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October’s end, Virginia
"Nothing like some fall colors and the Milky Way to start off the weekend!"
October 29, 2016
Catching the elusive gegenschein
The gegenschein, or counterglow, is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region opposite the sun. It's sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust.
October 28, 2016
Orionid meteor in moonlight
Eliot Herman had 2 things working against him when he caught this photo. The moon was bright, and it was the night after the shower's peak. But the result is beautiful.
October 25, 2016
Have you seen Venus?
Venus is the brightest planet, 3rd-brightest object in our sky after the sun and moon. You can't miss it in the west after sunset.
October 23, 2016
If we could see Mars in ultraviolet …
We'd see how winds circulate at high altitudes, and how ozone amounts change over the seasons, and how afternoon clouds form over giant Martian volcanoes. Images here.
October 20, 2016
Setting supermoon
Every full moon sets around dawn. Watch how much how much the sky brightened in the 3 minutes it took for the moon to disappear.
October 19, 2016
The ghost of Loulouda
Manolis Thravalos caught this Brocken Spectre recently while mountain-climbing in Greece, near a medieval castle. A chilling experience, he said. Here's why.
October 17, 2016
See it! Super Hunter’s Moon 2016
Many captured the full Hunter's Moon last night. It was also the 1st of 3 supermoons in 2016. Thanks to all who contributed!
October 16, 2016
Mars and the Teapot
Modern stargazers have a hard time seeing a Centaur in the constellation Sagittarius. But the pattern of The Teapot is easy to make out.
October 14, 2016
The graceful arc of the ecliptic
The ecliptic is the path of the sun across our sky, and also of the moon and planets. This photo illustrates it beautifully.
October 13, 2016
