Observatories

Podcast: The Arecibo Observatory

May 11, 2013

Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow @universetoday on Twitter The mighty Arecibo Radio Observatory is one of the most powerful radio telescopes ever built – it’s certainly the larger single aperture radio telescope on Earth, nestled into a natural sinkhole in Puerto Rico. We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the [...]

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Cosmic Ink-blot Test: Can You See the Gecko in Space?

February 13, 2013

A small, isolated dark nebula known as a Bok globule was described as “a drop of ink on the luminous sky” by its discoverer, astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard. Through a small telescope, the object seen here, Barnard 86, does appear as though someone may have dropped a blob of dark ink on the telescope lens. [...]

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A Cosmic Rose for Your Spacey Valentine

February 12, 2013

We space-nerds like to express our amorous feelings, just like the rest of the population (although admittedly some of need more help/prodding in this area than others). And so just in time for Valentine’s Day comes this new image of a planetary nebula, which looks like a rose — or even a tulip – to [...]

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Bush Fires Damage Australian Observatory

January 14, 2013

The Siding Springs Observatory complex has suffered damage from wild fires burning across New South Wales, Australia. An initial assessment, according to the Australian National University, indicates that while no telescopes appear to have received major damage, five buildings have been severely affected or damaged, including the Lodge used to accommodate visiting researchers and a [...]

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Timelapse From Inside a Telescope

November 26, 2012

This timelapse is different than most because it allows you to see the actions of the South African Large Telescope (SALT) from a unique point of view: the camera is mounted on the mirror structure, but also visible is the awesome field of view. Dr. Bruno Letarte compiled this video from 3 consecutive nights observing [...]

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