The well-known bright star Betelgeuse - a red supergiant star, famous for its name and for the fact that it'll explode someday - has become noticeably dimmer since late October. Here's what astronomers think is happening. Read more.
Thirty-two years ago, Supernova 1987A erupted in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. Astronomers using the ALMA radio telescope now say they've found the small, compact neutron star created in this mighty star explosion. Read more.
Last month was the 2nd warmest November in the 140-year global climate record, and polar sea ice coverage shrank to near-record lows, according to a NOAA report. Read more.
Unless they cause a solar eclipse, new moons generally can't be seen. The next new moon happens on December 26 at 05:13 UTC. It will cause an annular or ring eclipse, visible from Earth's Eastern Hemisphere. Read more.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Olivér Nagy in Budapest wrote on December 21: "It is solstice time! This is my current solargraphy image taken from summer solstice to winter solstice. The bright lines are the days of the year written by the sun on the sky. The upper lines are created at summer, and the lower ones at winter. The gaps in the lines means that there were cloudy periods at that time of the year. I used a plastic drain tube with 11-cm [about 4.5 inches] diameter and 23-cm [about 9 inches] height. Happy solstice to everyone!" Here's how to create a solargraph like this one. Thank you, Olivér! View more seasonal images from the EarthSky Community, or submit your own.
