The Sky: May 12-19

The Sky: May 12-19

Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 13, 2023 May is the month when the Milky Way is altogether missing from the evening sky, for those of us living in the latitudes of the continental United States. That’s because the Milky Way now lies all the way around the horizon in a circle, and the North Galactic Pole […]

James Webb Space Telescope aligns its 18 hexagonal mirror segments

James Webb Space Telescope aligns its 18 hexagonal mirror segments

Special to CosmicTribune.com, March 23, 2022 2MASS J17554042+6551277 is the coordinate-based catalog designation of the star centered in this sharp field of view of the world’s largest space telescope which was launched on Dec. 25, 2021. The diffraction pattern is created by the 18 hexagonal mirror segments of the James Webb Space Telescope. After unfolding, […]

The outstanding Omega Centauri, largest and brightest star cluster in our Milky Way

The outstanding Omega Centauri, largest and brightest star cluster in our Milky Way

July 24, 2017 [CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION: Mike O’Day] Behold the largest ball of stars in our galaxy. Omega Centauri is packed with about 10 million stars, many older than our Sun and packed within a volume of only about 150 light-years in diameter. The star cluster is the largest and brightest of 200 […]

Scenic vistas for astronauts on the International Space Station

Scenic vistas for astronauts on the International Space Station

Jan. 31, 2017 [CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, NASA, JSC, ESRS] Astronauts aboard the International Space Station see some amazing vistas, one of which was captured in this breathtaking picture in mid-2015. First, visible at the top, are parts of the space station itself including solar panels. Just below the station is the band […]

A galaxy couple 300 million light years away

A galaxy couple 300 million light years away

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Wolfgang Ries / Stefan Heutz (Astrokooperation)] The two eye-catching galaxies lie far beyond the Milky Way, at a distance of over 300 million light-years. Their distorted appearance is due to gravitational tides as the pair engage in close encounters. Cataloged as Arp 273 (also as UGC 1810), the galaxies […]

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 […]

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 […]

A look beyond stars in our Milky Way to galaxies beyond

A look beyond stars in our Milky Way to galaxies beyond

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson] This sharp telescopic field of view holds two bright galaxies. Barred spiral NGC 5101 (top right) and nearly edge-on system NGC 5078 are separated on the sky by about 0.5 degrees or about the apparent width of a full moon. Found within the boundaries of […]

View from and of a robotic observatory in the Canary Islands

View from and of a robotic observatory in the Canary Islands

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, Mads Fredslund Andersen, Stellar Astrophysics Centre, Aarhus Univ., Denmark] Near first quarter, the Moon in March lights this snowy, rugged landscape, a view across the top of Tenerife toward La Palma in the Canary Islands Spanish archipelago. The large Teide volcano, the highest point in Spain, looms over the […]

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