New comet discovered that is already an easy object in amateur telescopes, and should brighten for the next 3 - 4 weeks. Get your binoculars and cameras ready.
C/2025 F2 (SWAN)
Currently in the morning sky and will transition to the evening sky in late April. (See screenshots for more info and finder charts.)
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/new-comet-swan-now-visible-in-small-scopes/
The Eyes Galaxies (Arp 120) are a pair of interacting galaxies located in the constellation Virgo, approximately 52 million light-years away. They reach their annual culmination at astronomical midnight and are best observed during spring in the northern hemisphere.
Detailed Information: https://astrocamp.eu/arp120
▼ Baader Apo 95 Travel Companion | SkyEye62AM '25
NEW #Astrophoto: Messier 64 - Black Eye Galaxy
#Galaxy Messier 64 in March 2025 – captured with a focal length of 1800mm using the Vixen VC200L and two different cameras.
Full story: https://astrocamp.eu/af1c2
▼ Vixen VC200L | EOS R(a), SkyEye62AM '25
#JamesWebb #Space #Telescope (#JWST) Reveals That Most #Galaxies Rotate Clockwise
This preferred direction of spin might be due to one of two reasons: either our entire universe exists in a #blackhole, or #astronomers have been measuring the universe’s expansion incorrectly https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/james-webb-space-telescope-reveals-that-most-galaxies-rotate-clockwise-180986224/
My Vaonis #Vespera II smart #telescope is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever bought! These are four of the best images I’ve captured over the past two months.
#astronomy #astrophotography
Names of Craters on Phobos, discovered in 1877. You may recognize some of them? #Swift #TeamEnglish #literature #satire #astronomy #science #telescope #scifi #moon #JonathanSwift #18thcentury #19thcentury #cartography #lunar
NEW #Astrophoto: Jupiter
#Jupiter time! It was the perfect opportunity to attach my planetary camera to the telescope in Tower 1 at Hoher List.
Full story: https://astrocamp.eu/en/jupiter-march-19-2025/
▼ Ritchey-Chrétien | QHY 5III-462C
One of the real trouble jobs in #astronomy is collimating a reflector telescope. In particular, Maksutov-Cassegrains, like the ETX90, are tricky.
Fortunately, Escher over Cloudy Nights has posted a really useful guide.
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/391392-dont-mess-with-etx-collimation/
The Hamburger Galaxy, also known as NGC 3628, is an unbarred spiral galaxy located approximately 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo that reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed in early March.
Detailed Information: https://astrocamp.eu/ngc3628
▼ Vixen VC200L | EOS R(a) '25
Tiny telescope time! My normal "travel" scope is waiting for parts for a repair, so in the meantime I've modified my unused Meade 8x50mm finder scope into a tiny 50mm f/4 refractor! I'm about to head out west to the Rocky Mountains and this little scope should be a lot of fun!
A European space telescope launched to explore the dark universe has released a trove of new data on distant galaxies. @AssociatedPress :
https://apnews.com/article/euclid-space-telescope-dark-energy-731a1c70f3603418e6c07a1012258adb
Messier 97, also known as the #OwlNebula, is a planetary nebula located approximately 2,030 light-years away in the constellation #UrsaMajor that reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed around March 8th.
Detailed Information: https://astrocamp.eu/m97
▼ Vixen VC200L | SkyEye62AM '25
#JWST at it again -- these images of the Flame Nebula are lovely & sort of soothing (or is that just me??)
This nebula is located in the Orion Cloud Complex. You can learn more about the #astronomy of the #constellation #orion in our episode from last season here: https://starrytimepodcast.podbean.com/e/orion-cosmic-background/
No, that’s not a cosmic cone of shame—it’s #NASA’s newest #space #telescope
As soon as next month #SPHEREx will begin a two-year science mission surveying the sky in 102 colors invisible to the human eye. The observatory's infrared detectors will collect data on the chemical composition of asteroids, hazy star-forming clouds, and faraway galaxies.
"SPHEREx is going to produce an enormous three-dimensional map of the entire night sky."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/03/no-thats-not-a-cosmic-cone-of-shame-its-nasas-newest-space-telescope/
APOD from 2025-03-14
#Moon Pi and Mountain Shadow
A Full Moon occurs at 3.14 radians from the Sun, or Pi radians (180 degrees) in ecliptic longitude. On March 9, 2020, a full Moon rose as the Sun set, captured from Tenerife opposite the setting Sun and Teide's shadow. On March 14, 2025, at 06:55 UTC, it aligns again during a total #lunar #eclipse.
HD image at https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250314.html#space #astronomy #planet #earth #volcano #telescope
#Euclid #telescope captures #EinsteinRing revealing warping of #space, showing light from a distant #galaxy bent into a perfect circle by the gravity of another galaxy sitting between Earth and the source, #ESA said.
Phenomenon, spotted around galaxy #NGC6505 some 590M light-years from Earth, reveals the warping of space predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity. The background galaxy, located 4.42B light-years away, appears as a complete ring of light around NGC 6505.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/10/euclid-telescope-captures-einstein-ring-revealing-warping-of-space
The #Sun's surface. The #sunspot here is Active Region 4018 as seen yesterday through my #telescope. The granular texture is from the strong convective motion of the #solar #plasma, very much like the convective patterns we see in a pot of boiling water. #astrophotography
