Phil Plait

SCIENCE!

#Astronomer, #scicomm, #author, etc.

Newsletter: https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/

Newsletter:: https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/

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Last Notes

2026-04-10 16:27:55 GMT

Did you know that NASA will be *flying* around on Saturn's ridiculously huge moon Titan… in less than TEN YEARS?
Yeah, Dragonfly is awesome.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-dragonfly-mission-will-send-a-nuclear-powered-flying-drone-to-titan/
I wrote this!

2026-02-13 15:03:37 GMT

Hey, if you want your mind absolutely crushed into dust today then read my article at Scientific American about how much energy is released when two supermassive black holes collide. To borrow from Douglas Adams, it's the best bang since the big one.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-energy-is-released-when-supermassive-black-holes-collide/

2026-01-19 15:56:38 GMT

The way things are going these days I can't blame anyone for going to a bar but geez one that's a light-year long and made of ionized iron?
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-dying-star-goes-to-an-iron-bar

2026-01-12 18:53:41 GMT

This has bugged me for years but I only just now finally got around to writing about it. I guess resistance is futile.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-you-weren-t-hit-by-50-000-volts

2026-01-05 15:37:28 GMT

I have some really cool pix from Mars in the newsletter today: the amazing HiRISE camera's *100,000th* image, and some crepuscular rays and iridescent clouds! It's like someone at mission control took all these shots just for me specifically.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/red-planet-special-hirise-s-100-000th-image-and-martian-crepuscular-rays

2025-12-18 16:13:55 GMT

When I woke up this morning one thing I noticed right away is that Earth wasn't violently torn to vaporous shreds by a supermassive black hole. So yeah, that's cool.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/today-our-planet-will-not-be-destroyed-probably

2025-12-11 15:51:55 GMT

Get ready for one of the very best meteor showers of the year! The Geminids are great and this year's show over the weekend should be excellent.
Also: a gorgeous star cluster with a dramatic swirl of stars.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/watch-the-geminids-and-a-cluster-s-stars-swirl-down-the-drain

2025-12-05 18:48:10 GMT

My "The Universe" column today in Scientific American is about an extremely weird effect where distant objects actually start to appear *bigger* instead of smaller with distance.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cosmic-magnification-is-one-of-the-universes-weirdest-optical-illusions/

2025-12-01 16:09:06 GMT

This is a staggering cool JWST image of one of the most terrifying star systems I have ever seen. Apep is a monster… *three* monsters, actually, and blasting out radiation and dust and junk at speeds to freeze the soul.
Read all about it!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-ridiculously-jaw-dropping-jwst-image-of-a-fantastically-terrifying-star-system

2025-11-18 15:50:51 GMT

Have you ever heard of Betty Webster? I hadn't until recently, and she co-discovered the first black hole ever found! Here's her story, to honor her memory and fantastic accomplishment.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-woman-who-discovered-the-first-black-hole

2025-11-17 19:30:33 GMT

In 1885, after traveling for over two million years, the light from an exploding star swept over caused astronomers to think the universe was way smaller than it really is.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-irony-of-supernova-1885a

2025-11-06 15:42:17 GMT

Holy moly did we get a close shave from an asteroid last week: it missed Earth by *230 km*! Barely above the atmosphere.
OTOH it was only about the size of a beachball, so no worries either way. Meet 2025 UC11.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-wee-asteroid-came-very-close-to-us-last-week

2025-10-14 14:50:21 GMT

Welp. I did it. I finally got COVID.
I'm fine now, but I do sincerely wish every ivermectin-chugging MAGA ass and every antivax RFK-supporting jerk of whatever political persuasion a very merry up yours.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/i-got-covid-and-a-fast-radio-burst-progenitor-found

2025-10-02 15:40:14 GMT

Look, almost everyone gets acne at some point in their life, but can you imagine being able to see it from 1.4 quadrillion kilometers away?
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-exoplanet-reveals-its-star-s-spotty-face

2025-09-15 15:38:39 GMT

So JWST has seen these weird objects called Little Red Dots that appear to be extremely luminous and way on the other side of the universe from us. What the heck are they?
Well, they could be immense star-like objects powered by black holes. So, yeah.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/little-red-dots-at-the-edge-of-the-universe-may-be-black-holes-powering-gigantic-balls-of-gas

2025-09-11 14:55:14 GMT

Earth's oldest crater found!
[Normally, Thursday issues of my newsletter are for paid subscribers, but this was so cool I put the story above the paywall. Enjoy!]
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/earth-s-oldest-crater-found

