Space and astronomy news
[/caption] Unfortunately, the Universe isn’t equipped with any three-panel dressing room mirrors, so we can’t see what our own Milky Way Galaxy looks like face on, or even from the side. But here’s a great new edge-on image of Galaxy NGC 4945, and many astronomers think this hive of stars closely resembles our own spiral …
[/caption] You’ll have no trouble at all enjoying these stunning new images of the Trifid Nebula. This massive star factory is so named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, and is a rare combination of three nebula types: reflection, emission and dark nebulae. With these new images from ESO’s La Silla …
Continue reading “New Images Reveal Details of the Trifid Nebula”
The Oscillating Universe Theory is a cosmological model that combines both the Big Bang and the Big Crunch as part of a cyclical event. That is, if this theory holds true, then the Universe in which we live in exists between a Big Bang and a Big Crunch. In other words, our universe can be …
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Have you had a wonderful week chasing the Perseid Meteor shower? Well, the show isn’t over yet. Enjoy this weekend’s darker skies and keep watching! While you’re out, why not take a pair of binoculars with you and do a little cluster hunting? If you’re feeling energetic – take out the telescope …
Continue reading “Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – August 14-16, 2009”
[/caption]What is the ultimate fate of our universe? A Big Crunch? A Big Freeze? A Big Rip? or a Big Bounce? Measurements made by WMAP or the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe favor a Big Freeze. But until a deeper understanding of dark energy is established, the other three still cannot be totally ignored. Ever since …
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Have you been watching Jupiter and the Moon make a pass at each other in the early morning sky? What an incredible sight. With the slightly later rise of Selene during the weekend hours, we can take advantage of the earlier evening to do some deep sky studies. However, if you’re just …
Continue reading “Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: August 7-9, 2009”
So what’s the latest telescope I’ve been testing? This time it’s a Vixen R130Sf Newtonian Reflector Telescope and PortaMount II. I can tell you right now that I’ve never laid my hands on a telescope that I was more comfortable with out of the box than this one… But, I guess I really need to …
Ah, yes… The skies have long been dark and the constellations have been on the move since the last time we’ve visited! Hercules now stands overhead when darkness falls. Summer Bugs and Scorpius are already going west of the meridian and Ophiuchus, the “Snake Charmer” has taken its place. In the southern hemisphere, they are …
Continue reading “Kid’s Astronomy: Sagittarius – Summer Central!”
[/caption] Of all the wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, those that lie between 400 nm to 700 nm are the ones most familiar to us. That’s because these are the waves that comprise what we call visible light. When we see objects, it’s because they’re being illuminated by visible light. When we see that the …
[/caption] Ancient, dome-like rock structures contain clues that life was active on Earth 3.45 billion years ago, according to new research — and the findings could help shed light on life’s history on Earth and other planets, including Mars. Abigail Allwood, who studies planetary habitability at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led the research. She and …
Continue reading “Ancient Domes Reveal 3.45-billion-year-old Life History”