Transit of Venus

Transit of Venus across
the face of the Sun
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day
Image Credit: JAXA, NASA, Lockheed Martin

Evening Stars

By Divine Ms. Moon

The Last Galactic Dance

What happens when worlds collide? Peanuts to what happens when galaxies collide. I don't know about you, but I plan to be there for this one, no matter how many lifetimes it takes.

Artist's Conception of what will happen
when the Milky Way Galaxy collides with
the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day
Illustration Credit: NASA, ESA, Z. Levay and R. van der Marel (STScI), and A. Mellinger

Leaving the Celestial Light On

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

~ Carl Sagan

The Rotten Egg (Calabash) Nebula
Hubble Space Telescope
From NASA

A friend of mine mentioned at Facebook that this protoplanetary nebula called Rotten Egg (or Calabash) (OH 231.84 +4.22) resembles a light bulb. I say, good eye -- or good idea. 

What Galileo Knew

"If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have left him alone."

~ Thomas Hardy (born June 2, 1840)

Jupiter and the four moons discovered by Galileo

Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Io

From here

The Greatest Poetry

“In the power and splendor of the universe, inspiration waits for the millions to come. Man has only to strive for it. Poems greater than the Iliad, plays greater than Macbeth, stories more engaging than Don Quixote await their seeker and finder.” 

~ John Masefield (born June 1, 1878)

The Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101)

Composite image. Today's NASA Image of the Day

Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; IR & UV: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: NASA/STScI