Astronomy Archives
October 16, 20162016 Ends with Three Supermoons
(via NASA) Nothing beats a bright and beautiful "supermoon." Except maybe, three supermoons! 2016 ends with a trio of full moons at their closest points to Earth. 
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| Astronomy - Sunday October 16th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
Hubble Directly Images Plumes on Europa
(via NASA) NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took direct ultraviolet images of the icy moon Europa transiting across the disk of Jupiter. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Monday September 26th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
A Spectacular Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter
(via NASA) Venus and Jupiter are converging for a spectacular conjunction in the sunset sky on August 27th Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 | Send to a Friend
How a Blind Astronomer Learned to Hear the Stars
(via TED) Wanda Diaz Merced studies the light emitted by gamma-ray bursts, the most energetic events in the universe. When she lost her sight and was left without a way to do her science, she had a revelatory insight: the light curves she could no longer see could be translated into sound. Through sonification, she regained mastery over her work, and now she's advocating for a more inclusive scientific community. "Science is for everyone," she says. "It has to be available to everyone, because we are all natural explorers." Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Monday June 27th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
NASA's SDO Captures Mercury Transit
(via NASA) Around 13 times per century, Mercury passes between Earth and the sun in a rare astronomical event known as a planetary transit. The 2016 Mercury transit occurred on May 9, between roughly 7:12 a.m. and 2:42 p.m. EDT. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Tuesday May 10th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
The Cosmic Afterglow
Joe Hanson educates us all on the Cosmic Microwave Background. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Monday May 9th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
Look Up (Safely)! Mercury Transits the Sun Next Week.
(via NASA) On May 9th, Mercury will move across the face of the sun, offering a rare viewing opportunity for professional astronomers and backyard sky watchers alike. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Tuesday May 3rd, 2016 | Send to a Friend
The Most Mysterious Star in the Universe
(via TED) Something massive, with roughly 1,000 times the area of Earth, is blocking the light coming from a distant star known as KIC 8462852, and nobody is quite sure what it is. As astronomer Tabetha Boyajian investigated this perplexing celestial object, a colleague suggested something unusual: Could it be an alien-built megastructure? Such an extraordinary idea would require extraordinary evidence. In this talk, Boyajian gives us a look at how scientists search for and test hypotheses when faced with the unknown. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Thursday April 7th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
Carl Sagan on Extraterrestrials
(via Blank on Blank) As part of our special series, The Experimenters -- we’re uncovering interviews with the icons of science, technology, and innovation -- we found this conversation between Studs Terkel and Carl Sagan in the WFMT Studs Terkel Radio Archive. Following “Contact,” the book he wrote with wife Ann Druyan - and the major motion picture that followed it -- Carl Sagan spoke with Studs all about our continuing search for intelligent life out there, including how, for a long time, Hollywood just got it wrong. Here’s the tape. Send to a Friend | Permalink
| Astronomy - Tuesday March 29th, 2016 | Send to a Friend
Aliens: Are We Looking in the Wrong Places?
When we look for aliens, we're looking for planets like ours. Isn't that a little presumptuous? Send to a Friend | Permalink