third of a light-year in size.
Follow Friday & Weekly Stumbles For 2011-06-17
Sample return is something of a holy grail to planetary explorers. The advantage is that age dating and extensive compositional analysis can be done better with modern instruments in Earth-based laboratories than on miniaturized instruments that have to prepared years in advance for space flight.
