Tag: Black Holes

Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 6/6/2021

Next week’s night sky: When the moon completes the first quarter of its orbit around Earth at 11:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 17 (0354 June 18 GMT) its 90-degree angle away from the sun will cause us to see it half-illuminated — on its eastern side. In the first quarter, the moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, so it is also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. The evenings surrounding the first quarter are the best ones for seeing the lunar terrain when […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 3/21/2021

Next week’s night sky: At the end of March we receive another opportunity to view the Zodiacal Light – if you live in a location where the sky is free of light pollution. After the evening twilight has disappeared, you’ll have about half an hour to check the western sky for a broad wedge of faint light extending upwards from the horizon and centered on the ecliptic (i.e., below Mars). The viewing period will end with the new moon on April 11. A new picture of a […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 3/7/2021

Next week’s night sky: At 5:21 a.m. EST, or 10:21 GMT, on Saturday, March 13, the moon will officially reach its new moon phase. While new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon becomes completely hidden from view for about a day. After the new moon phase Earth’s celestial night-light will return to shine in the western evening […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 2/21/2021

Next Week’s Night Sky: With the full moon nearly completely gone from Friday’s night sky, this is a great time to get some stargazing in! Bring your favorite pair of binoculars, and feast you eyes on the many beautiful objects in the night sky. My Own Research I found eight blue E+A galaxies in a galactic filament in the Coma cluster of galaxies. An E+A galaxy is a galaxy that has just transformed from its “young” stage to its “old stage.” A galactic filament is simply a […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 2/7/2021

Next Week’s Night Sky: When the moon completes the first quarter of its orbit around Earth at 1:47 p.m. EST (or 18:47 GMT) on Friday, Feb. 19, the relative positions of the Earth, sun, and moon will cause us to see it half-illuminated — on its eastern side. In the first quarter, the moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, so it is also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. The evenings surrounding the first quarter are the best for seeing the lunar terrain when […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 1/24/2021

Next Week’s Night Sky: When the moon reaches its third quarter phase at 17:37 GMT (or 12:37 p.m. EST) on Thursday, Feb. 4, it will rise in the middle of the night, and then remain visible in the southern sky all morning. At this phase the moon is illuminated on its western side, towards the pre-dawn Sun. Third quarter moons are positioned ahead of the Earth in our trip around the Sun. About 3½ hours later, Earth will occupy that same location in space. The week of […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 1/10/2021

Next Week’s Night Sky: Wednesday is the first quarter moon.  The evenings surrounding the first quarter are the best for seeing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angle sunlight.  Planet Nine An exoplanet circling two stars 336 light-years away may provide clues about where a long-sought world may be hiding in our own solar system. This strange exoplanet, HD106906 b, was first discovered in 2013 with the Magellan Telescopes at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert. But in order to determine its […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 12/13/2020

Next week’s night sky: Tomorrow, one of the most interesting and rare astronomy events happens! Jupiter and Saturn will be closer together than they ever have been since 1683. This event will not happen again until 2080!. Tomorrow, look towards the southwestern sky just after sunset. You should see a huge dot, brighter than any star in the sky. It should even be visible through clouds to the naked eye! With binoculars, you should be able to see the individual planets, Jupiter being the larger one.  The […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 10/11/2020

Next week’s night sky: On Wednesday, the Orionids Meteor Shower peaks! The remnants of Halley’s comet created this shower. The best time to watch these meteors is between midnight and dawn. Then, shower will reach rates of 10-20 meteors per hour. To find the shower, look to the southwest. Friday is the first quarter moon. This is the best time to see the lunar terrain, as the low-angled sunlight dramatically lights the lunar surface.. Betelgeuse may not be so far away New research suggests the red supergiant […]

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Interesting Astronomy & Astrophysics news from the week of 9/27/2020

Next week’s night sky: On Monday, October 5, Mars is the closest it will get to earth. This won’t happen again until 2035! The Draconids Meteor Shower will peak overnight on Wednesday, October 7. This shower can deliver up to 15 meteors per hour, or a meteor every 4 minutes. Check out the map below to see where to look. Salty Lakes under the surface of Mars Two years ago, researchers discovered a possible lake on Mars, buried under the surface of Mars. Now, new research adds […]

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