orion black hole | EarthSky

A black hole in the Orion Nebula?

An international team of astrophysicists says the famous Orion Nebula has a black hole at its heart, whose mass is some 200 times the mass of our sun.

Crisply outlined swirls of 3 glowing, multicolored gas clouds with stars embedded in them.

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

You can see the Orion Nebula as a fuzzy spot in the sky using just your eyes. It's really a vast cloud in space where new stars are forming. Learn more.

Brilliantly blue and white globe of Earth over rolling gray lunar hills.

Earth images from space: 10 incredible photos of our planet

Happy Earth Day! As a celebration of Earth, enjoy these photos, a collection of the 10 best Earth images from space. What are your favorites?

Orbital view of swirling clouds like a white skull with a colorful eye hole looking at you, and an aura.

Pareidolia is seeing things like faces in random objects

Seeing things such as a creepy face in satellite imagery is called pareidolia. Now, a new study says we're more likely to see angry men in random objects.

Sun in a blue sky with a ring of light around it, and an outstretched finger blocking the sun itself.

What makes a halo around the sun or moon?

A halo around the sun or moon often appears as a glowing ring in the sky. It’s a stunning sight, but have you ever wondered what causes it?

A galaxy with a bright bar in the center and a group of stars with their path shown from the center to the outskirts.

Our sun might be a migrant from the inner Milky Way

A new study suggests the sun might be a migrant that was born in the inner galaxy and journeyed outward, in the presence of stars similar to our sun.

Night sky scene with hexagon and figures of constellation superimposed over stars.

What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?

Constellations and asterisms are patterns of stars. Some asterisms consist of stars from different constellations, and some are part of 1 constellation.

Hundreds of multicolored donut shapes of different sizes inside a circle on a black background.

Look for the colors of the stars in the night sky

Winter is the perfect time for noticing the colors of the stars. Start with Capella, then move on to Taurus and Orion. Check out some colorful stars tonight!

Black background with one central white spot with spikes, and a tiny white dot to its left side.

Sirius B: Now is the best time to see Sirius’ companion

Now is a great time to see Sirius' dim companion, Sirius B. The 2 are currently at their maximum separation as viewed from Earth.

Telescopic image of a large, more than half-lit moon with distinct craters and darker blotches.

What are the best targets for binoculars?

The best targets for binoculars in the night sky are the moon, planets, star clusters and nebulae. You can even catch the smudge of distant galaxies in them.

Sun activity archive for November 2025

Sun activity archive for November 2025. A daily record of flaring, big filaments and prominences, and other sorts of activity, on our local star.

Annotated star chart of constellation Taurus as white dots with blue connecting lines, with 2 sets of radial arrows nearby.

Around now, watch for Taurid fireballs

Maybe you've been watching for them already. A nominal peak of the shower is November 4 and 5, and the North and South Taurids are overlapping now.

A spiral galaxy, with an inset dense with stars and tick marks around the red star that exploded.

Webb glimpses doomed star before its explosion

For decades, astronomers have wanted to know exactly what the explosion of a doomed star looks like. The Webb Space Telescope has made that knowledge possible.

Person standing on a large rock, silhouetted against a starry night sky.

9 mind-blowing space facts that will shock you

Read 9 mind-blowing space facts about Earth, the sun, our galaxy and universe that will surprise and delight you. You'll be a hit at your next dinner party!

A bright red star, with a symmetrical round star cluster next to it.

Massive ruby red Antares is the Scorpion’s Heart

Red Antares, Heart of the Scorpion in the constellation Scorpius, is a massive red supergiant star in the last stages of its lifespan.

Threat of supernovas: An hourglass shaped bright area of gas and dust.

The threat of supernovas to life on Earth

The threat of supernovas to life on Earth is due to their intense radiation. Fortunately, they'd have to be fairly close to affect Earth.

In a star field, a large, spherical, whitish cloud, fading into space all around, with a dark lane across it.

Deep-sky photos for February 2024: Editor’s picks

Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for February 2024 from our EarthSky community. And if you have a great photo to share, send it in. We love to see them!