"Here is the video I shot, be prepared to be mind-blown!" Marco Langbroek wrote on his website SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log, where he shared an amazing capture of dozens of SpaceX Starlink internet satellites chugging along, in a straight line, across the heavens.
The constellations Corvus the Crow and Crux the Southern Cross cross the sky together, and reach their highest point in the sky at about the same time. Here's a photo from Dr Ski in the Philippines, showing their relationship.
New research suggests that a wayward dwarf planet collided with the moon in the early history of the solar system, causing the stark difference between the moon’s heavily-cratered far side and the lower-lying open basins of its near side.
Early results from China's historic 1st landing on the moon's far side. Chinese scientists have used in situ data from a far side crater to identify materials on the moon's surface that originated deeper inside the moon.
The spacecraft for NASA's next Mars mission - Mars 2020 - is really beginning to take shape now. Here's the complete cruise stage, suspended in a cleanroom at JPL. It'll power and guide the spacecraft on its 7-month voyage to Mars.
Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe, caught this photo of a waxing moon, setting, with what's called a Golden Handle (the curved feature at top right, jutting up along the line between light and dark on the moon).
"We are go for launch!" said Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye. Funded by space enthusiasts, LightSail 2 aims to accomplish the 1st-ever, controlled solar sail flight in Earth orbit next month.
When dense rain showers are falling into a rainbow, you might see one or more dark spokes centered on the point exactly opposite the sun. These are called rainbow spokes, or rainbow wheels.
Hideto Shimizu hiked many miles across the mountains of Japan to capture the images in this gorgeous 90-second video. He wrote: "I hope it delivers you the feelings of the places I photographed."
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.