View larger. | When you look at this artist's rendition of the large-scale structure surrounding our Milky Way, you've got to think big! See the Milky Way? It's about 100,000 light-years across. Those red-green-blue arrows each represent a distance 200 million light-years in length. According to new research, we're at the boundary between our Local Void, and the high-density Virgo galaxy cluster. Image via R. Brent Tully/IfA.
Our universe is a tapestry of galaxy congregations and vast voids. An international team has new details of this cosmic structure as it appears surrounding our Milky Way. Read more.
Analysis of measurements via the Gaia space telescope - of star positions, brightnesses and distances - has let astronomers probe a merger 10 billion years ago between the primitive Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus. Read more.
Overwintering monarch butterflies rely on a temperature-sensitive internal timer to wake them up to make the trip back north, says a study. Read more and watch a video.
On August 7, 8 and 9, watch as the moon moves out from in front of the constellation Libra, then sweeps in front of neighboring Scorpius and past the bright planet Jupiter. Read more.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Stephanie Longo captured the MIlky Way over Colorado’s Pike National Forest on July 28. She said: “I took 2 of my grandsons out to see the Milky Way ... I was disappointed to find a lot of clouds and moisture in the air, but also fascinated to see how much they changed the light and color of the sky from a stark black and white to a golden honey color.” Thanks, Stephanie! We've been getting lots of beautiful Milky Way pics, by the way. Check out this one from Martin Marthadinata in Indonesia, or this one from John Nelson in the U.S. state of Washington. Here's another one from Michael Hoag in Kanas. Or just visit EarthSky Community Photos! You're always welcome.
