Today in the History of Astronomy | Astronomy.com

A stark, high-contrast photograph captures a solid black circle perfectly centered against a jet-black background. A bright, glowing ring of white light radiates outward from behind the dark circle, creating a soft, hazy halo with faint streaks extending into the surrounding darkness.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Oct. 2, 480 B.C.E.: A eclipse causes a retreat

A black-and-white painted portrait shows a woman with her dark hair styled back in a bun, looking upward as she adjusts a metallic telescope mounted on a table. She wears a long, dark high-collared dress with a white lace collar and white cuffs on her sleeves. Light falls softly from the upper right, highlighting her face, hand, and the metallic sheen of the telescope against a dark, plain background.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Oct. 1, 1847: Miss Mitchell’s Comet

A grainy, black-and-white photograph shows a cluster of bright white, blurred spots and hazy cloudlike patches spread across the center against a dark, mottled background. Two prominent bright white areas glow near the middle, surrounded by soft, misty white halos that drift outward. Several smaller, distinct round white dots are scattered around the main central cluster and across the edges of the frame.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 30, 1880: Henry and Anna Draper photograph M42

A side-by-side sequence of three square panels shows a glowing blue point of light expanding against a black background over time. In the first panel labeled "+ 22 MINS," a small, bright white core is enveloped by a soft blue haze. In the middle and right panels, labeled "+ 5 HRS" and "+ 8.2 HRS," the central bright spot intensifies while spiky blue rays and fan-like plumes spread further outward across space.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 29, 2022: Seeing the DART impact

A large, dark charcoal-grey rock with a rough, cracked surface sits centrally on a bright orange platform. Tiny flecks of yellow and orange mineral specks are scattered across its flat, mat-like face, with a fine crack running vertically near the top. The background features a soft-focus, deep red hue dotted with small, glowing white blurred spots.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 28, 1969: The Murchison Meteorite explodes over Australia

A black-and-white photograph shows a man in a suit jacket and tie leaning over a table, adjusting two small, white scale models of satellite dishes mounted on wire scaffolding. He looks down at the models with both hands resting lightly on the rims of the dishes. Behind him, a light-colored painted brick wall serves as the backdrop, flanked by a dark framed star map on the left and technical equipment with dials on the right.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle

An irregularly shaped, sponge-like celestial body with a heavily pitted, crater-covered surface fills the center of the frame against a solid black space background. The pale grey and light-tan object features deep, honeycomb-like depressions and several prominent larger circular basins with bright, sunlit rims. Strong directional lighting casts crisp dark shadows inside the craters, emphasizing its rough, porous texture and sharp contrast against space.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon

A monochrome engraving depicts a person seated on a stool with their back turned, operating a large cone-shaped instrument pointing toward an open window in the background. The room is filled with scientific tools, including a tall wooden clock cabinet on the left wall, pendulums, and various instruments spread across the floor. Detailed cross-hatching creates high contrast, casting deep shadows across the dark interior while bright light streams in through the window pane.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 25, 1644: The birth of Ole Roemer

A cream-colored, multi-tiered spacecraft model rests centrally on a grey, rocky surface against a painted backdrop of tan terrain. The complex lander features spherical fuel tanks around its base, four outstretched metallic landing legs, a cylindrical silver upper section capped by a reddish-brown sphere, and several thin antenna booms extending outward. Bright, even lighting highlights the metallic and painted surfaces, casting soft shadows beneath the landing pads.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith

A slender, pale blue crescent arches upward across the upper portion of the frame against a deep navy blue background. Strong edge lighting illuminates the smooth outer curve of the sphere, highlighting a faint, whispy white cloud feature near the upper right. The shadowed inner curve fades gradually into the surrounding dark space, creating high contrast and emphasis on the crescent's illuminated crescent edge.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 23, 1846: Johann Galle discovers Neptune

A black-and-white portrait shows a man with wavy, light-colored hair and sideburns standing in three-quarter view against a plain grey studio background. He wears a dark suit jacket, a vest, a white collared shirt, and a wide black bow tie, holding a small rectangular bar horizontally between his fingertips in his raised right hand. Soft key lighting highlights his facial features and shirt front, creating moderate contrast with his dark clothing.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 22, 1791: The birth of Michael Faraday

A fully illuminated sphere showing a planet-like body sits centered against a solid black background. Its surface is mottled with vibrant shades of deep blue, tan, gold, and light grey, covered in circular impact craters and ray-like streaks. A bright pale-blue crater near the upper-left center shoots thin, light-colored lines outward across the surrounding dark blue and tan terrain.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 21, 1974: Mariner 10 flies by Mercury