Gravitational Lensing of the Early Universe – MACS0647
Gravitational lensing by the galaxy cluster MACS0647, in which the massive foreground cluster distorts and lenses the light emitted by…
Astronomy
M54, THE FIRST INTERGALACTIC CLUSTER DISCOVERED
M54 was first discovered in 1778 by Charles Messier, who included it in his famous deep sky catalogue. For more…
These Huge Neutron Stars Existed For Less Than The Blink of an Eye
Not much can be achieved in a few hundred milliseconds. Yet for the neutron stars glimpsed in the glints of…
The “great design spiral” of the Phantom Galaxy has been beautifully photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope just published photographs of the magnificently spiral M74 Phantom Galaxy, demonstrating why it is humanity’s…
The Eagle and The Swan
The Eagle Nebula and the Swan Nebula span this broad starscape, a telescopic view toward the Sagittarius spiral arm and…
A CASCADE OF STARS IN THE GIRAFFE
One of the most beautiful asterisms to admire in the sky is Kemble’s Cascade, a series of 20 stars aligned…
A PRECIOUS ROCK
About 80,000 years ago, an enormous mixture of iron and nickel entered the Earth’s atmosphere. The original weight was 66…
A Supernova Explosion Will Be Visible In The Sky In 2037
The supernova explosion will appear at least two more times in the next 20 years. Astronomers have discovered the third…
Unexpected Clouds toward the Andromeda Galaxy
Why are there oxygen-emitting arcs near the direction of the Andromeda galaxy? No one is sure. The gas arcs, shown…
THE SUN AT PERIHELION
On January 4 at 16:17 UTC the Earth passed into perihelion. This beautiful and very detailed image of the solar…