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The term light pollution is more widely recognized these days. More people are starting to realize that lighting up the night isn’t always a good thing — but that hasn’t exactly slowed us down. We’re still filling the night sky with more and more artificial light every year. For many, it remains an issue that’s... […]

If you’re in the market for a high-performance astrograph with full-frame capabilities and a premium build, the Askar SQA106 is definitely worth a closer look. This impressive quintuplet refractor delivers a 509mm focal length at f/4.8 and is designed to produce flat, color-accurate images without the need for additional flatteners or backfocus tinkering. In this... […]

I recently assembled a budget astrophotography rig to capture deep-sky objects in my backyard. While I knew this system would be very capable, I was astonished by the quality of the pictures I took with it. Astrophotography (and photography in general) can be an expensive hobby with high-end equipment often costing thousands of dollars. While... […]

Data from the AVIRIS-3 sensor was recently used to create detailed fire maps in minutes, enabling firefighters in Alabama to limit the spread of wildfires and save buildings. A NASA sensor recently brought a new approach to battling wildfire, providing real-time data that helped firefighters in the field contain a blaze in Alabama. Called AVIRIS-3, […]

In our modern wireless world, almost all radio frequency (RF) spectrum bands are shared among multiple users. In some domains, similar users technically coordinate to avoid interference. The spectrum management team, part of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program, represents the collaborative efforts across U.S. agencies and the international community to protect and enable […]

Spectrum is a shared resource. Since the discovery of radio waves and the invention of the telegraph, humanity has exponentially increased its use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum.  Consider how many wireless devices are around you right now.  You’re probably reading this on a smartphone or laptop connected to the internet through Wi-Fi or […]

Vesta, both protoplanet and asteroid, reaches opposition on May 2nd. From a dark sky it's even visible with the naked eye. The post Asteroid Vesta Now an Easy Catch in Binoculars appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomers might have detected hints of life on a faraway planet — but they need more observations before they can say for sure. The post Hints of Life on a Potential Ocean Planet appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

During a close flyby on April 20th, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft surprised its science team by revealing an asteroid that was once two smaller pieces that have been conjoined into a larger whole. The post Meet Asteroid Donaldjohanson: Long and Lumpy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

 Anybody still coming here?

My own Hubble View! These galaxies lie between 10 to 50 million light years away. How many galaxies do you see? A pretty tricky part of the sky to image, really. You're utilizing almost your entire field of view with an 80mm scope, so dealing with all that comes with wide-field. This is the best […]

A nice clear night last night until around 12:30 when clouds rolled in. Managed to get this image of the lovely M51 Whirlpool galaxy. It lies around 23 million light years away and it is interacting with a smaller galaxy (yellow~ish bulge to the left). Three supernova (star explosions) have been detected in this galaxy […]