Mars poses with the stars, Antares and M4

Mars poses with the stars, Antares and M4

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Sebastian Voltmer] Wandering through this stunning field of view, Mars really is in front of these colorful cosmic clouds. The mosaic contructed from telescopic images is about 5 degrees (10 full moons) across. It captures the planet’s position on Aug. 26, over 7 light-minutes from Earth and very near […]

Cassini’s awe-inspiring view of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io

Cassini’s awe-inspiring view of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA] How big is Jupiter’s moon Io? The most volcanic body in the Solar System, Io (usually pronounced “EYE-oh”) is 3,600 kilometers in diameter, about the size of planet Earth’s single large natural satellite. Gliding past Jupiter at the turn of the millennium, […]

Forty-five years ago, July 31 . . .

Forty-five years ago, July 31 . . .

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Apollo 15, USGS, NASA] On July 31, 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts Jim Iwrin and Dave Scott deployed the first Lunar Roving Vehicle on the Moon. Using it to explore their Hadley-Apennine landing site they spent nearly three days on the Moon while Al Worden orbited above. This digitally stitched […]

Cassini’s coming collision with Saturn

Cassini’s coming collision with Saturn

Aug. 1, 2016 [CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute] What’s behind Saturn? The first answer is the camera itself, perched on the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting behind the planet with the most grand ring system in our Solar System. The unusual perspective places Cassini on the far side of Saturn from the […]

Check out the magnificent M13 globular star cluster with your binoculars

Check out the magnificent M13 globular star cluster with your binoculars

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Dean Fournier; Inset: ESA/Hubble & NASA] M13 is one of the most prominent and best known globular clusters. Visible with binoculars in the constellation of Hercules, M13 is frequently one of the first objects found by curious sky gazers seeking celestials wonders beyond normal human vision. M13 is a […]

Three universes, 90 million light years away

Three universes, 90 million light years away

July 6, 2016 [CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, CHART32 Team, Processing – Johannes Schedler] [This telescopic view] features a trio of interacting galaxies almost 90 million light-years away, toward the constellation Virgo. On the right, two, spiky, foreground Milky Way stars echo the trio galaxy hues, a reminder that stars in our own galaxy […]

‘Built like an armored tank’, Juno swoops through debris, radiation in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere

‘Built like an armored tank’, Juno swoops through debris, radiation in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere

July 4, 2016 [CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION] NASA’s Juno spacecraft was to fire its main rocket engine late Monday to slow itself down from a speed of 150,000 mph (250,000 kph) and slip into orbit around Jupiter. With Juno on autopilot, the delicately choreographed move comes without any help from ground controllers. The […]

Juno, on July 4, will fire engine, orbit Jupiter’s poles at cloud-top level

Juno, on July 4, will fire engine, orbit Jupiter’s poles at cloud-top level

After nearly a five-year journey, Juno enjoys a perspective on Jupiter not often seen, even by spacecraft from Earth that usually swing by closer to Jupiter’s equator. Looking down toward the ruling gas giant from a distance of 10.9 million kilometers, the spacecraft’s JunoCam captured this image with Jupiter’s nightside and orbiting entourage of four […]

For the next Summer solstice and full moon match-up, wait until 2062

For the next Summer solstice and full moon match-up, wait until 2062

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Laurie Hatch] A Full Moon sets as the Solstice Sun rises in this June 20 dawn skyscape. Captured from a nearby peak in central California, planet Earth, the scene looks across the summit of Mount Hamilton and Lick Observatory domes on a calendar date that marks an astronomical change […]

The relatively nearby Formax Galaxy Cluster is only 62 million light years away

The relatively nearby Formax Galaxy Cluster is only 62 million light years away

June 16, 2016 CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, European Southern Observatory, Aniello Grado and Luca Limatola Named for the southern constellation toward which most of its galaxies can be found, the Fornax Cluster is one of the closest clusters of galaxies. About 62 million light-years away, it is almost 20 times more distant than […]

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