Hubble view of a Cepheid variable star Many stars do not consistently shine with the same magnitude or brightness. Such stars are called variables, their brightness normally changing in cycles which can last from hours to years. Some exhibit irregular non-cyclical variation. Stellar variability can have many causes. These include changes caused by …
Some unusual celestial objects, Part 4 – Cepheid variables Read More »
Comet ISON comes in from the bottom right and moves out toward the upper right, getting fainter and fainter, in this time-lapse image from the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The image of the sun at the center is from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. ESA/NASA/SOHO/SDO/GSFC From our January newsletter, By Dr Jenny Morris 2 December: …
Stunning photographs of the cosmos, like the wondrous images captured by the Hubble Space telescope, convey the beauty that arises from the simple interactions of dust and light and gas on absolutely massive scales. Missing from photos of the universe, however, is a sense of depth: These stunning nebula are not a paint splatter on …
Amazing Astrophotography Lets You See Nebulae in 3D Read More »
This plot shows the range of possible locations where the small asteroid 2014 AA struck Earth’s atmosphere early on January 2, 2014. Bill Gray / Project Pluto Discovered on New Year’s Eve by a telescope in Arizona, a small asteroid struck Earth somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean — apparently unnoticed — about 25 hours …
