Claudia Crowley | EarthSky

How big are asteroids? Compare sizes in this video

Claudia Crowley — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:41:16 +0000

How big are asteroids? Watch this video to see a comparison of the sizes of famous asteroids.

How big are asteroids?

See the relative sizes of 22 asteroids in this video from MetaBallStudios. Asteroids range from human-scale 2008 TC3, which exploded in the air over the Sudan in 2008, to the enormous, spherical dwarf planet Ceres, largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The first 10 objects shown in the video are near-Earth objects, some designated as potentially hazardous. The rest reside far away from Earth, mostly in the asteroid belt.

Want to learn more about asteroids? In 2021, ESO released the video below about the 42 largest objects in the main asteroid belt. ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile has imaged these 42 of the asteroids, showing the variety that exists in the region between Mars and Jupiter.

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Asteroids near Earth

Earth-crossing asteroids are space objects whose orbits cross that of Earth. Of course, Earth is most likely far away in its orbit from the spot where they cross. Here is a list of Earth-crossing minor planets.

Occasionally, Earth and an asteroid meet where their orbits connect. Fortunately, most of these asteroids are so small that they don’t make much of an impact.

How many known near-Earth objects are there? Thousands, but mostly very small. This chart shows how many scientists have been discovered between 1980 and 2023.

The rate of discovery of near-Earth asteroids continues to rise steeply. Image via NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.

Thousands of asteroids are known and tracked. Image via NASA/ Wikipedia.

Bottom line: See how big 22 asteroids are in comparison to New York City.

Via Asteroid Watch at NASA

The post How big are asteroids? Compare sizes in this video first appeared on EarthSky.

Megadrought may be worst in 1200 years

Claudia Crowley — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 12:56:25 +0000

Lighter “bathtub ring” bands around the steep, rocky shores of Lake Powell show the drop in water level during the 21st century megadrought. Image via ArtTower/ Pixabay.

Worst megadrought in 1200 years?

Scientists said February 14, 2022, that the megadrought currently going on in the American West could be worse – both drier and longer – than droughts going back to the year 800 CE. A team of experts at UCLA, led by Park Williams, used the study of tree rings, or dendrochronology, to identify dry periods within the last 12 centuries. The longest one before now happened in the 1500s, but this century’s, they said, might break that record.

A megadrought is an unusually severe drought lasting at least two decades.

Nature Climate Change, a peer-reviewed journal, published the study February 14, 2022.

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And it’s not over yet

Trees grow a new encircling ring of wood every year. The thinner the ring, the drier the year. The thicker the ring, the wetter the year. So, by looking at the pattern of rings in the wood of old trees, scientists can determine the dates of droughts. The wood in this study came from both dead and live trees (the scientists use a tool called a borer to extract a section of the rings from living trees), and from wooden components of ancient Native American structures.

Williams said that the drought, already considered the worst in 500 years, reached another record in 2021. He said that 2021’s lack of rainfall …

… really pushed it over the top.

Williams continued:

And then from summer 2020 through all of 2021, it was just exceptionally dry across the West … indicating that this drought is nowhere near done.

The scientists said they believe the drought in the U.S. West – which has already lasted 20 years – could last at least 30 years. If so, it would meet the record set in the 1500s.

Park Williams co-authored the study about the 2000-2021 megadrought. Image via aparkwilliams.com.

Human-caused climate change

Williams and his team attribute part of the megadrought to human-caused climate change. He said his study and others show that, although a drought would have occurred anyway:

Its severity would have been only about 60% of what it was.

Williams explained that only multiple wet years could break the drought. He said:

It’s extremely unlikely that this drought can be ended in one wet year.

The ancient Native American precursors of present-day Puebloans lived in complex cliff dwellings (such as Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park, pictured here) before drought and other factors drove them away. Image via kaylee/ Pixabay.

Effects of a megadrought

Consequences of a megadrought include effects on farming, on water supply for Western cities, and on the livability of Native American land. Droughts from 900 to the 1300s caused disruption in the lives of ancient Native American people. They caused the migration of tribes and collapse of societies, such as the cliff dwellers of what would now be the Four Corners area (where the Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico borders meet).

A previous paper by Williams, published in Science, described the drought of 2000-2019 as the 2nd-longest drought since the 1500s. The current paper updates this estimate and describes the drought as the longest since the 1500s.