2025-09-05 15:03:49 GMT

How big can a black hole get?
Really, really, REALLY soul-vaporizingly big.
But it turns out there's an upper limit to how massive they can be, because a) they're sloppy eaters, and 2) the universe is only so old.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-big-can-a-black-hole-get/

2025-08-29 15:29:46 GMT

Did you know astronomers commonly see objects in space moving faster than light? But seeing is not believing: superluminal motion is an illusion!
Me, for Scientific American:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-see-faster-than-light-motion/

2025-08-22 15:34:41 GMT

In 2032 there is a small chance that the 60-meter asteroid 2024 YR4 will impact the Moon. If it does, we could get a helluva meteor shower from it. We're safe on Earth's surface, but our satellites may suffer.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-a-lunar-impact-in-2032-cause-a-meteor-storm/

2025-08-19 14:07:30 GMT

A nearby brown dwarf shows its mass as it orbits a Sun-like star.
Plus: Fast Radio Bursts might be space rocks slamming in to neutron stars at 2/3 the speed of light, so, wow.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-brown-dwarf-reveals-its-mass-02149746784fd963
[Issue for paid subbies only today!]

2025-08-18 15:20:02 GMT

It's (well past) time to impeach RFK Jr. You can sign a petition to help!
Also: (very) old issues of Scientific American magazine were very, very odd.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/impeach-rfk-jr-88205b8ff57eacf9

2025-08-11 15:11:47 GMT

I bet it's been a while since you've had your mind vaporized by a JWST image so here's one of a cluster of galaxies so immense it's visibly warping space.
Bonus: I explain what you're seeing! Because that's kinda my thing!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-incredible-jwst-image-of-an-immense-city-of-galaxies-268f6abd24e75d16

2025-08-08 18:14:09 GMT

Sure you've heard of sound echoes, but have you heard of…
Light ECHOES echoes ᵉᶜʰᵒᵉˢ?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-are-light-echoes-and-why-do-they-matter/

2025-08-07 15:12:01 GMT

WHOA.
Astronomers may have found a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest sun-like star to the Sun! It's a binary system, too, so if this is confirmed it'll be an AMAZING discovery!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-planet-for-alpha-centauri-a-2f030ca9ae7bcd82

2025-08-05 20:34:59 GMT

Hot take time!
So, about that Sean Duffy claim of wanting NASA to put a nuclear power plant on the Moon...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syLNyBAyHcw

2025-08-05 15:36:24 GMT

Lightning strikes occur on Earth more than a *billion* times per year.
What triggers it? Turns out, exploding stars. Yes, seriously.
And also, black holes.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/what-triggers-lightning-exploding-stars-0b7dba172a12c191

2025-07-28 15:19:50 GMT

Betelgeuse is a binary! Maybe!
A second star has possibly been found orbiting the soon-to-be supernova. It still needs to be confirmed (despite a LOT of breathless articles saying it's real) but if it is it'll have implications for how we study Big B.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-second-star-for-betelgeuse-1046533a7498c414

2025-07-22 14:34:38 GMT

HUNDREDS of NASA employees sign a declaration protesting the brutal attacks by Trump and his regime. I signed it too, as should you.
Plus: Incredible image of dusty spirals blasted out by a terrifying binary star.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/nasa-declaration-against-trump-s-science-attacks-more-dusty-wr-star-spirals-dc20f3c8449ace7e

2025-07-18 14:15:21 GMT

This may be one of the single greatest astronomy questions I've ever been asked:
Can you drink Saturn's rings?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-you-drink-saturns-rings/

2025-07-14 14:49:23 GMT

In 2023, astronomers detected a cosmic blast so powerful it released more energy than ALL THE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE COMBINED. The cause: two black holes colliding and merging… which is a problem, because they were way bigger than we thought possible.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-biggest-black-hole-merger-ever-detected-so-far-rocked-the-universe-dc6b8bba789d58bd

2025-07-11 14:49:41 GMT

For years, planetary scientists studying Mars have wondered if streaks on crater walls and scarps might be from liquid water. A new study dries that claim up.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/water-on-mars-probably-doesnt-explain-these-weird-streaks/

2025-06-26 14:46:32 GMT

Something lost a bit in the amazing images released earlier: Vera Rubin Observatory is a steely-eyed asteroid hunter! It's already found thousands of new ones in just a few nights, and is predicted to find *3.7 MILLION* more.
THREE POINT SEVEN MILLION
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/vera-rubin-observatory-will-find-millions-of-asteroids-millions-513f

