history
Archaeology On Mars: Preserving Artifacts of Our Expansion Into the Solar System
In 1971, the Soviet Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to land on Mars, though it only lasted a…
Astronomer Calculates When van Gogh Painted This
One of my favorite paintings is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh -- for obvious astronomical reasons. But another favorite…
Organic Chemistry: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has recently had the privilege of investigating a myriad of scientific disciplines, including impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, planetary geophysics, cosmochemistry, meteorites,…
One of the Oldest Astrolabes Has Both Hebrew and Arabic Markings
I always think of planispheres when I think of astrolabes! Navigators used these ancient devices (astrolabes not planispheres) to provide…
Solar Physics: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has investigated the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, and astrobiology, and what these disciplines can…
An Ancient Stone Found in Italy is an Accurate Map of the Night Sky
You know how some constellations take a little bit of imagination to see? Yes, Leo looks a bit like a…
The Positions of Stars on an Ancient Navigation Device Tell us When it was Made
Astrolabes serve two purposes. First, they are useful as an astronomical tool, especially for finding a ship's latitude. But second,…
An Amateur Astronomer Discovered One-of-a-Kind Supernova Remnant
In 2013, amateur astronomer Dana Patchick was looking through images from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer archive and discovered a…
Edward Stone Has Been the Voyagers’ Project Scientist for 50 Years. He Just Retired
Edward Stone is retiring after 50 years as Project Scientist for the Voyager mission. The twin spacecraft revolutionized our understanding…
‘The Clocks are Telling Lies:’ A New Book from Universe Today Writer Scott Alan Johnston
Scott Alan Johnston (that's me!) joined the Universe Today team just over a year ago. Since then, I've written over…