Cosmology and Astronomy

Sixty-six million miles away might feel a lot closer Tuesday. Astronomy fans are in for a once-in-a-lifetime event next week as a transit of the planet Venus will be visible from Oklahoma. Its orbit takes it across the face of the sun, making it visible ...  

[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Misc/3302.Australia_2D00_flag.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Misc/3302.Australia_2D00_flag.jpg"]The Australian flag features the Southern Cross, surely proof that the land Down Under values its night skies.[/caption]I was...  

To All: This week's issue of Science is chock full with Astronomy related topics, the foremost being the Eight Mysteries of Astronomy! Endless mysteries lurk in the depths of space. To pare the list down to eight—now, there's a challenge. In deciding what to include in this section, Science's news staff teamed up with Science Associate Editor Maria Cruz and consulted researchers on the Board of Reviewing Editors and elsewhere. From the outset...  

Just days after Australia and South Africa were picked to host the world’s largest-ever radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a workshop in Brussels yesterday looked at funding opportunities for African and European radio astronomy partnerships.  

As I’m sure we all remember, International Astronomy Day this year was April 28, and I’ve been hearing from lots of clubs about how they spent this special day as part of Astronomy’s Discover the Universe program. I especially enjoyed hearing from Jim Thompson of the Ottawa Valley Astronomy & Observer’s Group about its event, the group’s second with the program. [caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs...  

It’s that episode of Little Einsteins where they’re wending their way toward the Crab Nebula. Rilla is apprehensive. “Mommy,” she whispers. “Can you look it up? The real one.” I google obligingly. She ponders the images with troubled eyes. “What…what harm does it do?” Scott hastily explains. Stars, light, not a monster. Not a Giant [...]  

[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-BLAsT+Class/4370.Grand_2D00_Canyon_2D00_Watchtower.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-BLAsT+Class/4370.Grand_2D00_Canyon_2D00_Watchtower.jpg"]More than 100 people gathered at the top of the Desert View Watchtower in the Grand...  

Asteroid 2012 KP 24 , a smallish rock about 25 meters (80 feet) across, will pass pretty close to the Earth on May 28, buzzing us at a distance of about 30,000 kilometers (18,000 miles). That’s close as passes go, but still a clean miss. Closest approach is at about 15:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. Eastern US time) on May 28. It’ll actually pass Earth closer than our geosynchronous satellites! At closest ...  

Telegraph.co.ukAstronomy mistake picked up by nine-year-oldTelegraph.co.ukSo when nine-year-old Daniel Smith read in a Telegraph astronomy guide last month that Neptune, the most distant of the eight planets, was a mere 4.5 million km from our closest star he instantly recognised that something didn't add up.and more »  

If all non-solar-system stars ceased to exist, how would things look different to us on earth? Would anything change?Imagine if all stars that did not have planets orbiting them suddenly blinked out. (That means our sun is safe.) How many stars would blink out? Would the sky be twice as dark at night? Almost completely dark? Would it effect anything on Earth as we know it? A kid asked me this on the train today, as I was reading a book with...  

SHANGHAI will build a museum to popularize knowledge of astronomy and showcase the latest astronomical achievements, local science officials told the International Symposium on the Popularization of Science in Shanghai yesterday.  

Early this morning, the SpaceX Dragon capsule passed just 2.4 kilometers below the International Space Station, completing another critical step in its mission profile that’ll lead to it docking with the orbiting station Friday morning. From the station, astronauts captured video as the capsule cruised by: [You may need to refresh this page to see the video load.] Very, very cool. You can see ...  

Barely had Brian Schmidt accepted the Nobel prize in physics than tension ... and allocated them to institutions. James Allison, an astrophysicist and former University of Oxford postdoctoral researcher, spotted the University of Sydney ad for a researcher ...  

Stars-N-Parks astronomy program this Saturday at Rockhound State ParkSilver City Sun NewsDEMING A Stars-N-Parks astronomy program will be held this Saturday at Rockhound State Park. Stars-N-Parks attendees should arrive at the park at sunset so they can become familiar with their surroundings before nightfall. This is also an excellent ...and more »  

M42 & M43 Emission Nebula in Orion Maui, Hawaii elevation 4000 ft 27mm Panoptic, 56x 12/29/11 9:20pm. Graphite pencil and white paper, inverted using PhotoScape. I have observed this amazing region many times ...