2025-06-24 14:29:41 GMT

I give you a momentary reprieve from the madness:
The Vera Rubin Observatory has taken its first images of the sky, and they are *extraordinary*. Mind blowing detail, jaw dropping beauty.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/rubin-opens-its-eye-and-what-it-sees-is-the-universe-8203

2025-06-23 14:41:20 GMT

I can think of a LOT of places in the universe I'd rather be than in the middle of a clump of nearly a dozen quasars blasting out planet-vaporizing amounts of energy. The question is, what are they doing there in the first place?
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-clump-of-quasars-really-defies-the-odds-ba8b

2025-06-20 16:07:33 GMT

You know that "gravitational slingshot" thing they always use in scifi movies and TV shows?
Yeah, that's real*. Here's how it works.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-a-gravitational-slingshot-work/
* though they usually get it wrong in movies and TV shows

2025-06-19 15:46:14 GMT

A city-sized sphere of neutrons with the mass of a star is doing weird stuff while plowing through the gas floating around the galaxy.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-pulsar-plucks-the-guitar-nebula-2d88
This article is for paid subscribers, who literally make it possible for me to buy food and stay alive.

2025-06-16 15:15:51 GMT

Some thoughts on the #nokings protest, and the SPECTACULAR JWST shot of the iconic Sombrero Galaxy pulled a fast one on me.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-kings-protest-thoughts-the-spectacular-sombrero-galaxy-fools-me-again-3e79

2025-06-13 15:27:12 GMT

I know y'all have other things on you're mind right now, but if you need a distraction I wrote about a very nearly complete census taken of all cosmic objects within 65 light-years of the Sun, and it's cool.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mapping-nearby-stars-could-solve-a-deep-cosmic-mystery/

2025-06-11 15:08:17 GMT

I am furious — incandescently furious — over the attacks on science by Trump and his regime, especially the actions of RFK Jr., which, *as history has plainly show us*, result in deaths upon deaths.
You want the receipts? I've got the receipts.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/standing-up-for-science-ca09

2025-06-06 14:43:55 GMT

My new conspiracy theory: Earth is indeed round, but its orbit is shaped like a bowling pin.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-analemma/

2025-06-02 15:32:12 GMT

I am furiously, flamingly, incandescently, *supernova-levels* of angry right now.
Trump is trying to kill NASA science. And hoo boy, do I have something to say about it.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/trump-threatens-to-eviscerate-nasa-cb96

2025-05-12 14:22:28 GMT

A supermassive black hole in another galaxy tore a star to shreds and spewed its guts all over space.
<puts finger to earpiece> We're getting reports of a second supermassive black hole
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-star-ripped-to-shreds-reveals-a-galaxy-s-second-black-hole

2025-05-05 14:56:14 GMT

Good news for a change: It looks like WR 104, the potential source of a mind-vaporizingly powerful gamma-ray burst death ray, is not pointed exactly at Earth.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/is-the-wr-104-system-pointing-a-gamma-ray-burst-at-earth-probably-not

2025-04-29 14:27:28 GMT

I dumped all things Meta. Zuck can kiss my ass.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/goodbye-meta-also-a-first-planetary-discovery-for-jwst
Also, paid subscribers can learn about a new planet discovered by accident in JWST observations!

2025-04-28 15:41:20 GMT

I've got an update on the exoplanet K2-18b, and it doesn't look good for the biosignatures. Also, I have opinions on how this has played out.
As an assuagement, a gorgeous galaxy for Hubble's 35th.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/update-was-anything-seen-from-k2-18b-also-a-gorgeous-galaxy-for-hubble-s-35th

2025-04-14 14:33:56 GMT

Something very, very weird is going on over at Andromeda.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/more-cosmic-weirdness-what-s-going-on-with-the-andromeda-galaxy-s-satellites

2025-04-07 14:46:36 GMT

With everything looking down, why not look up for a moment?
This is, quite seriously, one of the most gorgeous astronomical images I have ever seen. And I've seen a *lot*.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-utterly-gorgeous-cosmic-latte

2025-03-31 14:27:27 GMT

An extremely distant galaxy — we see it as it was just 330 million years after the Big Bang! — is blasting out ultraviolet radiation. That in itself isn't surprising, but the thing is, *we shouldn't be able to see it*.
How about some Monday science?
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-mind-crushingly-distant-galaxy-lights-up-the-universe-around-it

