Cassini closed out its 2005 itinerary with another Titan fly-by on December 26th, marking its ninth close encounter with Saturn’s largest and most enigmatic moon. The latest image released from this most recent rendezvous has just been posted, here. Meanwhile, the below image was just published today on NASA’s Planetary Photojournal. Clicking the image will […]

Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT)

Image Credit: NASA, NOAO, NSF, T. Rector
(University of Alaska Anchorage),
Z. Levay and L.Frattare
(Space Telescope Science Institute)
The folks over at Space.com have added a spiffy new feature on comets as part of their Universal Sky Tour.
Check out the presentation:
Comets: Marvelous Messengers/Deliverers of Dread.

Leave it to the Cassini team to release another awe-inspiring image of Saturn after I’d already posted my favorites of 2005. Consider this an addendum to that list.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Few sights in the solar system are more strikingly beautiful than softly hued Saturn embraced by the shadows of its stately rings.
The gas planet’s […]

The more time I spend observing the Moon, the more fascinated I become with lunar geology and surface features. For being a rather barren place it sure has a great deal to offer. Here’s a recent series of afocal photos taken with a Canon 20D and powered by my venerable 10″ dobsonian. .

Langrenus, […]

The Hubble Space Telescope continues to impress, delivering yet another year of breathtaking imagery. With 2005 being nearly history I thought I’d share my favorites.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA);
Full press release
The Hubble Space Telescope’s latest image of the star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) reveals dramatic changes in the illumination […]

Hot off the presses:

Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Showalter (SETI Institute)
To the surprise of astronomers, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a pair of new rings around the distant planet Uranus. The largest is twice the diameter of the planet’s previously known rings. The new rings are so far away that they are being […]

We are stardust, we are golden
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden
– Crosby, Stills & Nash

Image credit: NASA
After a rendezvous with comet Wild 2 (pronounced “Vilt”) in January of 2004, Stardust’s cometary sample return is presently speeding back home to the garden for a highly anticipated arrival January 15th. I find this […]