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#space_related — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #space_related, aggregated by home.social.

  1. 2026 September 3

    The Eclipse and the Stork
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Włodzimierz Bubak
    instagram.com/trzeci_plan/?hl=
    * Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)
    science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/

    Explanation:
    How do animals react to a total solar eclipse? The featured image shows a stork roosting on her nest in Poland at a partial phase of the recent total solar eclipse. If you are lucky enough to experience a total eclipse somewhere quiet and close to nature, you may be able to notice unusual daytime animal behaviors. During totality, you may hear nighttime sounds like crickets and frogs and see fireflies. In the dark, most birds are quiet. Thinking that it is time to go to bed, ducks and other waterfowl prepare to sleep on one leg, with their heads turned around and their beaks tucked into their back feathers (they don't really sleep with their heads tucked under one wing). When sunlight returns at the end of totality, songbirds greet the new "morning" with their dawn songs. The crickets and frogs go quiet again. Animals and people resume their lifes, only briefly disturbed by the chance alignment of our Sun and Moon.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250612.ht
    instagram.com/p/Db9F-0nsklu/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260813.ht
    fws.gov/story/wildlife-behavio
    youtube.com/watch?v=sJCoF58ailo
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250802.ht
    scientificamerican.com/article
    birds.cornell.edu/k12/do-birds
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240331.ht
    merlin.allaboutbirds.org/the-s
    images.unsplash.com/photo-1566
    images.unsplash.com/photo-1566
    science.nasa.gov/eclipses/
    science.nasa.gov/sun/
    science.nasa.gov/moon/

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260903.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #eclipse #nature #animals #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  2. 2026 September 2

    * Image Credit & Copyright: Javier Castro
    instagram.com/fotojaviercastro/
    * Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)
    kerockcliffe.com/

    Explanation:
    Pretend you have never heard of a solar eclipse. The Sun’s behavior has been predictable your whole life. One day, you witness the sky transform as it does in today’s spliced image spanning two hours of the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse. The Sun disappears, leaving behind a bright, empty ring. What would you think had happened? Humans have interpreted eclipses in countless ways throughout history, embedding beliefs about connection, rebirth, or danger into culture. “Eclipse” comes from the Greek word “ékleipsis” meaning “abandonment”. In ancient Greece, the solar eclipse marked the anger of the gods and the Sun abandoning humanity. To the Diné people, this celestial alignment is a time of renewal. Out of respect and to avoid the danger of sunlight, the Diné stay inside until the Sun and Moon separate. The Batammariba people of Benin and Togo believe that the Sun and Moon fight during an eclipse, so the community encourages peace among themselves. Eclipses are an example of the longstanding connection between astronomy and society.
    instagram.com/p/DcBum3zI7YL/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260813.ht
    science.nasa.gov/eclipses/hist
    exploratorium.edu/eclipse/ecli
    etymonline.com/word/eclipse
    exploratorium.edu/eclipse/nava
    metmuseum.org/perspectives/sik

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260902.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #eclipse #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  3. 2026 August 31

    Launch of the Roman Space Telescope
    * Video Credit: NASA
    nasa.gov/

    Explanation:
    A new telescope has been launched into space to study the universe. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST) has the same size main mirror as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) but sees 100 times more sky during each snapshot. This is possible because when compared to HST, RST's main mirror is more curved, its secondary mirror is closer, and its main camera is larger. The result is that RST can inspect more of the sky more quickly, likely allowing, among other capabilities, the discovery of many more supernovas which tell us more about the expansion rate and composition of our universe, and many more planets orbiting other stars that tell us more about the possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe. RST will orbit the Sun, not the Earth, like the James Webb Space Telescope. The featured video shows Roman being launched yesterday from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap021124.ht
    science.nasa.gov/mission/roman
    science.nasa.gov/mission/hubbl
    skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/
    science.nasa.gov/mission/roman
    science.nasa.gov/mission/roman
    science.nasa.gov/mission/roman
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241020.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231231.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220814.ht
    science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/se
    esa.int/Science_Exploration/Sp
    science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
    stsci.edu/roman
    nasa.gov/kennedy/
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil
    user.iiasa.ac.at/~marek/fbook/
    youtube.com/watch?v=9wq3VHsL_b

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260831.ht

    #space #astronomy #launch #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  4. 2026 September 1

    A Plane Lunar Eclipse
    * Image Credit: Paulo Ferreira
    instagram.com/paulofwild/

    Explanation:
    Did you need to be on the right side of this airplane to see this eclipse? No. Lunar eclipses are routinely seen from the half of the Earth facing the Moon when the eclipse occurs, making them some of the most commonly witnessed astronomical events. You don't even need any special equipment to see one -- just your unaided eyes. Lunar eclipses are also some of the most photographed astronomical events because, unlike with a solar eclipse, your eyes and camera do not have to look toward the bright Sun. However, considering the featured image taken last week from Portugal, if you were on the left side of that airplane during takeoff, you might have trouble seeing it -- at first. But even then, after takeoff, since lunar eclipses typically last for hours, you might soon be able to safely cross the aisle(s) to see it.
    science.nasa.gov/moon/eclipses/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251221.ht
    science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/co
    nei.nih.gov/eye-health-informa
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260305.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260825.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251103.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250324.ht
    plus.unsplash.com/premium_phot
    science.nasa.gov/sun/
    svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5672/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130513.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240211.ht
    spaceplace.nasa.gov/eclipses/e

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260901.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #eclipse #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  5. 2017 April 4

    Plane Contrail and Sun Halo
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandros Maragos
    alexandrosmaragos.com/about/

    Explanation:
    What's happened to the sky? Several common features of the daytime sky are interacting in uncommon ways. First, well behind the silhouetted hills, is the typically bright Sun. In front of the Sun are thin clouds, possibly the home to a layer of hexagonal ice crystals that together are creating the 22 degree halo of light surrounding the Sun. The unusual bent line that crosses the image is a contrail -- a type of cloud created by a passing airplane. Much of the contrail must actually be further away than the thin cloud because it casts a shadow onto the cloud, giving an unusual three-dimensional quality to the featured image. The featured image was taken in late January in the city of Patras in West Greece.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010728.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160831.ht
    solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/s
    thenakedscientists.com/article
    atoptics.co.uk/halo/circular.h
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150403.ht
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrail
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041013.ht
    mathinsight.org/applet/vector_
    facebook.com/alexandermaragos/
    youtube.com/watch?v=vFsZrVzAJjc
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patras
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170404.ht