2025-03-28 15:04:23 GMT

When was the first exoplanet discovered? You might read it was in 1992, but in fact the first evidence for the existence of alien worlds was found before then. Way before then.
Like, in *1917*.
I love this story.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-was-the-first-exoplanet-discovered/

2025-03-24 14:37:52 GMT

The Universe is doing weird stuff again. If this pans out, and that looks likely, our understanding of the cosmos will have to fundamentally change. Again.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/is-the-universe-misbehaving-again

2025-03-17 15:26:41 GMT

Sometimes, the most amazing photos from space are of objects close to home.
Or even *of* our home.
This is a lunar eclipse as seen from the Moon. That black disk? That's Earth. And the ring around it? Why, that's the magic.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/incredible-space-photo-the-lunar-eclipse-seen-from-the-moon

2025-03-04 16:04:29 GMT

Astronomers have found a planet *as dense as lead*. Also, a new crater on Mars from an impact that occurred in 2021!
Both stories? Metal.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-exoplanet-that-s-twice-as-dense-as-earth-and-a-fresh-impact-crater-on-mars

2025-03-03 16:04:23 GMT

There may be tens of BILLIONS of small (10 - 100 meter) asteroids out in the main belt past Mars, but they're too small to be seen from with our telescopes… until now. Astronomers used JWST data in a unique way to find over 130 of them!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/hundreds-of-small-asteroids-found-in-the-main-belt-using-jwst

2025-02-25 16:22:49 GMT

IMPORTANT: Are you ready to Stand Up For Science?
I am, and here's what I have to say about it:
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/stand-up-for-science

2025-02-18 15:51:58 GMT

The odds of an impact from the asteroid 2024 YR4 just went up a teeny bit. That's expected, but the good news is we're getting JWST observations of it in a few weeks! That'll help nail down its size and maybe help with an impact prediction.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/jwst-to-observe-the-potentially-scary-asteroid-2024-yr4

2025-02-11 16:36:34 GMT

Time for, well, not a distraction so much as a palate cleanser: a truly phenomenal shot from Hubble of a galaxy that is rippling like a pond that had a rock tossed in it… because that's what happened! Kinda.
And YES you want to grab the hi-res version.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/incredible-and-spectacular-hubble-image-of-a-galaxy-that-got-whacked-by-another-galaxy

2025-02-10 16:02:37 GMT

Trump and the GOP are in a full-out war against science.
I have a lot to say about that.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-attacks-on-science

2025-02-07 15:36:27 GMT

With the small asteroid 2024 YR4 still on the risk list for Earth impact, I wrote an explainer on how we know what the orbits of these objects are in the first place, and why the chance of one hitting us changes over time.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-we-know-if-an-asteroid-will-hit-earth/

2025-01-31 16:32:41 GMT

Is Pluto a planet? How many planets do we have in our solar system then?
Turns out, *these are the wrong questions to ask*.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-many-planets-are-in-the-solar-system/

2025-01-30 15:47:35 GMT

D O N ' T P A N I C
A decently big (50-meter) asteroid called 2024 YR4 has a 1.2% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. Here's what we know, and why I'm not terribly worried about it.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/will-the-asteroid-2024-yr4-hit-earth-in-2032-probably-not

2025-01-13 16:54:18 GMT

YES, YOU *DO* WANT TO SEE THE MIGHTY 11,000 X 8,000 PIXEL IMAGE OF THIS NEARBY CLUSTER FULL OF GALAXIES UNLESS HAVING YOUR BRAIN LEAP OUT OF YOUR SKULL IN WONDER IS SOMETHING YOU *DON'T* WANT
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-antlia-galaxy-cluster-is-spectacular-but-which-galaxies-are-actually-in-it

2025-01-03 16:03:22 GMT

Hi! I'm a Libra! Except not really. But the zodiac is a real thing, even if it's not at all what astrologers claim it is.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-zodiac-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you/

2024-12-27 16:23:48 GMT

20 years ago today, a tiny neutron star reached halfway across the galaxy and slammed our planet with a gamma-ray hammer.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-earth-rocking-cosmic-explosion-turns-20/

2024-12-23 17:28:09 GMT

Wanna get away from the news, or maybe family? Then how about taking a deep dive into a quasar with me?
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/take-a-deep-dive-into-a-quasar-though-not-literally-that-would-be-bad

