Astronomy

April 24, 2023

Alaskan Photographer Captures Mysterious Spiral in Sky Among Northern Lights

SpaceX has been in the news for their failed Starship rocket launch on April 20, but a few days earlier, they were in the news for something much different. While astrophotographers have been getting images of SpaceX launches for years, photographer Todd Salat captured something really special over the Donnelly Dome in Alaska. Also known as the Aurora Hunter, Salat was out taking photos of the aurora on April 15 when a mysterious spiral appeared.

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March 24, 2023

Five Planets Will Appear in the Sky Later This Month in Rare Event

The stars have aligned—or at least the planets have—and on March 28, five planets will be visible to stargazers in the northern hemisphere. Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, and Venus will line up in a large planetary alignment just after sunset. While an alignment of two or three planets is fairly common, seeing five grace the sky at once is a rare treat.

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March 15, 2023

Rare Star on the Brink of Going Supernova Photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope

In the short time since it was launched into outer space, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been dazzling the public with stunning views of the universe. A newly released photo by NASA is a reminder of how much incredible imagery is yet to come. This JWST photo of a Wolf-Rayet star named WR 124 is a rare look at one of the luminous—and massive—stars that exist.

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January 31, 2023

NASA Spots a Perfect Bear Face Made of Craters on the Surface of Mars

NASA's HiRISE Mars Orbiter has become a priceless tool in space exploration. This camera, which is on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, has captured detailed images since 2006. Last year, it photographed a dune-filled crater that was designated the zero longitude point of Mars. As it continues documenting key topographic elements of the Red Planet, it sometimes stumbles upon intriguing—or fun—formations. In December 2022, HiRISE photographed a truly remarkable find.

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