Archives of News

A Giant Cosmic Butterfly Discovered

(Press Release) Astronomers have found what is likely the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, which appears like a giant, cosmic butterfly in the night sky. This discovery offers new insight into the environments where planets form. Officially known as IRAS 23077+6707 (IRAS 23077, for short), this giant cosmic butterfly is about 1000 light-years from Earth […]
2 years ago

Webb Snaps Amazing Details in Horsehead Nebula and Background Galaxies

Credit: The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. These observations show a part of the iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing its complexity with unprecedented spatial resolution. The first image (left), released in […]
2 years ago

Watch Upcoming Total Solar Eclipse Online with NASA

The April 8, 2024, solar eclipse will be visible in the entire contiguous United States, weather permitting. People along the path of totality stretching from Texas to Maine will have the chance to see a total solar eclipse; outside this path, a partial solar eclipse will be visible. Credits: NASA On Monday, April 8, most […]
2 years ago

American Astronomical Society Warns of Counterfeit & Fake Eclipse Glasses

AAS PRESS RELEASE March 22 2024 — With the April 8th North American total solar eclipse just over two weeks away, counterfeit and fake eclipse glasses are polluting the marketplace. As recently as March 11th, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task Force hadn’t seen evidence that any solar viewers being sold for the eclipse were unsafe, but […]
2 years ago

American Astronomical Society Offers Warnings & Reassurances on Eclipse Glasses

PRESS RELEASE – With just four weeks to go until the April 8th North American total solar eclipse, consumer interest in eclipse glasses and other solar viewers is beginning to spike. Some sellers are making misleading claims about their products and posting questionable documentation of their safety. Nevertheless, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task […]
2 years ago

Race to the Moon Gets Busy!

Check out my September appearance on The Stuph File radio show with host Peter Anthony Holder. where we talk about the current race tot he Moon, including Russia’s most recent failure and India’s successful landing.
3 years ago

Webb Reveals Famous Ring Nebula in Astounding Detail

This visual shows two images side by side of the Ring Nebula. The image on the left shows Webb’s NIRCam view and the image on the right shows Webb’s MIRI image. The left image shows the planetary nebula as a distorted donut with a rainbow of colours with a blue/green inner cavity and clear filamental […]
3 years ago

New Comet Brightening Fast in Morning Sky

Comet Watch: A newly discovered comet is quickly brightening in early morning skies. Named C/2023P (Nishimura). It was discovered by a Japanese backyard astronomer last week and is heading towards the inner solar system, rounding the Sun mid-September. It is currently traveling through the constellation Gemini, visible at dawn in the east and is shining […]
3 years ago

Top 10 Observing Tips for the Closest Supernova in a Decade

A small telescope is all that’s needed to hunt down this exploding star in our neighbouring galaxy. Supernovae are spectacular astronomical events that mark the explosive deaths of massive stars. Here is a short rundown on what all the excitement is about with this rare sky event and provide tips on how you can attempt […]
3 years ago

Weird Asteroid Belts Spotted Around Young, Bright Star

Three glowing disks of dusty debris encircling a young star are reminiscent of our solar system’s asteroid belt. Astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to image the warm dust around a nearby young star, Fomalhaut, in order to study the first asteroid belt ever seen outside of our solar system in infrared light. But […]
3 years ago