    #space #NASA #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #tech #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

  6. 2026 August 9

    Contemplating the Sun
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Gilbert
    flickr.com/photos/stevethatsmy

    Explanation:
    Have you contemplated your home star recently? Featured here, a Sun partially eclipsed on the top left by the Moon is also seen eclipsed by earthlings contemplating the eclipse below. This spectacular menagerie of silhouettes was taken in 2012 from the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Page, Arizona, USA, where park rangers and astronomers expounded on the unusual event to interested gatherers. Also, faintly visible on the Sun's disk, just to the lower right of the dark Moon's disk, is a group of sunspots. A new solar eclipse will occur this week and give many people in northern North America, Europe, and northwestern Africa a new chance to contemplate a partially eclipsed Sun. A thin swath of Earth from Greenland to Portugal will further experience a total solar eclipse. An open question is whether any meteors from the peaking Perseids will be visible during totality.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190818.ht
    asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.ph
    nps.gov/glca/index.htm
    youtu.be/0NX1zt70ats
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_S
    dogsbestlife.com/wp-content/up
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240303.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260628.ht
    science.nasa.gov/eclipses/futu
    svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5647
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230910.ht
    science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
    svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5647
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170820.ht
    nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200810.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260809.ht

    #space #NASA #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #tech #space_related #Space_Culture_Club #apod

  7. 2026 June 19

    Starry Night II
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Rodrigo Guerra
    instagram.com/rodrigoguerra13/
    * Original Painting: Vincent van Gogh
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_

    Explanation:
    Does this scene look familiar? It is a modern recreation of the famous painting Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Both the image and the painting depict a tall tree on the left, a crescent moon on the upper right, the planet Venus just to the right of the tree, a foreground horizon rising from left to right, and clouds above the horizon. Differences include that the photograph was taken in mid-April earlier this year in Cascavel, Brazil, while the painting was composed in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, in 1889. The original Starry Night is considered by many to be one of the three most famous paintings in the world today and a statement about the wonders of the night sky. Today is (roughly) the anniversary of the morning that van Gogh saw the sky that he later painted in his version of Starry Night.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191023.ht
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_
    instagram.com/p/DX2Hp-OmsW8/
    science.nasa.gov/moon/moon-pha
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250817.ht
    youtu.be/7t8oTjc7Y-M
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil
    youtu.be/JlcMFjwFHVA
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
    moma.org/collection/works/79802
    nguyenartgallery.com/top-100-m
    reddit.com/r/aww/comments/2jqs
    samsoriginalart.com/blogs/art/
    vangoghgallery.com/painting/st

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260619.ht

    #space #NASA #birthday #astrophotography #photography #art #science #nature #tech #space_related #Space_Culture_Club #apod

  8. 2026 June 15

    Triple Shockwave from Sun Crossing Rocket
    * Image Credit & Copyright: John Winkopp (WAI Media)

    Explanation:
    What's happening to this Sun-crossing rocket? The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, visible on the upper left, launched only about one minute before this amazing image was captured. As it rose to low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, in late May, the rocket became supersonic before it crossed the disk of the distant Sun -- from the perspective of the well-placed photographer. The spacecraft's high speed caused bow-shaped compressed-air shockwaves to form across leading surfaces, with at least three visible even outside the Sun's disk because they refract sunlight. The trailing exhaust caused turbulence visible on the lower right. None of this was damaging to the robotic Starlink 10-53 mission, which delivered 29 communications satellites to low Earth orbit as planned. And if that isn't amazing enough - the Sun had spots!

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260615.ht

    #space #saturn #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  9. 2026 June 14

    10 Days of Venus and Jupiter
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Aditya Pawar
    instagram.com/astro_aditya49/

    Explanation:
    Venus and Jupiter may have caught your attention lately. The recent close conjunction of the two brightest planets in recent evening skies has been hard to miss. With Jupiter at the top, starting on May 30 and ending on June 8, their close approach was chronicled daily, left to right, in the featured panels from Maharashtra, India. Near the western horizon, the evening sky colors and exposures used for each panel depend on the local conditions near sunset. At their closest on June 9, the celestial pair appeared to be only about three times the width of a full moon apart. Of course, on that date, the two planets were physically separated by over 600 million kilometers in their orbits around the Sun. In the coming days, Jupiter will slowly settle into the sunset glare, but Venus will continue to move farther from the Sun in the western sky to excel in its current role as the brilliant evening star.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260614.ht

    #space #saturn #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  10. 2026 June 12

    Venus and Jupiter: Conjunction from Avebury

    * Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Dury
    joshduryphoto-media.com/

    Explanation:
    To see Venus and Jupiter together this month, you won't need binoculars or even a telescope. Just look up after sunset and you'll find them emerging as the sky grows dark near the western horizon. In fact, on June 9 the two brightest planets were in close conjunction, separated on the sky by less than 2 degrees from our perspective. Since (brighter) inner planet Venus orbits the Sun faster than outer planet Jupiter, it catches up with and passes the outer planet along the ecliptic roughly every 13 months. But every three years or so their resulting conjunction can be viewed far enough from the Sun to be easily seen in Earth's twilight skies. On June 9, the two celestial beacon's close "cosmic kiss" was captured here next to two large standing stones, the remains of a cove near the center of a 4,000 year old stone circle at Avebury, UK. Larger than Stonehenge, the Avebury henge and stone circle complex is also recognized as one of the most significant neolithic ceremonial sites on planet Earth.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260612.ht

    #space #saturn #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  11. 2026 June 7

    Jupiter and Venus from Earth
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Marek Nikodem (PPSAE)
    instagram.com/marek.nikodem.ni
    scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news

    Explanation:
    It was visible around the world. The sunset conjunction of Jupiter (left) and Venus (right) in 2012 was visible almost no matter where you lived on Earth. Anyone on our planet with a clear western horizon at sunset could see them. That year, a creative photographer traveled away from the town lights of Szubin, Poland to photograph a near closest approach of the two planets. The bright planets were then separated by only three degrees and his daughter struck a humorous pose. A faint red sunset still glowed in the background. Jupiter and Venus are together again this week after sunset, passing within a degree of each other about two days from today.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120307.ht
    science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szubin
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland
    youtube.com/watch?v=x8br4JiFEik
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120316.ht
    universetoday.com/94113/venus-
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250615.ht
    science.nasa.gov/jupiter/
    science.nasa.gov/venus/
    skyatnightmagazine.com/news/ve
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230304.ht
    earthsky.org/tonight/venus-jup

