Keck Observatory Fires Up MOSFIRE
[/caption] Last week, on April 4, 2012, the W.M. Keck Observatory's brand-new MOSFIRE instrument opened its infrared-sensing eyes to the…
Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast: April 9-15, 2012
[/caption]Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It's shaping up to be a great week to enjoy astronomy. For both hemispheres, the Virginid Meteor…
MESSENGER Gets It Donne
[/caption] Named after the 17th-century metaphysical poet, Mercury's Donne crater was captured in this image by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft. The…
1981 Climate Change Predictions Were Eerily Accurate
[/caption] A paper published in the journal Science in August 1981 made several projections regarding future climate change and anthropogenic…
The Sun Does a Barrel Roll
Well, not really...... The Sun didn't do a barrel roll; it was actually the Solar Dynamics Observatory that performed a…
How Would Humans Respond to First Contact from an Alien World?
[/caption] According to Star Trek lore, it is only 51 years until humans encounter their first contact with an alien…
NASA Jets Buzz The Capitol
[/caption] Earlier today, Thursday, April 5, two NASA T-38 jets passed over the Washington, DC metropolitan area, during planned training…
Mars’ Giant Dust Devil in Motion
The folk at JPL have kindly put together an animation of the gigantic Martian dust devil spotted by the Mars…
Could There Be Life In Them Thar Pits?
[/caption] Recent images from ESA's Mars Express spacecraft reveal long rows of crater-like depressions lining the flanks of ancient Martian…
Astrophotos from Around the World of the Venus-Pleiades Conjunction
[/caption] The past several evenings, Venus has been snuggling up to one of the most famous star clusters, the Pleiades.…