2024-12-19 19:17:14 GMT

My book Under Alien Skies was just translated into Estonian! That's a 1st for me. You can get it at fine Estonian booksellers. Also? I really like this cover!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/681/088/182/179/265/original/b9de161967f6da8f.jpg

2024-12-15 17:27:03 GMT

Portrait of a neglected Buddy who I've only been scritching for 15 minutes straight but stopped for two seconds to scratch my own nose.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/658/007/082/310/585/original/20733ba239e52404.jpg

2024-12-13 18:02:32 GMT

So let's say you spot a rogue black hole bearing down on Earth and bent on destroying us all. How do you tell other astronomers where to find it? Let's talk celestial coordinates!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-astronomers-navigate-the-sky/

2024-12-09 16:10:55 GMT

Aw, Universe, why do you have to be this way?
We've been suspicious for a while that the expansion of the cosmos is doing weird stuff, and new results from JWST seem to confirm it.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/jwst-yup-the-universe-is-expanding-weirdly

2024-12-06 15:45:34 GMT

I got to write in Scientific American about one of my all-time favorite cosmic objects: Barnard 68! It's like a hole in space, except… it isn't.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-inside-our-galaxys-darkest-place/

2024-12-02 16:41:20 GMT

So here's a new way black holes can literally shake the fabric of the universe.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-new-way-black-holes-shake-the-fabric-of-the-universe

2024-11-22 16:31:56 GMT

Sometimes, the simplest questions lead to the most profound of results.
For example, a child might ask, "Why is the sky dark at night?" Astronomers asked that for centuries, but it took a poet to answer it. And you'll never guess which one…
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-the-night-sky-dark-olbers/

2024-11-18 19:46:19 GMT

What's the roundest human-made object ever made? One of Einstein's most bizarre predictions led to a pretty dang spherical ball bearing because of course it did.
[also, more on kicking Elon's Nazi bar to the curb]
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/what-is-the-roundest-human-made-object-also-i-nuked-my-twitter-account

2024-11-16 03:11:21 GMT

Getting a good full moon shot with a phone is impossible. I just shot this, and it's too bright in a dark background. But! The light reflects inside the camera, creating a fainter ghost image. That has features you can see!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/490/433/393/107/517/original/a5367e82cd77ed0b.jpg

2024-11-15 16:07:10 GMT

WHEN WE FIND IT WE'LL HAVE A BALL
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-the-roundest-object-in-the-universe/

2024-11-12 18:49:28 GMT

This past week has taken a lot out of all of us
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/471/474/487/285/371/original/b7a95129a6755338.jpg

2024-11-08 16:07:02 GMT

Happy New Year!!
If you're a Martian, that is. The ol' calendar is flipping over from 37 to 38 next Tuesday, November 12!
So yeah, um… why 38 and why November 12?
Because astronomers, that's why.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/happy-martian-new-year/

2024-10-24 19:41:58 GMT

LOOK AT THIS NEW JWST IMAGE!
LOOK AT IT!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/mind-vaporizing-image-from-jwst-may-show-first-ever-brown-dwarfs-seen-in-another-galaxy
Then click that link and READ ABOUT IT! Because it's even more awesome than you think.

2024-10-21 14:56:22 GMT

Goodbye Earth, goodbye Moon.
I *love* photos of Earth taken from spacecraft on their way out to deep space, especially when you can see the Moon, too!
Read this for more, including a weird thermal shot:
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/earth-and-moon-from-space-from-hera

2024-10-11 17:27:29 GMT

C'mon, T Coronae Borealis, you're starting to embarrass us!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-will-this-exploding-star-blow-its-top/

2024-10-11 00:30:20 GMT

HOLY HIGH-ENERGY SOLAR WIND PARTICLES!
I can see the aurora by eye! MY FIRST TIME EVER!!!
The bright star in the middle is Deneb. The glow shows up way better in photos.
Holy wow. Wow.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/285/958/717/723/616/original/88bdff4587a6f3e7.jpg

2024-10-01 14:05:30 GMT

Big news! The closest single star to the Sun has a planet!
The galaxy must be *filled* with planets.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-planet-for-barnard-s-star-this-time-for-real

2024-09-30 15:13:10 GMT

As of yesterday afternoon, Earth has two natural moons!
Kinda! And not for long!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/earth-has-a-second-moon-sorta

2024-09-27 15:09:21 GMT

Heads up! A new comet is already bright enough to see naked eye and may be a show stopper in a couple of weeks!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-comet-tsuchinshan-atlas-be-the-brightest-of-the-year/