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260607.ht

    #space #saturn #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  12. Saturn at Night
    * Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Mindaugas Macijauskas
    nasa.gov/
    jpl.nasa.gov/
    spacescience.org/index.php
    flickr.com/photos/m_macijauska

    Explanation:
    Telescopic views of Saturn and its beautiful rings often make it the star of star parties. But this stunning view of the outer gas gaint planet's rings and night side just isn't possible from telescopes in the vicinity of planet Earth. Peering out from the inner Solar System they can only bring Saturn's day side into view. In fact, this image of Saturn's slender sunlit crescent with the planet's night shadow cast across its broad and complex ring system was captured by the robot spacecraft Cassini. After a seven year long journey from planet Earth, Cassini called Saturn orbit home for 13 years (from 2004 - 2017) before it was directed to dive into the atmosphere of the gas giant on September 15, 2017. This magnificent mosaic is composed of frames recorded by Cassini's wide-angle camera only two days before its grand final plunge. And Saturn's night will not be seen again until another spaceship from Earth calls.

    .. more about Saturn and the moons of Sturn here:
    + TOPIC> Saturn
    defcon.social/@grobi/115305607

    + TOPIC> Moons Of Saturn
    defcon.social/@grobi/114442269

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260601.ht

    #space #saturn #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  13. 2026 March 29

    A Message from Earth
    Image Credit: Frank Drake et al., Arecibo Observatory
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Dr
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_
    License: Arne Nordmann (Wikimedia)
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil

    Explanation:
    What are these Earthlings trying to tell us? The featured message was broadcast from Earth towards the globular star cluster M13 in 1974. During the dedication of an upgrade to the Arecibo Observatory - then the largest single radio telescope in the world - a string of 1's and 0's representing the diagram was sent. This attempt at extraterrestrial communication was mostly ceremonial - humanity regularly broadcasts radio and television signals out into space accidentally. Even were this message received, M13 is so far away we would have to wait almost 50,000 years to hear an answer. The featured message gives a few simple facts about humanity and its knowledge: from left to right are numbers from one to ten, atoms including hydrogen and carbon, some interesting molecules, DNA, a human with description, basics of our Solar System, and basics of the sending telescope. Several searches for extraterrestrial intelligence are currently underway.
    science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250814.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201209.ht
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090712.ht
    youtube.com/watch?v=6qQRQyEodsE
    i.pinimg.com/originals/e8/c6/8
    seti.org/research/seti-101/pro
    periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml
    periodic.lanl.gov/6.shtml
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120821.ht
    science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_f

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260329.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  14. 2026 March 28

    Robert Goddard and Nell
    * Image Credit: Esther Goddard, from the Clark University archive
    clarku.edu/library/archives-an

    Explanation:
    Robert H. Goddard, considered the father of modern rocketry, was born in Worcester Massachusetts in 1882. As a 16 year old, Goddard read H.G. Wells' science fiction classic "War Of The Worlds" and dreamed of space flight. By 1926 he had designed, built, and flown the world's first liquid fuel rocket. Launched 100 years ago on March 16, 1926 from his aunt Effie's farm in Auburn Massachusetts, the rocket, dubbed "Nell," rose to an altitude of 41 feet in a flight that lasted about 2 1/2 seconds. In this posed photo, Goddard stands next to the 10 foot tall rocket, holding the launch stand frame. To achieve a stable flight without the need for fins, the rocket's heavy motor was located at the top, fed by lines from liquid oxygen and gasoline fuel tanks at the bottom. Widely recognized as a gifted experimenter and engineering genius, his rockets were many years ahead of their time. Goddard was awarded over 200 patents in rocket technology, most of them after his death in 1945. A liquid fuel rocket constructed on princip
    nasa.gov/dr-robert-h-goddard-a
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_
    youtube.com/watch?v=RAYVnUgS2zc
    nasa.gov/image-article/celebra
    nasa.gov/centers-and-facilitie
    flickr.com/photos/gsfc/albums/
    iiif.library.cmu.edu/file/Posn
    ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1924
    howstuffworks.com/rocket.htm
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051019.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  15. 2026 March 19

    Launch Plume: SpaceX Jellyfish
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Seeley
    mseeley.net/
    * Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)
    science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/

    Explanation:
    Even if you live with your head in the clouds, you won’t find a jellyfish like this one very often. The featured image shows a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on March 4. The launch happened 52 minutes before sunrise, and the second stage rocket exhaust plume was high enough in the sky to catch the light of the rising sun, while the photographer was still in the dark. This combination of light and shadow, possible at dawn or dusk, makes the exhaust, mostly water vapor and carbon dioxide, appear as a glowing cloud. It only looks like it's going down, as the rocket follows the curvature of the Earth on its way to space. A related effect is the twilight phenomenon, which causes colorful contrails sometimes mistaken for UFOs. But, in case you are wondering: real jellyfish were sent to space by NASA in the 1990s as part of a science experiment.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap26031

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club #apod

  16. 2026 February 24

    Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Prasun Agrawal
    instagram.com/astrosydney/

    Explanation:
    Look up this week and see a whole bunch of planets. Just after sunset, looking west (mostly), planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter will all be visible to the unaided eye simultaneously. If you have a telescope, planets Uranus and Neptune can also be seen. In order up from the horizon, the lineup this week will be Venus (the brightest), Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter (second brightest). It doesn't matter where on Earth you live because this early evening planet parade will be visible through clear skies all around the globe. The planets will appear to be nearly in a line because they all orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane: the ecliptic. The featured image shows a similar planet parade that occurred in 2022, captured over the Sydney Opera House in southern Australia. Although visible all week, the planets will be most easily seen together this weekend.
    science.nasa.gov/mercury/
    science.nasa.gov/venus/
    science.nasa.gov/saturn/
    science.nasa.gov/uranus/
    science.nasa.gov/neptune/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230315.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160717.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210119.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231114.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo
    science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-o
    science.nasa.gov/sun/
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic
    instagram.com/p/CcpEDd4JTj-/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220629.ht
    youtu.be/mGFz4T5W2qY
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
    science.nasa.gov/solar-system/
    universetoday.com/articles/mer

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260224.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  17. 2026 February 21

    Twilight with Moon and Planets
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
    twanight.org/profile/tunc-teze

