LATEST NEWS
Gravitational Waves Dethrone Supermassive Black Hole
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole not sitting in its customary seat at the center of its galaxy. Gravitational waves from a recent merger may have ejected the black hole.
Cassini’s Grand Finale Orbits Set to Begin
NASA’s Cassini mission nears its final act – the spacecraft will enter the first of its Grand Finale Orbits later this month.
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April 7 – 15
Not just two, but three comets visible in binoculars, Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest, and right after dark, Orion is well up in the west-southwest in his spring orientation.
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) in Outburst and Binocular Bright
Dawn comet PanSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) just underwent a bright outburst and is now an easy binocular object. Take a look before the Moon returns!
Comet Lovejoy Brightens Quickly, Heads North
Terry Lovejoy’s new comet has gone from faint to bright in just three weeks and is now a tempting binocular target at dawn.
Jupiter Close, Bright, and Up All Night
It’s easy to like Jupiter. No other planet offers such a bounty of amazing sights through the telescope, especially this week when it reaches opposition.
How to White Balance Your Astrophotos
You’ll capture the night sky as it truly looks when you learn how to establish a proper white balance in your DSLR astrophotos.
Tour April’s Sky: Critters on the March
As you’ll hear in this month’s podcast, April is a time when it’s easy to spot a lion, a sea serpent, and two bears in the evening sky.
COMMUNITY
Comet Hale-Bopp’s Ancient Spectacle
Astrophotographer John Goldsmith chronicles his travels during Comet Hale-Bopp’s famous apparition 20 years ago. His images capture what ancients might have seen 4,200+ years before.
Bright future for South African Astronomy
Govert Schilling chronicles his travels to astronomical observatories across South Africa, the future site of the Square Kilometre Array.
Ann
BEAUTIFUL, ALSO, ARE THE SOULS OF MY BLACK SISTERS 