This colour-composite image of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) was created from images obtained using the Wide Field Imager camera on the 2.2-metre ESO telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile. The colours arise from a shell of gases energized by the radiation of the tiny central star. This image spans the same diameter…
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As shown above, on Saturday, November 6, 2021 from 6:44 am to 6:49 am EDT, the International Space Station will fly high over the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow in the northwestern sky near Perseus, and then flying over the Big Dipper’s bowl before setting below the east-southeastern horizon. Artificial satellites…
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The faint Witch’s Head Nebula aka NGC 1909 and IC 2118, is a ghostly reflection nebula near the bright star Rigel in Orion. It’s very large – stretching nearly three finger widths from her chin to her forehead! Image by Jeff Signorelli, NASA APOD for Oct 30, 2015 Happy Halloween week, Stargazers! Here are your…
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As shown above, on Monday, October 25, 2021 from 6:30 am to 6:35 am EDT, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow in the west-southwestern sky near Taurus, and then flying over the Big Dipper before setting below the northeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible…
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This spectacular long exposure composite combines twenty photographs of the Orionids Meteor Shower taken on October 21, 2006 near Bursa, Turkey by Tunc Tezel. It was NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 23, 2206. Orion, with his distinctive belt, shines at top centre. The shower’s radiant is at top left. Happy, mid-October, Stargazers!…
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As shown above, on Monday, October 18, 2021 from 8:02 pm to 8:04 pm EDT, the Chinese Tiangong Space Station will be visible from the GTA, rising from the southwestern horizon near Venus, and then entering Earth’s shadow above the southern horizon near Jupiter. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be…
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As shown above, on Saturday, October 23, 2021 from 6:26 am to 6:32 am EDT, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in a very bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow low over the southwestern horizon, and then flying between Orion’s Belt and the very bright star Sirius before setting below the east-northeastern horizon,…
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This Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image shows Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows, on the northwestern edge of large Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Clouds. The “Golden Handle” is the curved Jura Mountains, the remains of an impact crater that has been flooded by basalt magma flows. The feature, which is easy to see without a…
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This image of the bright globular cluster Messier 15 in Pegasus was taken by Ron Brecher in February, 2015. This image spans about one degree of the sky. Ron’s galleries of fine astro-images can be enjoyed at his website www.astrodoc.ca Hello, October Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of October 3rd, 2021…
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As shown above, on Sunday, October 3, 2021 from 8:36 pm to 8:40 pm EDT, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in a very bright pass, rising from the west-northwestern horizon, and then flying very close to Vega before entering Earth’s shadow above the eastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because they…
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