    Explanation:
    Only two days after the February New Moon's annular eclipse of the Sun, a slender lunar crescent poses above the western horizon after sunset in this wintry twilight skyscape. Its nightside faintly illuminated by earthshine, the young Moon is joined by three bright planets in the mostly clear, early evening skies above the village of Kirazli, Turkiye. Inner planet Venus appears closest to the horizon. Near the begininng of its 2026 performance as planet Earth's evening star, brilliant Venus is seen through the warm sunset glare near picture center. Straight above Venus, innermost planet Mercury is easy to spot as it stands remarkably high above the horizon even as the twilight sky is growing dark. Outer planet Saturn, most distant of the naked-eye planets, is found just left of the Moon's sunlit crescent.
    earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti
    earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti
    science.nasa.gov/venus/
    science.nasa.gov/mercury/
    science.nasa.gov/saturn/

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260221.ht

    #space #astronomy #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  18. 2026 January 9

    Ice Halos by Moonlight and Sunlight
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Antonella Cicala

    Explanation:
    Both Moon and Sun create beautiful ice halos in planet Earth's sky. In fact, the two brightest celestial beacons are each surrounded by a complex of ice halos in these photos of the sky above Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France. The panels were recorded one night (left) and the following day at the end of December 2025. Similar ice halos appear in moonlight and sunlight because they are all formed through the geometry of flat, hexagonal ice crystals. The ice crystals reflect and refract light as they flutter in the cold atmosphere above the mountain resort. In the pictures both Moon and Sun are surrounded by a more commonly seen 22 degree circular halo. Bright and sometimes colorful patches at the intersections of the 22 degree circular halos with the indicated parselenic and parhelic arcs are also known as Moon dogs and Sun dogs.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241225.ht
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(op
    ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022
    cloudatlas.wmo.int/en/parhelic
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160321.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250215.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260109.ht

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  19. 2025 December 30

    An Artificial Comet
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Chao
    en.tutiempo.net/astronomy/astr

    Explanation:
    Yes, but can your comet tail do this? No, and what you are seeing is not the tail of a comet. The picture features a cleverly overlayed time-lapse sequence of a group of satellites orbiting Earth together in June. Specifically, these are Starlink communications satellites in low Earth orbit reflecting back sunlight before sunrise to Inner Mongolia, China. Although the satellites appear to the human eye as points, the 20-second-long camera exposures caused them to appear as short streaks. Currently there are over 9000 (!) + Starlinks in orbit, with more being launched nearly every week.
    Other satellite constellations are also being planned.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251230.ht

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  20. 2021 May 24

    Lightning Eclipse from the Planet of the Goats
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Chris Kotsiopoulos (GreekSky)
    greeksky.gr/
    spacetinkerer.com/publications/

    Explanation:
    Thunderstorms almost spoiled this view of the spectacular 2011 June 15 total lunar eclipse. Instead, storm clouds parted for 10 minutes during the total eclipse phase and lightning bolts contributed to the dramatic sky. Captured with a 30-second exposure the scene also inspired one of the more memorable titles (thanks to the astrophotographer) in APOD's now 25-year history. Of course, the lightning reference clearly makes sense, and the shadow play of the dark lunar eclipse was widely viewed across planet Earth in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The picture itself, however, was shot from the Greek island of Ikaria at Pezi. That area is known as "the planet of the goats" because of the rough terrain and strange looking rocks. The next total lunar eclipse will occur on Wednesday.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110617.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060909.ht
    science.nasa.gov/eclipses/
    asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.ph
    greeksky.gr/wp-content/uploads
    youtube.com/watch?v=925mOGCf7to
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikaria
    3.bp.blogspot.com/-5qmrdx1umpY
    culturechange.org/cms/content/
    mars.nasa.gov/images/Lunar_ecl
    svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4903
    eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH201

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210524.ht

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #lightning #NASA #space_related #space_culture_Club

  21. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

    A keogram
    ("keo" from "Keoeeit" – Inuit word for "Aurora Borealis") is a way of displaying the intensity of an auroral display, taken from a narrow part of a round screen recorded by a camera, more specifically and ideally in practice a "whole sky camera". These images from the narrow band, which usually face up in the north-south orientation in the Northern Hemisphere and the south-north orientation in the Southern Hemisphere, are collected and form a time-dependent graph of the aurora from that part of the sky. This allows one to easily realize the general activity of the display that night, whether it had been interrupted by weather conditions or not, and allows the determination of the regions in which the aurora was seen in terms of latitude and longitude of the area.

    The use of keograms started in the 1970s by Eather et al. to allow a more practical and efficient way of determining the activity of the aurora throughout the recorded night and provide a view of the detailed movements of it, the light of which is also recorded in wavelengths outside of the human visible spectrum. Thus, keograms are also used to analyse the conditions of the equatorial plasma bubbles (EPB) in the ionosphere of the Earth, to estimate its zonal drift at lower latitudes.

    This animation illustrates the construction of a keogram. Keogram image generated from the center column of pixels of 997 sequential RGB images using author's software. Each image was a 2 second exposure. Captured at Midnight Dome, Dawson City (Lat 64.067, Long -139.396), on the night of September 6/7, 2021 using an AurorEye portable all-sky imaging camera. Compressed vertically from a 4000px to 240px height.

    Date: 7 September 2021
    Source: Jeremy Kuzub at Wikimedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keogram

    FYI: TOPIC> Auroras
    defcon.social/@grobi/114646611

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #solistice #NASA #space_related #space_culture_Club

  22. 2022 March 21

    The Sky in 2021
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Cees Bassa (Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy)
    planetary.org/profiles/cees-ba
    astron.nl/about/

    Explanation:
    What if you could see the entire sky -- all at once -- for an entire year? That, very nearly, is what is pictured here. Every 15 minutes during 2021, an all-sky camera took an image of the sky over the Netherlands. Central columns from these images were then aligned and combined to create the featured keogram, with January at the top, December at the bottom, and the middle of the night running vertically just left of center. What do we see? Most obviously, the daytime sky is mostly blue, while the nighttime sky is mostly black. The twelve light bands crossing the night sky are caused by the glow of the Moon. The thinnest part of the black hourglass shape occurs during the summer solstice when days are the longest, while the thickest part occurs at the winter solstice. Yesterday was an equinox -- when night and day were equal -- and the northern-spring equinox from one year ago can actually be located in the keogram -- about three-quarters of the way up.
    nesdis.noaa.gov/about/k-12-edu
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220320.ht
    skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220301.ht
    spaceplace.nasa.gov/blue-sky/e
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil
    victoriaweather.ca/keogram.php
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011119.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220321.ht

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #solistice #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  23. 2025 December 21

