News
Stunning Photos of the Cosmos From the World’s Largest Digital Camera
The Vera Rubin Observatory shared the first images taken with the technology, hailed as a transformative breakthrough in astronomical research.
astronomy
News
Crater on Mercury Named After Sculptor Ruth Asawa
This makes her one of a rare group of fewer than 30 women artists whose legacies are etched into our solar systems.
News
Is It the Eye of Sauron? No, It's a Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy
It’s “the first direct image of the gentle giant in the center of our galaxy,” according to astronomer Feryal Özel.
News
Swirling Images of the Cosmos, as Seen From Earth
See the encapsulating images shortlisted for the 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
News
Ancient Antikythera Mechanism, the “World’s First Computer,” Is Reconstructed
The device, which is thought to predict planets’ movement, was found in the sea in 1901, salvaged from a wrecked merchant ship.
In Brief
Rembrandt and van Gogh Masterpieces Inspire Names for a Planet and Star
Two celestial bodies in the Andromeda constellation have been named “Night Watch” and “Starry Night."
Test 2018 posts
Artist Trevor Paglen Is Not Convinced His Space Art Will Ruin Astronomical Research
After raising nearly $76,000 to launch his artwork into space, Paglen is now facing concerted criticism from the science community that his sculpture could ruin their research for the two months it orbits Earth. The artist begs to differ.
Test 2018 posts
The Earliest Known Printed Illustrations of the Greek Constellations
A rare first edition of the Poeticon Astronomicon, printed in Germany in 1492, is headed to auction at Swann.
History
The History of One of the Oldest Astronomical Clocks in the World
While Prague's famed clock is gone for repairs, we take a look at its history.
Art
The Early-20th-Century Painter Who Captured Solar Eclipses
In 1918, painter Howard Russell Butler precisely captured what the camera could not: the fiery colors of a solar eclipse.
Art
The First Known Depiction of the Cosmos Adorns a 3,600-Year-Old Disk
Discovered in 1999 in Germany, the 3,600-year-old Nebra Sky Disk is recognized as the oldest known depiction of cosmic phenomena.
In Brief
Astronomers Attempt to Date Sappho's "Midnight Poem" Using the Stars
For centuries, scholars have mined the verse of Greek lyric poet Sappho, Plato's "tenth Muse," for clues about her life.