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Science, Uncategorized

Observatories like the Vera Rubin Observatory produce massive amounts of data — simulations help make sense of it

Observing, Planets, This Week in Astronomy

More ‘first light’ images from Vera C. Rubin Observatory coming Monday morning: Here’s how to watch

Robotic Spaceflight

Honda achieves milestone with reusable rocket test

Observing

What is there to observe in Serpens?

Astronomy for beginners

Michael’s Miscellany: 10 Cool Things About the Moon

Space Exploration

SpaceX Starship explodes on test stand ahead of 10th flight

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 20, 1955: Pingualuit Crater is discovered

Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from June 20 to 27: The summer solstice

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 19, 2004: Astroid Apophis is discovered

Deep-Sky Objects

Deep-Sky Dreams: Tadpole Galaxy

Observing, Upcoming Events

Welcome to Summer!

Human Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

June 18, 1983: Sally Ride is the first American woman in space

Today in the History of Astronomy

Michael’s Miscellany: Celebrating William Parsons

Omega Centauri and the Large Magellanic Cloud

Observing

Explore these telescopic delights of the Southern Hemisphere sky

Today in the History of Astronomy

June 17, 2 BCE: A conjunction between Venus and Jupiter

Deep-Sky Objects

Deep-Sky Dreams: Edge-on galaxy NGC 5907

What’s Launching This Week

Axiom 4 launch delayed again as Starlink and Blue Origin missions prepare for liftoff

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This artist’s conception illustrates one of the most primitive supermassive black holes known (central black dot) at the core of a young, star-rich galaxy. Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope have uncovered two of these early objects, dating back to about 13 billion years ago. The monstrous black holes are among the most distant known, and appear to be in the very earliest stages of formation, earlier than any observed so far. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Science

Explore the science of space, from the astrophysics of stars to the ultimate fate of the universe.

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Observing

Learn about upcoming observing events such as eclipses, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, and more.

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This 2016 Curiosity rover selfie shows the vehicle at the “Okoruso” drilling site on Mount Sharp’s Naukluft Plateau. The Martian scene is a mosaic of images taken with the arm-mounted Mars Hands Lens Imager (MAHLI). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

Space Exploration

Human and robotic missions are helping humanity explore our solar system and beyond.

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Sky This Week

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Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from June 20 to 27: The summer solstice

Sky This Month

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Observing

June 2025: What’s in the sky this month? Titan’s shadow transits Saturn, and Mercury meets with Jupiter in the evening

Picture of the Day

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Ancient apocalypse

Kfir Simon, taken from Tivoli farm, Namibia

In the year 185 C.E., Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of a “guest star” near Alpha (α) Centauri that remained visible for 8 months before fading — the oldest recorded example of a supernova. Astronomers now think that the faintly glowing shell of RCW 86 — a fragment of which is imaged here — is the remnant of that event, caused by the self-conflagration of a white dwarf. The imager used a 24-inch scope at f/4.5 to take Hα/OIII/RGB exposures of 180, 120, 20, 20, and 20 minutes, respectively.