    Solstice on a Spinning Earth
    * Image Credit: Meteosat 9, NASA, Earth Observatory, Robert Simmon
    eumetsat.int/our-satellites/me
    nasa.gov/
    earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
    nasa.gov/centers/goddard/about

    Explanation:
    Can you tell that today is a solstice by the tilt of the Earth? Yes. At a solstice, the Earth's terminator -- the dividing line between night and day -- is tilted the most. The featured time-lapse video demonstrates this by displaying an entire year on planet Earth in twelve seconds. From geosynchronous orbit, the Meteosat 9 satellite recorded infrared images of the Earth every day at the same local time. The video started at the September 2010 equinox with the terminator line being vertical: an equinox. As the Earth revolved around the Sun, the terminator was seen to tilt in a way that provides less daily sunlight to the northern hemisphere, causing winter in the north. At the most tilt, winter solstice occurred in the north, and summer solstice in the south. As the year progressed, the March 2011 equinox arrived halfway through the video, followed by the terminator tilting the other way, causing winter in the southern hemisphere -- and summer in the north. The captured year ends again with the September equinox, concluding another of the billions of trips the Earth has taken -- and will take
    -- around the Sun.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminat
    youtube.com/watch?v=LUW51lvIFjg
    spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosynch
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteosat
    science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infrar
    time.gov/
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/ca
    science.nasa.gov/earth/
    spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/
    science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/wh
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice
    defcon.social/@grobi/115754395
    universetoday.com/articles/why
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220321.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251221.ht

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #solistice #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  24. 19.12.14 at 02.00 PM Peaio’s Bicycle Path (Belluno, Italy).
    The Sun was already behind the mountain.
    Close to the winter solstice.
    They looks like the lines of a car park. They actually are composed of the ice on the road after a short passing of the Sun (less than a hour), leaving the fence’s shadows printed on the ground.
    Surprising natural geometries!

    On February 2015 we found the opposite situation, white and black: the shadow and the snow.

    Music: "Peppino Impastato" composed and performed by Paolo Battaglia.
    Maker: Marcella Giulia Pace

    greenflash.photo/portfolio/tat

    #space #astronomy #science #physics #astrophotography #photography #nature #solistice #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  25. 2025 December 20

    A Solstice Sun Tattoo
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Pace
    twanight.org/profile/marcella-
    greenflash.photo/
    ragusah24.it/2025/09/12/un-alt

    Explanation:
    The word solstice is from the Latin for Sun and to pause or stand still. And in the days surrounding a solstice the Sun's annual north-south drift in planet Earth's sky does slow down, pause, and then reverse direction. So near the solstice the daily path of the Sun through the sky really doesn't change much. In fact, near the December solstice, the Sun's consistent, low arc through northern hemisphere skies, along with low surface temperatures, has left a noticeable imprint on this road to the mountain town of Peaio in northern Italy. The morning frost on the road has melted away only where the sunlight was able to reach the ground. But it remains in the areas persistently shadowed by the fence, tattooing in frost an image of the fence on the asphalt surface.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25122
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250102.ht
    earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110423.ht
    greenflash.photo/portfolio/tat

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25122

    #space #astronomy #science #astrophotography #photography #nature #solistice #NASA #apod #space_related #space_culture_Club

  26. 2025 November 29

    Moon Games
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer
    giorgiahoferphotography.com/

    Explanation:
    This is not a screen from a video game. Nestled below the tree-line, the small mountain church does look like it might be hiding from Moon though. In the well-composed telephoto snapshot, taken on November 23, the church walls are partly reflecting light from terrestrial flood lights. Of course, the Moon is reflecting light from the Sun. At any given time the Sun illuminates fully half of the Moon's surface, also known as the lunar dayside, but on that night only a sliver of its sunlit surface was visible. About three days after New Moon, the Moon was in a waxing crescent phase. The single exposure was captured shortly after sunset in skies near Danta di Cadore, northern Italy, planet Earth.
    giorgiahoferphotography.com/mo
    moon.nasa.gov/moon-observation
    science.nasa.gov/moon/moon-pha

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/ap25112

    #space #moon #apod #NASA #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

  27. "A farewell to Mister Eclipse .."

    Dr Fred Espenak (1953–2025)

    by Jay Anderson
    skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-

    The renowned eclipse chaser and popularizer passed away in Arizona after a life of adventure.

    Fred Espenak, who laid the foundation for modern-day eclipse chasing, died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on June 1st. He announced his diagnosis and his impending passing on April 15th on social media and on the Solar Eclipse Message List (SEML) forum as he prepared to enter hospice care, sparking an outpouring of sorrow, sympathy, good wishes, and thank-you’s for his life’s work.

    Fred’s fascination with the lunar shadow began with an off-the-track partial eclipse in 1963 and was cemented several years later by the total solar eclipse that traveled along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard in 1970. Upon his death 55 years later, he had witnessed 52 solar eclipses of various types, of which 31 were total. He had also helped countless others prepare for and experience the wonder of totality, thanks to his dedication to outreach.

    There were many stories along the way, but he was fond of telling of his most rewarding eclipse-chasing experience — a trip to India in 1995 to catch 41 seconds of totality, during which he noticed a high-school chemistry teacher watching her first eclipse. “Nice hair,” he thought. Several eclipses and a decade later, he and Patricia Totten, the lady with the hair, were married. It was a particularly fond pairing, as visitors to his Arizona home could attest.

    FYI:
    mreclipse.com/
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Esp
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250612.ht

    #farewell #space #NASA #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #tech #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

  28. 2025 September 6

    Sardinia Sunset
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Busilacchi

    Explanation:
    When the sun sets on September 7, the Full Moon will rise. And on that date denizens around much of our fair planet, including parts of Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Europe, and Africa can witness a total lunar eclipse, with the Moon completely immersed in Earth's shadow. As the bright Full Moon first enters Earth's shadow it will darken, finally taking on a reddish hue during the total eclipse phase. In fact, the color of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse is due to reddened light from sunrises and sunsets around planet Earth. The reddened sunlight is scattered by a dense atmosphere into the planet's otherwise dark central shadow. When the sun set on August 22, this telephoto snapshot of red skies, blue sea, and the Mangiabarche Lighthouse was captured from Sant'Antioco, Sardinia, Italy.
    earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250906.ht

    #space_related #astroart #art #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

  29. 2013 May 13

    Partial Solar Eclipse with Airplane
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Phillip Calais

