This telescopic close-up shows off the central regions of otherwise faint emission nebula IC 410, captured under backyard suburban skies with narrowband filters. It also features two remarkable inhabitants of the cosmic pond of gas and dust. Below and right of center are the tadpoles of IC 410. Partly obscured by foreground dust, the nebula […]

This artist’s concept shows an astronaut on Mars, as viewed through the window of a spacecraft. via wordpress https://wp.me/p4wJUi-6P7

What role do magnetic fields play in interstellar physics? Analyses of observations by ESA’s Planck satellite of emission by small magnetically-aligned dust grains reveal previously unknown magnetic field structures in our Milky Way Galaxy — as shown by the curvy lines in the featured full-sky image. The dark red shows the plane of the Milky […]

Seen here in incredible detail is the starburst galaxy formally known as PLCK G045.1+61.1. The galaxy, which appears as multiple reddish dots near the center of the image, is being gravitationally lensed by a cluster of closer galaxies, also seen in the image. via wordpress https://wp.me/p4wJUi-6OM

Welcome to the quadranscentennial year of the Astronomy Picture of the Day. Perhaps a source of consistency for some, APOD is still here. To help celebrate APOD’s Silver Anniversary, some of APOD’s TVAoTaSMD have recorded a birthday greeting and thanks to APOD’s readership in today’s featured video. Many have also highlighted a few of their […]

Launched on April 20, 2004, Gravity Probe B (GP-B) was a collaboration between Stanford University and NASA designed to test two previously untested aspects of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. via wordpress https://wp.me/p4wJUi-6OB

Looking deep into the universe, the Hubble Space Telescope catches a passing glimpse of the numerous arm-like structures that sweep around this barred spiral galaxy, known as NGC 2608. Appearing as a slightly stretched, smaller version of our Milky Way, the peppered blue and red spiral arms are anchored together by the prominent horizontal via […]

This illustration imagines the view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during one of its final dives between Saturn and its innermost rings. via wordpress https://wp.me/p4wJUi-6NW

Like a wisp of green smoke, the aurora australis seemingly intersects with the Earth’s airglow as the International Space Station orbited above the Indian Ocean halfway between Australia and Antarctica. via wordpress https://wp.me/p4wJUi-6NC

Japan’s resupply ship, the H-II Transfer Vehicle-9 (HTV-9), is pictured attached to the International Space Station’s Harmony module. via wordpress https://wp.me/p4wJUi-6Nn