LATEST NEWS
Cassini Survives First “Grand Finale” Dive
Cassini’s Grand Finale has begun, as the spacecraft threaded the needle between Saturn and its rings, following several fantastic moon passes and a final glance back at Earth.
U.S. Forever Stamp to Feature Amateur Astrophotos
The U.S. Postal Service’s new Total Eclipse Forever stamp will feature photos by the well-know eclipse expert Fred Espenak, who is also a master of many different kinds of astrophotography.
Orbital Path Podcast: Making Gravitational Waves
Hear the latest on gravitational waves from NASA’s Michelle Thaller and astronomer Marco Chiaberge. Plus, learn how the universe sings to us in gravitational waves, and how we’re starting to listen.
LISA Pathfinder: From Gravitational Waves to Space Dust
LISA Pathfinder, the technology testbed mission for a future gravitational-wave detector, turns out to be a surprisingly good micrometeoroid hunter.
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April 28 – May 6
Tonight, as twilight fades in the west, spot Aldebaran and Mars to the lower right of the crescent Moon, as shown here.
Are You Ready, Willing, and Abell?
A cosmic rabbit hole in the tail of Leo will take you to Abell 1367, a wonderland of galaxies more than 300 million light-years from Earth. Step in and lose yourself in the vastness.
Tour April’s Sky: Critters on the March
Spot a lion, a sea serpent, and two bears in the evening sky of April. And stay tuned for May’s Sky Tour podcast, coming soon!
COMMUNITY
Don’t have any weekend plans? You do now! Join your local amateur astronomy community in celebrating Spring Astronomy Day, Saturday April 29th.
Three celestially minded participants in April 22nd’s March for Science share their experience. Hear from representatives of the Planetary Society, the American Astronomical Society, and the International Dark-Sky Association.
BEAUTIFUL, ALSO, ARE THE SOULS OF MY BLACK SISTERS 