    Explanation:
    It was just eight minutes after sunrise, last week, and already there were four things in front of the Sun. The largest and most notable was Earth's Moon, obscuring a big chunk of the Sun's lower limb as it moved across the solar disk, as viewed from Fremantle, Australia. This was expected as the image was taken during a partial solar eclipse -- an eclipse that left sunlight streaming around all sides of the Moon from some locations. Next, a band of clouds divided the Sun horizontally while showing interesting internal structure vertically. The third intervening body might be considered to be the Earth's atmosphere, as it dimmed the Sun from its higher altitude brightness while density fluctuations caused the Sun's edges to appear to shimmer. Although closest to the photographer, the least expected solar occulter was an airplane. Quite possibly, passengers on both sides of that airplane were contemplating the unusual view only visible out the eastern-facing windows.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130513.ht

    #space_related #astroart #art #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

  30. 2023 October 8

    Plane, Clouds, Moon, Spots, Sun
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Doyle and Shannon Slifer

    Explanation:
    What's that in front of the Sun? The closest object is an airplane, visible just below the Sun's center and caught purely by chance. Next out are numerous clouds in Earth's atmosphere, creating a series of darkened horizontal streaks. Farther out is Earth's Moon, seen as the large dark circular bite on the upper right. Just above the airplane and just below the Sun's surface are sunspots. The main sunspot group captured here, AR 2192, was in 2014 one of the largest ever recorded and had been crackling and bursting with flares since it came around the edge of the Sun a week before. This show of solar silhouettes was unfortunately short-lived. Within a few seconds the plane flew away. Within a few minutes the clouds drifted off. Within a few hours the partial solar eclipse of the Sun by the Moon was over. Fortunately, when it comes to the Sun, even unexpected alignments are surprisingly frequent. Perhaps one will be imaged this Saturday when a new partial solar eclipse will be visible from much of North and South America.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231008.ht

    #space_related #astroart #art #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

  31. "Before going to bed, we dedicate ourselves once again to the works of Judy W. Ross. Because in an anniversary year, all those involved and supporters should receive the recognition they deserve."

    2003 October 17

    Astronomy Quilt of the Week
    * Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross, Point Roberts, WA

    Explanation:
    Demonstrating her mastery of a traditional astronomical imaging technique quilter and astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has produced this spectacular composition of "Astronomy Quilt Piece of the Week". Her year-long effort resulted in an arrangement for a six by seven foot quilt consisting of 52 individual pieces (11 inches by 8 inches), one for each week, which she reports were inspired by her steady diet of APOD's daily offerings. Some of the pieces are based on actual pictures, such as the Hubble Space Telescope's view of planet forming AB Aurigae or Bill Keel's image of the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy. Others, with titles like the Blue Carpet Nebula and Duck Contemplates Black Hole, are from her own creative imaginings.

    #space #NASA #astrophotography #apod #aniversary #photography #art #astroart #quilting #quilt #craft #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

  32. "How about a little manual work for a change to really come down from the stress of the day? Let's be inspired by the quilting of Judy W. Ross and make ourselves comfortable with a cup of tea."

    2004 November 25

    What the Hubble Saw
    * Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross, Point Roberts, WA

    Explanation:
    In this striking 41 inch by 38 inch quilt, astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has interpreted some of the Hubble Space Telescope's best galactic and extragalactic vistas. Featured in past APODs, clockwise from the lower right are; the Red Rectangle Nebula, NGC 2392, the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy, V838 Monocerotis - the Milky Way's most mysterious star, and supernova remnant N49 - the cosmic debris from an exploded star. Of course, quilts have been used historically to represent astronomical concepts. And while inspired by the images of the cosmos that she incorporates into her quilts, Ross reports that she is still a little daunted by the intricacies of the Cat's Eye Nebula revealed by the Hubble's sharp vision.
    quiltindex.org/

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041125.ht

    #space #NASA #astrophotography #photography #art #astroart #quilting #quilt #craft #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

  33. 2015 December 24

    Star Colors and Pinyon Pine
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Stan Honda
    stanhonda.com/

    Explanation:
    Beautiful, luminous decorations on this pinyon pine tree are actually bright stars in the constellation Scorpius and the faint glow of the central Milky Way. Captured in June from the north rim of the Grand Canyon of planet Earth, the shallow, close focus image has rendered pine needles on the tree branch sharp, but blurred the distant stars, their light smeared into remarkably colorful disks. Of course, temperature determines the color of a star. Most of the out-of-focus bright stars of Scorpius show a predominately blue hue, their surface temperatures much hotter than the Sun's. Cooler and larger than the Sun, and noticably redder on the scene, is giant star Antares at the heart of the scorpion. In focused, telescopic views the whitish disk at the upper right would be immediately recognizable though, reflecting the Sun's light as ringed gas giant Saturn.
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110211.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151224.ht

    #Space_Culture_Club #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature

  34. @futurebird

    "Thank you for accompanying me through space and time!
    We are 100 now .. ok with me 101 that's worth a little celebration, isn't it? "

    Comet Between Fireworks and Lightning
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Antti Kemppainen

    Explanation:
    Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. In January 2007, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen through clouds, was the most unusual sight of all: Comet McNaught. The photogenic comet was so bright that it even remained visible though the din of Earthly flashes. Comet McNaught has now returned to the outer Solar System and is now only visible with a large telescope. The featured image is actually a three photograph panorama digitally processed to reduce red reflections from the exploding firework.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131110.ht

    #Space_Culture_Club #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #philosophy #culture #literature

  35. 2020 April 5

    Color the Universe! 🎨
    * Image Credit: Unknown

    Explanation:
    Wouldn't it be fun to color in the universe? If you think so, please accept this famous astronomical illustration as a preliminary substitute. You, your friends, your parents or children, can print it out or even color it digitally. While coloring, you might be interested to know that even though this illustration has appeared in numerous places over the past 100 years, the actual artist remains unknown. Furthermore, the work has no accepted name -- can you think of a good one? The illustration, first appearing in a book by Camille Flammarion in 1888, is used frequently to show that humanity's present concepts are susceptible to being supplanted by greater truths.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammari
    historyofinformation.com/detai
    youtube.com/watch?v=6zp60ODhbb
    gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6
    books.google.com/books?id=ScDV
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.ht

    thecolor.com/Category/Coloring
    huffpost.com/entry/coloring-fo

    For Your Contribution:
    asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200405.ht

    #Space_Culture_Club #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #philosophy #culture #literature

  36. Eclipses in mythology and culture

    from Contributors to Wikimedia projects

    Eclipses of the Sun and of the Moon have been described by nearly every culture. In cultures without an astronomical explanation, eclipses were often attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens.
    ---
    Religious and cultural practices

