Astronomy

June 6, 2025

Check Out This Striking, Highly Detailed Panorama Taken From the Surface of Mars

On July 20, 1976, the Viking 1 lander took the first photograph ever from the surface of Mars. The image is impressive but still fairly limited: it showcases only a small, black-and-white snapshot of the planet’s dusty, rock-laden ground. Now, almost 50 years later, NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured one of the most breathtaking panoramas of Mars, highlighting topographical details like never before.

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May 26, 2025

Ancient Egyptian Drawing Now Theorized To Represent the Milky Way’s Great Rift

New research suggests that ancient depictions of the Egyptian sky goddess Nut may contain an early representation of the Milky Way galaxy. According to Dr. Or Graur, an astrophysicist and associate professor at the University of Portsmouth, a recurring dark, zigzagging band across Nut’s back could symbolize the Great Rift, a dense dust lane that cuts through the Milky Way.

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May 8, 2025

Astronaut Don Pettit Captures Bright Green Aurora From the International Space Station

Astronaut Don Pettit recently returned to Earth, having accumulated 590 days in space. At age 70, he is considered NASA's oldest active astronaut, and the third oldest to ever be in orbit. Across his four space missions, Pettit has shown a knack for orbital astrophotography—that is, images of space shot from orbit aboard the ISS. Just a couple of weeks before flying home, he captured a bright green aurora from his unique perspective.

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