This composite photograph of the international space station was taken through a 10 inch reflector telescope by James Boone from Tampa, Florida on April 27, 2014. It takes a steady hand and some practice, but you can see a magnified view of the ISS through your own backyard telescope. Artificial satellites are visible because they…
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A close-up view of Messier 41, also known as the Little Beehive Cluster, in Canis Major. The area of the sky shown here is about four finger widths below Sirius, and spans about one finger width (or 1 degree) in height – so the cluster is as large as a full moon. Hello, Late-February Stargazers!…
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On Tuesday, February 23 from 6:09 to 6:15 am EST, the International Space Station will fly over the GTA in a very bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow over the west-southwestern horizon, crossing both the Big and Little Dippers, and then setting into the northeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to…
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This image shows Comet C/2017 T2 (Panstarrs) passing the Double Cluster in Cassiopeia on January 24, 26, and 28, 2020. It was taken by Rolando Ligustri and appeared as the NASA APOD for January 30, 2020. Comets will exhibit the greenish glow shown here when viewed through a good-quality backyard telescope. Hello, February Stargazers! Here…
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On Sunday, February 23 from 6:07 to 6:13 am EST, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in a very bright pass, exiting Earth’s shadow over the southwestern horizon, and then setting into the east-northeastern horizon. Artificial satellites are visible because they are high enough to be bathed in sunlight while…
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This heart-shaped feature on Mars was imaged by the Mars Orbiter Camera in 1999. It measures 2.3 km across at its widest, and is located on the eastern flank of the Alba Patera volcano in northern Tharsis. The sunlight is illuminating the scene from the left. The feature is a pit formed by collapse within…
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The International Space Station imaged through a telescope by Thomas Klemmer 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 of sunlight are reflected to Earth from flat, shiny surfaces on the…
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This image of the Winter Hexagon / Football was taken by Jeff Dai. Start with bright Sirius just above the hills at lower right, then head straight up to Rigel, and to the upper left to reddish Betelgeuse, and then bright yellow Capella on the left. Next head down to Castor and Pollux, and finally…
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On Wednesday, February 5 from 6:49 to 6:53 pm EST, the International Space Station will fly high overhead of the GTA in a very bright pass, rising from the west-northwestern horizon, sliding by Betelgeuse, and then disappearing into Earth’s shadow over the southeastern horizon between Sirius and Procyon. Artificial satellites are visible because they are…
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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! This beautiful object is called the Rosette Nebula (or NGC 2244). It’s located in the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn), just to the left (east) of Orion. The Rosette is a cradle of glowing Hydrogen gas that has birthed about 2500 young stars in its centre. This image…
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