If your browser or smart phone is set up to view it, this 360 video will let you virtually explore a Mars simulation facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where engineers are practicing for an upcoming Mars lander mission.
Boats moving through water make bow waves. Objects in space, including Earth, make them, too. Even the moon's shadow - penetrating Earth's atmosphere during a total solar eclipse - creates moving bow waves.
Venus and Mercury were closer earlier this month, but they're easier to see now. Don't miss these 2 innermost worlds in our solar system, in the west after sunset.
Astronomers report no companion found for S2, the star orbiting near our Milky Way's central black hole. It's an "all-clear” for an exciting test of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.