    While solar and lunar eclipses are today understood astronomically as one celestial body shadowing another, their appearance from Earth does not intuitively belie a similar cause for each.
    Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak, and Ken Willcox classified solar eclipse mythologies into four distinct genres:

    + A celestial being (usually a monster) attempts to destroy the Sun.
    + The Sun fights with its lover the Moon.
    + The Sun and Moon make love and discreetly hide themselves in darkness.
    + The Sun god grows angry, sad, sick, or neglectful.
    ---
    Abrahamic religions

    In the Talmud, solar eclipses are described as ill omens and several events in the Hebrew Bible are said to have occurred during eclipses. Judaism at large has been accepting of the modern astronomical explanation of eclipses and today many rabbis consider eclipses to be reminders of divinity and a time for prayer and introspection.
    ___
    The periodicity of lunar eclipses been deduced by Neo-Babylonian astronomers in the sixth century BCE and the periodicity of solar eclipses was deduced in first century BCE by Greek astronomers, who developed the Antikythera mechanism and had understood the Sun, Moon, and Earth to be spherical celestial bodies since Aristotle. The astronomical understanding of eclipses was thus well understood in the Ancient Near East in which Christianity developed.
    ___
    The New Testament describes the sky as darkening for hours during the crucifixion of Jesus. As the event's lengthy duration and occurrence on the day of a ...
    Read more
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipses

    #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #philosophy #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club

  37. 2020 June 15

    A Ring of Fire Sunrise Solar Eclipse
    * Video Credit: Colin Legg & Geoff Sims
    facebook.com/ColinLeggPhotogra
    facebook.com/BeyondBeneath;
    * Music: Peter Nanasi
    peternanasi.com/about

    Explanation:
    What's rising above the horizon behind those clouds? It's the Sun. Most sunrises don't look like this, though, because most sunrises don't include the Moon. In the early morning of 2013 May 10, however, from Western Australia, the Moon was between the Earth and the rising Sun. At times, it would be hard for the uninformed to understand what was happening. In an annular eclipse, the Moon is too far from the Earth to block the entire Sun, and at most leaves a ring of fire where sunlight pours out around every edge of the Moon. The featured time-lapse video also recorded the eclipse through the high refraction of the Earth's atmosphere just above the horizon, making the unusual rising Sun and Moon appear also flattened. As the video continues on, the Sun continues to rise, and the Sun and Moon begin to separate. This weekend, a new annular solar eclipse will occur, visible from central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and a narrow band across Asia, with much of Earth's Eastern hemisphere being able to see a partial solar eclipse.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200615.ht

    #space_related #earth #sun #moon #eclipse #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #Space_Culture_Club

  38. "Welcome back to the
    Space Culture Club
    (Feel free to contribute)
    defcon.social/@grobi/114663418 "

    2023 September 17

    Moon Mountains Magnified during Ring of Fire Eclipse
    * Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night)
    luckwlt.com/About%20Me.html

    Explanation:
    What are those dark streaks in this composite image of a solar eclipse? They are reversed shadows of mountains at the edge of the Moon. The center image, captured from Xiamen, China, has the Moon's center directly in front of the Sun's center. The Moon, though, was too far from the Earth to completely block the entire Sun. Light that streamed around the edges of the Moon is called a ring of fire. Images at each end of the sequence show sunlight that streamed through lunar valleys. As the Moon moved further in front of the Sun, left to right, only the higher peaks on the Moon's perimeter could block sunlight. Therefore, thehttps://defcon.social/@grobi/114663418339078163 dark streaks are projected, distorted, reversed, and magnified shadows of mountains at the Moon's edge. Bright areas are called Baily's Beads. Only people in a narrow swath across Earth's Eastern Hemisphere were able to view this full annular solar eclipse in 2020. Next month, though, a narrow swath crossing both North and South America will be exposed to the next annular solar eclipse. And next April, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230917.ht

    #space_related #earth #sun #moon #eclipse #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #Space_Culture_Club

  39. 2025 July 1
    A fisheye image of the sky is shown on the left with the landscape-foreground surrounding it. The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs down the center. At first glance the sky looks like oddly like an eye of a dragon.

    Eye Sky a Dragon
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Anton Komlev
    instagram.com/komlev.av/

    Explanation:
    What do you see when you look into this sky? In the center, in the dark, do you see a night sky filled with stars? Do you see a sunset to the left? Clouds all around? Do you see the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy running down the middle? Do you see the ruins of an abandoned outpost on a hill? (The outpost is on Askold Island, Russia.) Do you see a photographer with a headlamp contemplating surreal surroundings? (The featured image is a panorama of 38 images taken last month and compiled into a Little Planet projection.) Do you see a rugged path lined with steps? Or do you see the eye of a dragon?
    instagram.com/p/B1r5mYWIi9k/

    Location:
    youtube.com/watch?v=MBRMXR8y9N
    rbth.com/arts/travel/2013/09/2
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia

    DIY:
    photographymad.com/pages/view/

    For Your Desktop:
    getwallpapers.com/collection/d

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250701.ht

    #space_related #milkyway #astrophotography #astroart #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA #Space_Culture_Club

  40. "Ahem, yes.. and no this is not First Mate Piggy's spacesuit and not Michael Jackson's costume for one of his most famous stage performances, even if this sculpture was called "Mooooonwalk", but read on for yourself..."

    Suiting Up for the Moon
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Tech. U.)
    mtu.edu/physics/
    mtu.edu/physics/department/fac

    Explanation:
    How will cows survive on the Moon? One of the most vexing questions asked about space, scientists have spent decades debating this key issue. Finally, after extensive computer modeling and over a dozen midnight milkings, engineers have designed, built, and now tested the new Lunar Grazing Module (LGM), a multi-purpose celestial bovine containment system. By now, many of you will not be surprised to be wished a Happy April Fool's Day from APOD. To the best of our knowledge, there are no current plans to launch cows into space. For one reason, cows tend to be large animals that don't launch easily or cheaply. As friendly as cows may be, head-to-head comparisons show that robotic rovers are usually more effective as scientific explorers. The featured image is of a thought-provoking work of art named "Mooooonwalk" which really is on display at a popular science museum.

