268 Items Tagged

Astronomy

Planetário do Porto

Porto, Portugal

Planetário do Porto

A scientific observatory managed the largest Portuguese astronomy research unit.

Providence, Rhode Island

Ladd Observatory

A 132-year-old telescope continues to keep watch over the night skies above Providence.

Caravaggio's 1597 painting of the gorgon Medusa vividly captures the violence behind origin stories for many of our constellations.

In October, Our Night Sky is Full of Scary Stories

Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere can find the demon star Algol, a murdered monster, and victims of vengeful gods.

Rebecca Boyle October 25, 2023

Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station

Since its original beginnings as a weather observatory mountaintop, this facility played an instrumental role in gathering atmospheric data for almost 100 years.

An annular eclipse over the northern Chinese city of Jinan in 2010.

During an Annular Eclipse, Look to the Shadows

While some people in the Western Hemisphere will witness a "ring of fire" during the eclipse, many more will experience the phenomenon of crescent sunlight.

Rebecca Boyle October 11, 2023

Strada del Sole ('Road of the Sun')

A former millstone quarry in the Italian Alps is strewn with rocks bearing distinct round shapes.

The center of the Milky Way glows in various colors, an effect invisible to the naked eye, in this time-exposure photo from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Northern Chile.

The Milky Way's Heart Is Disappearing—For Now

For most of us, the next few weeks are our last chance to glimpse our galaxy's center, before the sun gets in the way.

Rebecca Boyle September 27, 2023

Mercury, an "empty little rock," appears as a small black dot as it crosses in front of the Sun.

Mercury Retrograde Is Ending, and It’s Up to You How to Feel About It

The first planet from the Sun doesn't influence your love life or your luck, but it can help foster a cosmic connection.

Rebecca Boyle September 13, 2023

Urania Observatory

Zurich, Switzerland

Urania Observatory

Switzerland's oldest public observatory is an important part of the Zurich cityscape.

Berlin, Germany

Archenhold Observatory

This public observatory is home to the "celestial cannon," the longest pointable telescope in the world.

Pyramids of Caral-Supe

A 5,000-year-old city in Peru holds the remains of a stunning set of astronomically-aligned pyramids.

London, England

Edmond Halley Memorial

It holds a fabulously designed tribute to astronomer Edmond Halley.

Science has not fully explained why we perceive the Moon to be so much larger than it actually is when it's near the horizon.

Is It a Super Blue Moon or a Blue Supermoon?

Whatever you call it, this week's full moon is particularly rare—we won't see one again until 2037.

Rebecca Boyle August 28, 2023

Saturn at its closest point to Earth in 2019.

Saturn at Opposition Is an Unforgettable Stargazing Experience

The ringed planet will be at its closest point to Earth, and opposite the sun, this weekend.

Rebecca Boyle August 23, 2023

A Cosmos of Contemplation Awaits the Mindful Stargazer

The night sky offers a path to both scientific understanding and being present in the universe.

Rebecca Boyle August 16, 2023

The Milky Way rises above Pakistan's Karakoram Mountain Range.

The 8 Best Astronomy Books For Beginners

From Mary Roach’s hilarious look at space travel to astronaut Scott Kelly’s photos documenting a year off planet.

Sarah Durn August 10, 2023

A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above northwestern China on August 12, 2022.

The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Summer's Best Show

Here's what you need to know about witnessing the annual August event, when Earth passes through a comet's castoffs.

Rebecca Boyle August 9, 2023

An artist's visual rendering of noisy gravitational waves.

Stargazing in a Multi-Sensory Universe

Sight is only one of the senses we can use to explore space. Welcome to multi-messenger astronomy.

Rebecca Boyle August 2, 2023