By James Daly, Ph.D NASA Video at foot of article NASA Hubblesite news release here On the occasion of the Hubble Space Telescope’s 31st successful year in orbit last Saturday (4/24, launch date: 4/24/1990), the iconic orbiting telescope was tasked with capturing AG Carinae, a blue supergiant star in the southern constellation of Carina. This[…]
By James Daly, Ph.D Farewell, Michael, you dared to do mighty things and succeeded! I remember you well as I watched the historic mission on the family’s B&W TV at the age of 13. History will smile on you and remember you fondly. Vaya con dios, mi amigo! Michael Collins, the pilot of Apollo[…]
A quick video showing the placement of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies with the massive elliptical galaxy Messier-87 at its center. Imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope, M-87 is shown here surrounded by thousands of globular star clusters. Our Milky Way galaxy, a member of the Local Cluster of Galaxies is, in turn, a member[…]
The full moon for April, 2021 occurs tonight, April 26. The full moon is a unique and interesting lunar phase for a variety of reasons. It always rises as the sun sets and is the only phase during which we can witness a lunar eclipse, the immersion of the moon into the earth’s shadow. As[…]
Did you ever wonder why each of the seasons features a unique and distinctive procession of stars and constellations? The year is divided into four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. We begin the astronomical year on the Vernal Equinox, the astronomical beginning of Spring and the date the sun, moving eastward along the Ecliptic,[…]