2024-09-24 14:48:09 GMT

So let's say astronomers see a big ol' asteroid heading right for Earth. What can we do?
DON'T PANIC. I mean, first off.
Also: nuke it. Seriously. But not for the reason you think!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/nuking-an-asteroid-might-actually-work

2024-09-23 15:12:51 GMT

In the past, maps of solar eclipse paths assumed Earth and the Moon were spheres. But they're not! And when you take that into account, eclipses get a *whole* lot more complicated.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/total-eclipses-from-the-imperfect-moon

2024-09-20 15:36:38 GMT

A *lot* of wee near-Earth asteroids have even more wee moons orbiting them. Why?
The main culprit could be… sunlight.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-so-many-tiny-asteroids-have-moons/

2024-09-19 16:21:47 GMT

Sooooo…
Once upon a time, Earth may have had rings. Like Saturn's.
Yes, really.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/earth-may-rings

2024-09-13 15:20:18 GMT

Did you know there's a Supermoon next week?
Let's throw some kryptonite at it.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-a-supermoon-really-special/

2024-09-09 15:27:14 GMT

The BepiColombo spacecraft passed an incredible *165* km above Mercury's surface and took some truly amazing shots of the planet!
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/incredible-shots-mercury-bepicolumbo-steals-energy

2024-09-05 20:51:05 GMT

Hey RFK Jr! Kiss my vaxxed butt!
#COVID #Flu
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/086/914/179/202/739/original/bf26b177fd65485a.jpg

2024-09-02 17:17:34 GMT

A *staggering* view of Mars that you VERY much want to see. And it even has a case of phobobombing.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/jawdropping-view-mars
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/069/086/904/183/054/original/bf4924cbf0b098eb.jpg

2024-08-30 16:52:33 GMT

If Hubble can see so much detail in distant galaxies, why can't it see the Apollo astronaut bootprints on the Moon?
This is a question with a definite resolution.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-cant-the-hubble-space-telescope-see-astronauts-on-the-moon/

2024-08-27 19:44:30 GMT

Another naked-eye sunspot is visible now! I spotted it first using a solar filter, then took this shot (again with the filter) with my phone. If you still have eclipse glasses give it a try! Always use protection though and don't just look at the Sun.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/035/691/710/047/376/original/50e3ed21b1cfd9ff.jpg

2024-08-26 15:17:35 GMT

66 million years ago, a huge object from space slammed into Earth and gave the dinsoaurs a really, really bad day.
... and now we know what it was: an asteroid, not a comet, and it came from the outer solar system.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/dinosaur-killer-asteroid-came-deep-space-outer-solar-system

2024-08-23 14:47:16 GMT

You may have heard the huge Andromeda Galaxy is doomed to collide with the Milky Way causing cosmic chaos and catastrophe. AIIIIIEEEE!!!
Or… maybe not so much. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-the-milky-way-and-andromeda-galaxies-ever-collide/

2024-08-19 19:11:10 GMT

The Sun blew off an eruptive prominence recently, one of the most impressive and spectacular events it can generate. APOD has the story, and below is a video of it. The time-lapse covers 90 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBL1RBj-P1g
APOD: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240818.html

2024-08-18 17:51:40 GMT

For your Sunday nature moment: an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (the Virginia State insect, for that matter) on a zinnia in my yard.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/984/286/891/078/891/original/74289129df5fe767.jpg

2024-08-16 15:29:52 GMT

That HUGE naked-eye (well, safely-protected-eye) sunspot is still easily visible using eclipse glasses. I just took this pic of it on my phone!
And if you want to learn why they form and how to see them, read my new article in Scientific American!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-see-sunspots-with-your-own-eyes/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/972/408/598/199/657/original/78603eb03f8db282.jpg

2024-08-15 13:05:18 GMT

I got up shortly after 4:00 am to see Jupiter and Mars still as a tight pair (lower left). The Pleiades star cluster is at the upper right and the V of the Hyades cluster (the head of Taurus) to the lower right. Totally worth it. Beautiful.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/966/171/318/784/252/original/d468136f60f20465.jpg

2024-08-13 15:14:22 GMT

Saturn — the real Lord of the Rings — is about to become a thing again, rising early enough to see easily in the night sky. Here's a spectacular shot of it and an explanation of what's going on.
https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/saturns-getting-easier-see-though-rings-not
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