Posts by 

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Hercules the Strongman and a great globular cluster

Hercules the Strongman is a great constellation to view in Northern Hemisphere summer. With binoculars you can see Hercules' remarkable star cluster, M13.

How the monsoon could impact wildfires in the American West

A monsoon could impact wildfires in the American West. Monsoonal rains can bring relief, but they can also bring gusty winds and lightning.

Hera mission will arrive at asteroid impact site in November

The Hera mission will reach Didymos and Dimorphos in 2026 to reveal what happened after DART crashed into Dimorphos in the first planetary defense test.

Euclid finds the most ancient quasars in the universe so far

The Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 new quasars, including the 2 most distant and most ancient quasars yet known.

Atlantic hurricane season forecast updated due to El Niño

Colorado State University, one of the 2 organizations that make Atlantic hurricane season forecasts, has now revised its forecast downward for 2026.

2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images

Japanese and Chinese space agencies completed 2 asteroid flybys in early July. Read more about the asteroids and see the closeup images here!

See 6 major spaceport launch sites … from space!

These 6 major spaceport launch sites helped open the space age. Now, satellites orbiting Earth can look back at the very gateways that sent them there.

Circinus the Drawing Compass, Alpha Centauri’s neighbor

Circinus the Drawing Compass is a dim constellation located next to the 3rd brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri. It looks like a pair of tweezers.

How a planet survived the death of its sunlike star

Scientists have solved the mystery of how a gas giant planet survived the death of its star. The planet migrated inward after the star's red giant phase.

Ursa Minor the Lesser Bear contains the Little Dipper

Ursa Minor is the Lesser Bear, but you might recognize it as the Little Dipper. Also, its brightest star is Polaris, the North Star.