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21|01|2025

App: Sky Tonight

Let’s fly into Jupiter! Does this ball of gas have a surface? Let’s see!

Barred Spiral Galaxy

NGC 2146 is a barred spiral galaxy located approximately 80 million light-years away in the constellation Camelopardalis.

It is an interesting object of study due to its dusty spiral arm that has looped in front of the galaxy's core as seen from our perspective.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Visiting Kennedy Space Center yesterday was very emotional for me. It brought back the memories of how much I had longed to be an astronaut, and how hard I worked toward that goal until illness crushed my dreams. I also may have sobbed through the Challenger and Columbia Memorial Exhibit. If you get a chance to visit the center, I highly recommend it. It’s massive and awesome.

Scientists believe they've found evidence of what was once an ocean on Mars. Check out the shoreline on mars!

Sharp Nebula Shot!

Huge 500,000-mile-wide hole opens in Sun

A vast 500,000-mile-wide coronal hole has opened in the Sun's atmosphere. The area measures over 62 times the diameter of Earth and is now shooting high-speed solar wind toward Earth. When such solar activity is directed at Earth, the resulting geomagnetic storms can potentially disrupt satellite operations, power grids, navigation systems, and radio communications. There may also be spectacular displays of aurora caused as the Earth's magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind. According to spaceweather.com, this wind is estimated to hit Earth by Friday (Jan. 31), resulting in G1 geomagnetic storm conditions.

While G1 storms are considered the mildest category, they can still have noticeable effects, particularly in terms of aurora visibility at higher latitudes.

I will be honest, I just thought this was my astigmatism acting up the first time I saw it.

James Webb Space Telescope image of Pillars of Creation