The Solar Dynamics Orbiting Observatory continuously monitors the sun in 10 wavebands, mostly in the extreme ultraviolet part of the spectrum. These UV emissions correspond to super-heated gas in the million-degree range. Our full-featured video is linked below. When observing the sun in visible light, it seems benign enough and is something we’re used to[…]
Does the Brightening of Betelgeuse Portend The Immanent Occurrence of a New Galactic Supernova? Betelgeuse is at it again. Back in 2019, the red supergiant star, the bright and iconic right-shoulder of Orion had dimmed dramatically and uncharacteristically resulting in a flurry of speculation that the star was about to end its life in[…]
We often speak of a “Super Moon” within the context of the Full Moon phase, rather than its opposite, the ‘New’ moon. The New moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle when the moon is aligned with the earth and the sun with the moon towards the sun. It is the only phase of[…]
Full 6 waveband Composite Image of Stephan’s Quintet In the ERO release images of this group of galaxies by NASA, much to do was made about their interaction. In the NASA release, NIrCam (near IR) and MIRI (mid IR) data were included in the composite images. While it was briefly mentioned in the news release,[…]
The tiny red dot at the center of this image is our galaxy of interest, z13.1,13.1 billion light years distant. Heavy Element Nucleosynthesis, the process by which heavy elements are synthesized in the cores of high-mass stars, was ongoing in this galaxy less than 700 million years after the big bang. Note: this video is[…]
Note: This article is an addendum to James Webb Space Telescope Full Science Operations Begin As 5 ‘First Light’ Images Are Released (1 of 5). Some important discoveries and confirmations have been realized with the first public release of JWST data and imagery. We can unequivocally state that our evolutionary theories of the early universe[…]
The successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has placed the orbiting observatory on the path to become the premier space platform for the next decade and beyond! On Christmas Day, 2021 the world witnessed the launch of JWST, by all accounts a brilliant launch in its precision and timing! That launch put[…]
In this video, we present three favorite star clusters of summer for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. We open looking due south at twilight for mid-northern latitudes and note brilliant Venus setting as it follows the sun and Scorpio on the meridian with Sagittarius due east. Scorpio with red Supergiant Antares, the heart of the[…]
Today we look at the sky for the week beginning Sunday, July 25th. With this edition of the sky tonight, the sky has changed somewhat since last week. In the morning, Mercury is in Cancer with the sun and lost in the solar glare before sunrise. The evening sky sees Venus remaining prominently placed[…]
Today we look at the sky for the week beginning Sunday, July 25th. With this edition of the sky tonight, the sky has changed somewhat since last week. In the morning, Mercury is in Cancer with the sun and lost in the solar glare before sunrise. The evening sky sees Venus remaining prominently placed with[…]
With this edition of the sky tonight, the sky has changed slightly since last week. Today we look at the sky for the week beginning Sunday, July 18th. Sunday, July 18th, we have brilliant Venus and ruddy red Mars still well placed in the Southwest sky and setting at 9:50 PM, EDT, following the sun[…]
Using the Keck Observatory’s Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) and DEep Imaging and Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) attached to the 10 meter telescopes on Mauna Kea, we’ve observed a long-postulated, third type of supernova, an “Electron Capture” supernova. It is believed, based on composite imaging across multiple spectral regimes, the famous Crab Nebula may have been[…]
With this edition of the sky tonight, the sky has changed slightly since last week’s premier installment of our weekly sky tonight program. Today we look at the sky for the week beginning Sunday, July 11th. Sunday, July 11th, we have brilliant Venus and ruddy red Mars beautifully flanking the 46-hour old waxing crescent moon,[…]
On December 17, 2020, Dr. James Daly of Astronomy For Change interviewed Alberto Caballero, founder of the The Exoplanet Project and The SETI Project. Alberto holds a Master’s degree and is the host of the “Exoplanets” YouTube channel whose focus is habitable exoplanets, extraterrestrial intelligence and Interstellar Travel. Alberto is also involved with the Habitable[…]
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[…]
We recently produced a multi-part series of videos showcasing the amazing physics and technology of the Mars2020 Rover Perseverance. This series specifically focused on the physics necessary to safely and successfully get the rover to the martian surface. Coming soon, we will continue our coverage of the mission, showcasing new discoveries and milestones such as[…]
This is the second part in the two part series showcasing and explaining the amazing physics and technology that made NASA’s latest mission to Mars such a resounding success. In the first video Dr. Daly explains the physics behind the launch and cruise phases of the mission, complete with explanations, diagrams, theory and calculations specific[…]
Join Dr. Jim Daly of Astronomy for Change as he showcases and describes a rare triple conjunction of Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the early morning hours before sunrise, a planetary alignment visible through Sunday, March 14. Those who are early risers will be witness to this rare planetary alignment. Especially rare and quite spectacular[…]
Link to video below With this video, Dr. Jim Daly of Astronomy For Change presents Part 1 of a multi-part series on the amazing physics and technology behind the brilliant journey and successful landing of the Mars2020 Perseverance Rover. In this first video, Dr. Daly will discuss and describe the basic physics behind the mission[…]
Video Link Below With this video we introduce a new program feature at Astronomy for Change: “The Mystery and Wonder of Astronomy”. The true structure of spiral galaxies, as yet undetermined into the first quarter of the 20th century with Edwin Hubble, Harlow Shapley, Heber Curtis and Fritz Zwicky making great strides in determining the[…]
Link to video below As we all mourn the passing of Larry King, an icon, a professional with an uncommon sense of honesty, integrity and decency, a giant among journalists and communicators, let us remember him as a science communicator as well, the “middle-man” as such, between the science professional and the common man. Link[…]
Link to video below As we all mourn the passing of Larry King, an icon, a professional with an uncommon sense of honesty, integrity and decency, a giant among journalists and communicators, let us remember him as a science communicator as well, the “middle-man” as such, between the science professional and the common man. Link[…]
The beauty of the night sky has inspired generation after generation from the dawn of recorded history and now, that vista, the essence of that inspiration, is under direct threat! Many famous poets, authors, scientists and philosophers have written about the stars, the universe and the night sky above and, sadly, what is absent in[…]
Saturn is a source of intense radio emissions and, starting in 2002, scientists at NASA have been monitoring that emission using instrumentation onboard the Cassini spacecraft. As a result, NASA was able to convert and translate the radio signals into sound in an effort to better understand the underlying phenomenon. This discovery is just one[…]
