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Posts by
Deborah Byrd
Photos of the moon’s sweep past bright Mars
Earth will pass between Mars and the sun in October 2020, and the distance between our 2 worlds is now relatively small. And so Mars is very bright now! Thanks to all in the EarthSky Community who captured Mars near the moon this past weekend.
September 7, 2020
Look west after sunrise for the daytime moon
We're past full moon, but the moon is still big and bright. Watch each morning in the west for a pale daytime moon floating against a blue sky.
September 3, 2020
A breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
The researchers called their new analytical technique "a milestone in SETI." One researcher commented: "We now know that fewer than one in 1,600 stars closer than about 330 light years host transmitters just a few times more powerful than the strongest radar we have here on Earth."
September 2, 2020
Smoke-covered California, from space
The 2 largest fires this week both began with lightning strikes.
August 26, 2020
Ophiuchus is part of the zodiac, too
Poor Ophiuchus. Nobody ever claims him as a "birth sign," although the sun moves in front of his stars from about November 30 to December 18. Keep the big guy company. Find Ophiuchus in your sky tonight!
August 26, 2020
Magnetic rivers feed star birth
Astronomers have learned that the pull of gravity can sometimes overcome the strong magnetic fields found in great star-forming clouds in space. The resulting weakly magnetized gas flow can feed the growth of new stars.
August 24, 2020
Looking edgewise into the Milky Way
These stunning photos - taken by the talented photographers in our own EarthSky community - are from earlier this month, when the moon was less bright in the evening sky. See the Milky Way - the edgewise view into our own galaxy - plus Jupiter, Saturn and meteors here!
August 24, 2020
Wildfire sunsets and sunrises
The western half of North America is getting some spectacular sunrises and sunsets now, as wildfires rage. Photos here from the EarthSky Community.
August 23, 2020
Hayabusa2 re-entry capsule approved to land in Australia
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said this week that it has now been officially informed that its Hayabusa2 space capsule - carrying precious dust captured from the surface of near-Earth asteroid Ryugu - is approved for landing in Australia.
August 21, 2020
Old moon and young moon
This is quite a feat! The old moon one morning, and the young moon the following evening, centered on the August 2020 new moon.
August 20, 2020
