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SOHO’s unblinking eye
The sun is hidden behind a mask in SOHO's coronagraph in this photo taken today at 12:30 p.m. The rays around the disk are the sun's corona or atmosphere. The line through Mercury is an electronic...
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Depth and perception in the solar system
Saturn, Spica and the moon late tonight in the southeastern sky. Created with Stellarium Tonight the moon rises around 10:45 p.m. in the southeast, but if you wait until 11:30 or so, you’ll get to see...
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The joy of seeing
A fast-moving, coronal mass ejection (CME) explosively leaves the sun Monday afternoon. Part of the material shot out is headed toward Earth and may cause auroras tonight and Thursday night. Credit:...
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A starry night with friends, “E” Day for Comet Elenin looms
The "Jellyfish" created with red flashlight and green lasers on an old grain silo. Photo: Bob King I truly need to catch up on sleep. I’ve been up until 2 or later the past couple nights. For good...
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Brilliant sundiving comet headed for oblivion
A newly discovered comet is on a collision course with the sun today. Compare its dramatic surge in brightness in just hours. As it approaches the sun, heat vaporizes the comet's ice releasing vast...
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Jupiter’s disappearing act plus exciting news from Vesta
Jupiter approaches conjunction with the sun in this photo taken by the SOHO's C2 coronagraph this morning. A coronagraph uses a disk to block direct sunlight. Credit: NASA/ESA Back in the day before...
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Sunspot group 1598 unleashes powerful flare
Big sunspot group 1598 in white light (left) this morning Oct. 23 and in ultraviolet light last night during the big X-class flare. Photos taken by the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory. Credit: NASA...
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Planetary perspectives inspire appreciation for the little things
Venus is the bright “star” seen among Saturn’s rings in the photo taken by Cassini late last year. The bright arc is Saturn’s atmosphere glowing in backlit sunlight. Light reflected from the rings...
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Concealed planets exposed plus it’s spring break on Mars
The sun and its pack of planets photographed earlier today by the coronagraph aboard the SOHO observatory. The sun (white circle) is blocked by an opaque disk so astronomers can study the streaky solar...
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Astronomers plan to track Comet ISON’s every move
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) photographed on May 2 by Kris Rochowicz, Nick Howes and Ernesto Guido C/2012 S1 ISON, which may become one of the brightest comets in recent years, remains hidden in the glare of...
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Bubble, bubble toil and trouble: Mini sungrazing comet gets zapped today
Kamikaze comet careens toward the sun early this morning. Photo from SOHO. Click to see video. Credit: NASA/ESA Here’s something fun. Just as we’re wondering and debating whether Comet ISON will hold...
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Comet ISON fades a smidge, but sit tight, the fun’s about to begin
Comet ISON still looked wonderful in the camera on Nov. 17 when this photo was made. It’s proving a little tougher to see visually because of low altitude, dawn light and moonlight. Credit: Gerald...
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Comet ISON update Nov. 27 – In the home stretch
Comet ISON this morning heads for the head of the constellation Scorpius as seen in this photo taken by the Solar Heliospheric Observatory. The sun, hidden by a mask, is represented by the white...
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Comet ISON on Thanksgiving Day – Will we see it?
Comet ISON this morning at 9:22 a.m. CST as photographed by SOHO. In some of SOHO’s recent photo, the over-saturation spikes from blooming are missing from the comet’s head. This would indicate a drop...
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Comet ISON update Nov. 28 – End may be near
A fading Comet ISON arcs around the sun in this SOHO C2 coronagraph picture taken at 11:40 a.m. CST. Compare this picture to the one below. Credit: NASA/ESA The end may be near for Comet ISON. The...
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Comet ISON battered but staggers on
Not dead yet! A line from one of my favorite Monty Python tunes. And it might be aptly applied to Comet ISON this evening. Its curved tail is quite beautiful to see in this SOHO image and a small,...
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Comet ISON update Nov. 29 – Still kicking!
Comet ISON early this morning Friday Nov. 29. Clearly, the comet has some life left. It’s both brighter and broader than yesterday evening. Credit: NASA/ESA ISON refuses to die. Maybe it’s perspective...
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Comet ISON observing guide for post-perihelion optimists
No one knows yet if Comet ISON will survive to become visible in the dawn sky in December. Assuming the best case, here’s a map to help you find the comet as it treks through Ophiuchus, Serpens and...
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Chance for auroras tonight June 21-22 / Comet Jacques approaches the sun
A large cloud of hydrogen gas called a filament erupts from the sun on June 19, 2014. We normally see these fiery gas clouds along the sun’s limb as pink flames. Here it shows in silhouette. Welcome...
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Come fly with me to Mercury
MESSENGER flies over Mercury. The spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral on August 3, 2004. To commemorate this week’s 10th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft to Mercury,...
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