    + Tech
    ominous-valve.com/images/1954_
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140627.ht

    + Science
    science.nasa.gov/planetary-sci

    + Music
    youtube.com/watch?v=lXKDu6cdXL

    + Culture
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fo

    + Nature
    wikihow.com/Milk-a-Cow

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150401.ht

    #space_related #space #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #biology #culture #physics #Space_Culture_Club #tech

  41. 2021 July 10

    Mercury and the Da Vinci Glow
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Funes

    Explanation:
    On July 8th early morning risers saw Mercury near an old Moon low on the eastern horizon. On that date bright planet, faint glow of lunar night side, and sunlit crescent were captured in this predawn skyscape from Tenerife's Teide National Park in the Canary Islands. Never far from the Sun in planet Earth's sky, the fleeting inner planet shines near its brightest in the morning twilight scene. Mercury lies just below the zeta star of the constellation Taurus, Zeta Tauri, near the tip of the celestial bull's horn. Of course the Moon's ashen glow is earthshine, earthlight reflected from the Moon's night side. A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Waiting for the coming dawn in the foreground are the Teide Observatory's sentinels of the Sun, also known as (large domes left to right) the THEMIS, VTT, and GREGOR solar telescopes.
    earthsky.org/astronomy-essenti
    earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD
    science.nasa.gov/mercury/

    science.nasa.gov/science-news/

    iac.es/en/observatorios-de-can

    #space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #biology #Space_Culture_Club

  42. 2024 September 14

    The Moona Lisa
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Sarcone and Marcella Giulia Pace
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_A

    Explanation:
    Only natural colors of the Moon in planet Earth's sky appear in this creative visual presentation. Arranged as pixels in a framed image, the lunar disks were photographed at different times. Their varying hues are ultimately due to reflected sunlight affected by changing atmospheric conditions and the alignment geometry of Moon, Earth, and Sun. Here, the darkest lunar disks are the colors of earthshine. A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. But stand farther back from your screen or just shift your gaze to the smaller versions of the image. You might also see one of da Vinci's most famous works of art.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_A

    artsandculture.google.com/asse

    svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5187/

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240914.ht

    #space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #literature #Space_Culture_Club

  43. 2019 October 23

    Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
    * Painting Credit: Vincent van Gogh;
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_
    * Digital Rendering: MoMA, Google Arts & Culture, via Wikipedia
    moma.org/collection/works/7980

    Explanation:
    The painting Starry Night is one of the most famous icons of the night sky ever created. The scene was painted by Vincent van Gogh in southern France in 1889. The swirling style of Starry Night appears, to many, to make the night sky come alive. Although van Gogh frequently portrayed real settings in his paintings, art historians do not agree on precisely what stars and planets are being depicted in Starry Night. The style of Starry Night is post-impressionism, a popular painting style at the end of the nineteenth century. The original Starry Night painting hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York, USA. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star

    !>> sketchfab.com/3d-models/the-st
    ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh
    vangoghletters.org/vg/
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starry_N
    andreaplanet.com/mosaic/starry
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Imp

    moma.org/

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191023.ht

    #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #culture #Space_Culture_Club

  44. 2018 March 19

    The Nebra Sky Disk
    * Image Credit: Dbachmann, Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_tal
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil

    Explanation:
    Some consider it the oldest known illustration of the night sky. But what, exactly, does it depict, and why was it made? The Nebra sky disk was found with a metal detector in 1999 by treasure hunters near Nebra, Germany, in the midst of several bronze-age weapons. The ancient artifact spans about 30 centimeters and has been associated with the Unetice culture that inhabited part of Europe around 1600 BC. Reconstructed, the dots are thought to represent stars, with the cluster representing the Pleiades, and the large circle and the crescent representing the Sun and Moon. The purpose of the disk remains unknown -- hypotheses including an astronomical clock, a work of art, and a religious symbol. Valued at about $11 million, some believe that the Nebra sky disk is only one of a pair, with the other disk still out there waiting to be discovered.

    + #History & Culture
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sk
    worldhistory.org/article/235/t
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_(U
    science.org/content/article/sl
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9An%
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600s_BC
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_A

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171107.ht

    + Constellation
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171114.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160919.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180318.ht

    #space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #philosophy #biology #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club

  45. 2021 January 12

    A Historic Brazilian Constellation
    * Image Credit & Copyright: Rodrigo Guerra
    instagram.com/rodrigoguerra13/

    Explanation:
    The night sky is filled with stories. Cultures throughout history have projected some of their most enduring legends onto the stars above. Generations of people see these stellar constellations, hear the associated stories, and pass them down. Featured here is the perhaps unfamiliar constellation of the Old Man, long recognized by the Tupi peoples native to regions of South America now known as Brazil. The Old Man, in more modern vernacular, may be composed of the Hyades star cluster as his head and the belt of Orion as part of one leg. Tupi folklore relates that the other leg was cut off by his unhappy wife, causing it to end at the orange star now known as Betelgeuse. The Pleiades star cluster, on the far left, can be interpreted as a head feather. In the featured image, the hobbled Old Man is mirrored by a person posing in the foreground. Folklore of the night sky is important for many reasons, including that it records cultural heritage and documents the universality of human intelligence and imagination.

    + Culture
    jstor.org/stable/43392390
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupi_peo

    + Constellation
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191206.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161204.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200101.ht
    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190901.ht

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210112.ht

    #space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #philosophy #biology #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club

  46. TOPIC>
    Space Culture Club
    (Feel free to contribute, rather as a reply than using the hashtag)

    "Welcome to Space's Culture Club! Make yourself comfortable and treat yourself to a good cup of tea in a pleasant atmosphere. We deal with space-related topics in terms of cultures, history, philosophy, art, literature and more in friendly company whether member or not!"

    Human as Spaceship
    * Space Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, and J. Maiz- Apellániz (IAA);
    iaa.es/
    spacetelescope.org/
    esa.int/
    nasa.gov/
    * Acknowledgement: D. De Martin;
    * Human Image Copyright: Charis Tsevis;
    tsevis.com/
    * Composition: R. J. Nemiroff
    mtu.edu/physics/department/fac

    Explanation:
    You are a spaceship soaring through the universe. So is your dog. We all carry with us trillions of microorganisms as we go through life. These multitudes of bacteria, fungi, and archaea have different DNA than you. Collectively called your microbiome, your shipmates outnumber your own cells. Your crew members form communities, help digest food, engage in battles against intruders, and sometimes commute on a liquid superhighway from one end of your body to the other. Much of what your microbiome does, however, remains unknown. You are the captain, but being nice to your crew may allow you to explore more of your local cosmos.

    apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190818.ht

    #space_related #astrophotography #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #NASA #philosophy #biology #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club