Today's Image

Monster sunspot AR2786 swings into better view

Posted by Eleanor Imster and Deborah Byrd in Space | Today's Image | 17 hours ago

The sun is becoming active again as it enters Solar Cycle 25. This week, scientists’ predictions of sunspots were proven via photos from astronomers around the world. Giant sunspot AR2786 can be viewed with proper filters and may create strong flares that reach Earth.

November 23 moon and ISS

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Today's Image | 5 days ago

The International Space Station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes To the eye alone, it looks like a bright, moving star. Various online tools can help you capture its fleeting pass in front of the moon or sun.

Photos of 2020’s Leonid meteor shower

Posted by EarthSky in Human World | Today's Image | 1 week ago

EarthSky Community members around the world are sharing their photos of this year’s Leonid meteor shower. Beautiful! Thanks to all who contributed.

Photos of Jupiter and Saturn, headed for a December close encounter

Posted by EarthSky in Astronomy Essentials | Today's Image | 1 week ago

The moon swept past Jupiter and Saturn this week, as they’re drawing closer together in our sky, headed for an historic, once-in-20-years conjunction on December 21, 2020.

Diwali 2020 shone in this ashram, despite Covid-19

Posted by Swami Krishnananda in Human World | Today's Image | 2 weeks ago

Images of Diwali 2020 from an ashram in India.

November butterflies!

Posted by Swami Krishnananda in Today's Image | 2 weeks ago

Lovely photos of November butterflies from an ashram garden in India.

Composite image showing constellation Taurus and several meteors radiating from it.

Taurid meteors rain down in November

Posted by Kelly Whitt in Today's Image | 2 weeks ago

The South and North Taurid meteor showers ramble along during November and often produce fireballs. Beautiful Taurid photos from EarthSky community members – plus more about the shower – here.

The sun is becoming active again

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Space | Today's Image | 3 weeks ago

EarthSky community members have captured the giant sunspot region – AR 2781 – currently making its way across the sun’s visible surface.

Illustration of a multiple black holes orbiting each other.

Astronomers release a black hole family portrait

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Space | Today's Image | 4 weeks ago

“Black hole family portrait” is a fancy way of saying “new catalog.” But it’s a very important and exciting catalog, released October 28, 2020, by gravitational wave astronomers, containing 39 new signals from black hole or neutron star collisions.

Owl in front of the moon, with Mars above

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Today's Image | 4 weeks ago

An owl, a nearly full moon and a shining planet Mars. What more could you ask for Halloween 2020?

New NASA posters feature cosmic frights for Halloween

Posted by EarthSky in Today's Image | 1 month ago

Check out these 3 new posters from NASA’s Galaxy of Horrors, featuring cosmic frights for Halloween. They’re free to download, and available in English and Spanish.

Venus seen by BepiColombo

Posted by Claudia Crowley in Space | Today's Image | 1 month ago

The sun’s second planet, Venus, as seen from the BepiColombo spacecraft as it passed on its way to the innermost planet, Mercury, earlier this month.

Irregular round, pink cloud with dark center against stair field.

A close look at the Rosette Nebula

Posted by Claudia Crowley in Today's Image | 1 month ago

The Rosette Nebula glows in this telescopic photo by EarthSky Community member William Shaheen.

Favorite photos of October’s young moon

Posted by Claudia Crowley in Today's Image | 1 month ago

In the past few days, several EarthSky Community members around the world shared their photos of the young moon, a thin crescent in the west after sunset. Beautiful! Thanks to all who contributed.

Asteroid 2020 TF6 will come within 40% of moon’s distance on October 19

Posted by Gianluca Masi in Space | Today's Image | 1 month ago

Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project captured an image of the asteroid last night.

Orange ball with dark markings and white spot at the pole.

Photos of fiery Mars, at its best in 2 years

Posted by Deborah Byrd and Claudia Crowley in Astronomy Essentials | Today's Image | 2 months ago

Photos from the EarthSky community of the bright planet Mars, now at its best. Earth passed between Mars and the sun – bringing the planet to a once-in-two-years opposition – on October 13, 2020.

Green streak with large glowing head at lower end, going through clouds.

Bright fireball widely seen over northeastern Mexico

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Astronomy Essentials | Today's Image | 2 months ago

A fireball is an especially bright meteor from space. It can start out icy and burn up entirely in our atmosphere, or rocky … in which case a meteorite sometimes falls to Earth’s surface. This bright fireball blazed over northeastern Mexico on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.