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This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | June 18th, 2010

The thickening Moon slides under Saturn and Spica. Saturn, Mars, Regulus, and bright Venus form a diagonal line in the western twilight; watch it shorten a little bit every day.

Exoplanets

A Tidal Wave of Exoplanet Candidates

NASA's Kepler mission has found more than 700 stars that seem to have planets crossing their faces, mission scientists have announced. But it will take a lot of followup to separate the real ones from the false alarms.

Solar System

The Jupiter Meteor that Didn't Go Splash

Scrutiny by Hubble finds no mark on Jupiter from the impact that two amateurs videorecorded on June 3rd. Apparently, the incoming meteor burned up high above Jupiter's clouds.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | June 11th, 2010

As twilight fades, the Mars-Regulus pairup in the west is growing wider. Saturn looks on from their upper left. Bright Venus shines far to their lower right.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | June 11th, 2010

As twilight fades, the Mars-Regulus pairup in the west is growing wider. Saturn looks on from their upper left. Bright Venus shines far to their lower right.

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | May 28th, 2010

Watch Mars closing in on Regulus after dusk this week. The largest asteroid sails past the Lagoon Nebula. And one-belted Jupiter climbs up before dawn.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | May 14th, 2010

The crescent Moon joins Venus in the western twilight, just as Venus passes the horns of Taurus. The rings of Saturn have turned as thin as they'll become. And one-belted Jupiter is becoming higher and more prominent just before dawn.

Fornax wall illustration

Cosmology

Last “Missing” Normal Matter Is Found

Thin, elusive gas between the galaxies makes up about half of all the normal matter in the universe — neatly completing the inventory.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | April 30th, 2010

The Moon passes Antares, Venus continues to creep upward in twilight, Orion says goodbye for the season, and the rings of Saturn, high in the south, have turned eerily thin.

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | April 23rd, 2010

Venus, the Evening "Star" at nightfall, passes the Pleiades, Aldebaran and the Hyades this week. Mars continues to fade. And Saturn shines high, with its rings turned nearly edge on.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | April 16th, 2010

Watch the first-quarter Moon pass under Castor, Pollux, and Mars. Venus blazes low in the west in evening twilight. And before dawn, will the Lyrid meteors show up?

Dawn view

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | April 9th, 2010

Mercury dwindles away from Venus in twilight, even as the crescent Moon comes to join them. And the tall line of Sirius, Procyon, and Mars is bending in the spring-evening warmth.

Get Involved

One Supernova, Many Camera Angles

"Light echoes" off dust clouds far from an old supernova are still providing replays of the explosion — as seen from different directions. They show that the explosion was asymmetric.

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | April 2nd, 2010

Venus and Mercury are at the height of their twilight pairing in the western sky. For once, Mercury is showing itself really well!

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | March 26th, 2010

Venus and Mercury begin their lovely early-spring pairing low in the western sunset.

Celestial News & Events

Mercury Takes the Spotlight

The normally elusive innermost planet has its best apparition of the year — with dazzling Venus to point the way!!

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | March 19th, 2010

The Moon pairs with the Pleiades and then runs under the arc of Castor, Pollux, and Mars this week. Saturn comes to opposition. And as spring begins, Sirius leaves the meridian behind.

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | March 12th, 2010

The thin Moon passes Venus low in the west in bright twilight this week. And Mars remains shining near Castor and Pollux high overhead after dark.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | March 5th, 2010

This week Mars is as near as it will get to Castor and Pollux, high in the east after dark. Narrow-ringed Saturn rises soon after dark.

Vic

This Week's Sky At a Glance

Sky at a Glance | February 26th, 2010

Mars is fading and shrinking, but on the other hand it's now very high early in the evening. And narrow-ringed Saturn rises soon after dark.

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