This image of Messier 35, also nick-named the Shoe-Buckle Cluster, was captured by Fred Espenak on March 29, 2011 from his home in Arizona. He affixed his Canon EOS 550D camera to a Takahashi 180mm Astrograph telescope. The photo spans about a thumb’s width top to bottom. Messier 35 is about 2800 light-years away from…
Read more
As shown above, on Monday, January 25 from 6:10 to 6:16 pm EST, the International Space Station will fly overhead of the GTA in a bright pass, rising from the western horizon, flying through the Big and Little Dippers, and then entering Earth’s shadow low in the northeastern sky. Artificial satellites are visible because they…
Read more
An ISS transit on Thursday night, January 21 will pass across the moon’s disk for 0.6 seconds at 6:08:39.8 pm EST. The pass will be observable by observers across Port Perry, northern Toronto / southern Richmond Hill, Brampton, and Cambridge, Ontario. Find details at https://transit-finder.com/ and www.astrogeo.ca/skylights/. This image by Eric Holland was taken from…
Read more
The ISS transit on Thursday night, January 21 will pass across the moon’s disk for 0.6 seconds at 6:08:39.8 pm EST – for observers across Port Perry, northern Toronto / southern Richmond Hill, Brampton, and Cambridge! Find details at https://transit-finder.com/ Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight while…
Read more
This amazing composite image by Detlef Hartmann shows the continued expansion of the Crab Nebula Supernova Remnant (aka Messier 1) in Taurus over 10 years (Sept 29, 2008 through Sept 22, 2017). It spans about 0.1 degrees of the sky. In the heart of the nebula sits a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits radio…
Read more
A composite of several images of the ISS taken through a 10″ telescope by James Boone from Tampa, Florida on Apr 27, 2014 Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight while the sun is below the horizon for earthbound observers. When the geometry is just right, brilliant beams…
Read more
This long exposure image by Steve Cannistra covers 4 degrees (8 full moon diameters) left-right. It shows the rich nebulae that lurk in the centre of Auriga’s ring of bright stars, especially the Flaming Star Nebula (top left). This image was APOD for Feb 24, 2012. More of Steve’s images can be viewed at http://www.starrywonders.com/…
Read more
As shown above, on Monday, January 4 from 6:50 to 6:55 am EST, the International Space Station will fly overhead of the GTA in an extremely bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow over the west-northwestern horizon, flying along the underside of the Big Dipper, and finally setting in the east-southeast. Artificial satellites are visible because they…
Read more
Bright stars can still be appreciated when the moon is full and bright, as it will be this week. This image from Stellarium shows the central part of the constellation Perseus, the Hero. His brightest star Mirfak, aka Alpha Persei, is at centre. Surrounding Mirfak is a large grouping of bright, young, hot stars known…
Read more
As shown above, on Thursday, January 2 from 6:48 to 6:53 am EST, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in a very bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow over the northwestern horizon, flying close to Polaris and then the bright star Vega, and finally setting in the east. Artificial satellites are visible because…
Read more