Category: Space and Astronomy

  • Al-Khujandi’s Astrolabe: A Masterpiece of Islamic Astronomy

    Al-Khujandi’s Astrolabe: A Masterpiece of Islamic Astronomy

    <!––><!– –><!– <!––><!– –><!––> The University of Sharjah hosted an astrolabe workshop in which western scientists showed participants how an astronomical instrument made by an ancient Muslim scholar nearly 1,000 years ago measured the altitude of the sun throughout the twelve zodiacal signs and told local time through the position of the sun in the…

  • Edwin Hubble | Biography, Discoveries, Education, & Facts

    Edwin Hubble | Biography, Discoveries, Education, & Facts

    Edwin Hubble (born November 20, 1889, Marshfield, Missouri, U.S.—died September 28, 1953, San Marino, California) was an American astronomer who played a crucial role in establishing the field of extragalactic astronomy and is generally regarded as the leading observational cosmologist of the 20th century. Hubble was the son of John Powell Hubble, a businessman who…

  • Astronomers spot an enormous explosion from the 1st black hole ever photographed

    Astronomers spot an enormous explosion from the 1st black hole ever photographed

    The first black hole ever photographed is still surprising researchers. Immortalized by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019, M87* , was recently spotted emitting a massive gamma-ray flare. Studying it may help scientists figure out how particles behave near black holes. Matter falling toward a black hole forms an accretion disk — a hot, swirling…

  • Sun | Definition, Composition, Properties, Temperature, & Facts

    Sun | Definition, Composition, Properties, Temperature, & Facts

    Sun, star around which Earth and the other components of the solar system revolve. It is the dominant body of the system, constituting more than 99 percent of its entire mass. The Sun is the source of an enormous amount of energy, a portion of which provides Earth with the light and heat necessary to…

  • Space and astronomy highlights in 2025

    Space and astronomy highlights in 2025

    23 March – Saturn’s rings “disappear” Saturn gained the nickname “the jewel of the Solar System” thanks to its magnificent system of rings. On 23 March, however, the iconic rings are set to disappear. This is due to the Earth’s orbit crossing the plane of the rings, a rare event that occurs about once every…

  • Astronomers say they found a tunnel connecting our solar system to other stars

    Astronomers say they found a tunnel connecting our solar system to other stars

    Astronomers have made a startling discovery. Using data from the eRosita X-ray instrument, researchers say they’ve discovered a “cosmic tunnel” that connects our solar system to other stars. Scientists have long known that our solar system exists in a Local Hot Bubble. This bubble is believed to have formed following several supernovas over the past…

  • Astronomers Finally Solve the Mystery of Strange Repeating Radio Bursts From Space

    Astronomers Finally Solve the Mystery of Strange Repeating Radio Bursts From Space

    This artist’s impression shows the strange object AR Scorpii. In this unique double star, a rapidly spinning white dwarf star (right) powers electrons up to almost the speed of light. These high-energy particles release blasts of radiation that lash the companion red dwarf star (left) and cause the entire system to pulse dramatically every 1.97…

  • Astronomers Discover Planets Building Each Other in Space

    Astronomers Discover Planets Building Each Other in Space

    Radio astronomy has revealed that early-formed planets within a protoplanetary disk can influence the creation of additional planets, acting like a cascade where each planet aids in forming the next. Credit: SciTechDaily.com New observations show that planets forming in protoplanetary disks like that around PDS 70 can trigger the formation of subsequent planets. This finding,…

  • A Solstice of the Soul

    A Solstice of the Soul

    For his next trick, your cosmic correspondent for the past quarter-century will (try to) retire. As the day shrinks into its annual darkness, here’s what I know about the cosmos — so far. For an instant of cosmic time you are the center of the universe, wondering where everybody is going and why, as trillions…

  • Calendar of All Astronomical Events 2025

    Calendar of All Astronomical Events 2025

    The year 2025 has plenty of spectacular astronomical events to see! We’ve gathered all of them in a complete 2025 astronomy calendar. Plan your best stargazing nights with the Sky Tonight app that has an astronomical calendar showing exact dates and times for every celestial show and also provides an interactive sky map that helps…