Portrait of Galileo, gazing at the words E pur si muove (And yet it moves) scratched on the wall of his prison cell. In the 1600s, Galileo was forced by the Roman Inquisition to recant his claim that Earth moves around the sun. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Happy 455th birthday to one of the first modern scientists, Galileo. With the aid of an early telescope, he helped remove Earth from the center of the universe. Read more.
On February 15, 2013, a small incoming asteroid created a meteor - brighter than the sun - that exploded in the air over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Read what happened.
The science team that determined the trajectory of the Chelyabinsk meteor over Russia - using YouTube videos - has done it again with the bright meteor that crossed Cuba's sky earlier this month. Read more.
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The moon is waxing toward full and very bright, but the evening sky also has many bright stars. Look for the Gemini stars, Castor and Pollux, plus Procyon the Little Dog Star.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The view toward the center of the Milky Way is back! Abhijit Patil wrote: "The core shines majestically over Cape Elizabeth in Maine. Currently visible in the early morning hours just before sunrise. The sunrise glow can also be seen in the bottom sky. The bright spots seen in the photo are the planets Jupiter (higher) and Venus (lower)." Thanks, Abhijit!