Bottom line: The megadrought of 2000-2021 might exceed the record droughts since the year 800, causing disruption to life in the American West.

Source: Rapid intensification of the emerging southwestern North American megadrought in 2020–2021

Via UCLA

Via New York Times

Via NPR

The post Megadrought may be worst in 1200 years first appeared on EarthSky.

Shelf Cloud photos shared by readers

Claudia Crowley — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 19:17:07 +0000

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Glenn Hughson in Lawrence, Kansas, captured this photo of a shelf cloud on August 31, 2021. He wrote: “I went to let the dog out yesterday morning, when I noticed this shelf cloud quickly approaching. There were several trees and houses blocking my view, so I grabbed my drone and sent it up in the air to get a better look. This thing looked … intimidating … from this view a few hundred feet above my house. It was coming in fast, though, and I didn’t want to lose the drone in the storm. So I snapped a few photos and then quickly landed before the gust front hit. Despite its somewhat scary appearance, this was not a severe storm. It just rained sideways for about 15 minutes before moving on.” Wow. Thank you, Glenn!

Shelf clouds, also known as arcus clouds, occur at the leading edge of thunderstorms. They announce the arrival of storms and, when combined with cumulonimbus thunderheads, can look like giant alien motherships. Shelf clouds form when the cooler air of a thunderstorm encounters warm, humid air and lifts it. As the shelf cloud passes over you, you’ll notice a drop in temperature, and winds pick up as the gust front moves through. Rain follows soon behind.

Shelf cloud photo gallery

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jim Saudade captured this early afternoon shelf cloud over Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, on June 28, 2020. He said: “Shelf cloud quickly followed by pea sized hail and a deluge of rain.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sarah Iler of Birch Run, Michigan, captured this image on August 2, 2020, at 8:39 p.m. She wrote: “Thunderstorms all afternoon and then this shelf cloud formed in the evening. It was amazing.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jay Banfield caught this shelf cloud from Centerton, Indiana, at 11:56 a.m. on August 17, 2019. Jay described it as: “Well-defined shelf cloud ahead of a 15-20 degree temperature drop.”

Shelf cloud photographed by Rita Addison at Osmond Beach, Florida, on June 3, 2018.

A shelf cloud moving over the Fire Island Inlet Bridge, on Long Island, New York, May 15, 2018, by James Trezza.

Josh Blash caught this shelf cloud from Rye, New Hampshire, on July 23, 2016. Josh said: “Everything got very still when I took this, just moments before the fury of the storm began.”

Simon Toogood in Tasmania captured this impressive shelf cloud in 2014. He said: “Stormy weather – and shelf clouds like these – are common at this time of year.”

Bottom line: A shelf cloud, also known as an arcus cloud, forms at the leading edge of thunderstorms and signals that gusty winds are coming.

The post Shelf Cloud photos shared by readers first appeared on EarthSky.

Moon phases 2021 in text format

Claudia Crowley — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 15:17:08 +0000

When the moon is growing larger from new to full it is waxing. When the moon’s phase is shrinking toward new it’s called waning. The last quarter moon can also be called the 3rd quarter moon. Image via NASA/ Bill Dunford. Click here for 4 keys to understanding moon phases.

Below are the monthly lunar phases for 2021 in text format, with date and time in UTC and the exact distance of the moon from Earth. Translate UTC to your time.

To see a large graphic of the moon phases, visit this page.

Last Quarter / January 6, 2021 / 09:38 (09:38 AM) / 226,614 miles

New Moon / January 13, 2021 / 05:02 (05:02 AM) / 234,586 miles

First Quarter / January 20, 2021 / 21:03 (09:03 PM) / 251,781 miles

Full Moon / January 28, 2021 / 19:18 (07:18 PM) / 238,592 miles

Last Quarter / February 4, 2021 / 17:38 (05:38 PM) / 225,771 miles

New Moon / February 11, 2021 / 19:08 (07:08 PM) / 240,601 miles

First Quarter / February 19, 2021 / 18:49 (06:49 PM) / 251,290 miles

Full Moon / February 27, 2021 / 08:19 (08:19 AM) / 232,832 miles

Last Quarter / March 6, 2021 / 01:32 (01:32 AM) / 227,337 miles

New Moon / March 13, 2021 / 10:23 (10:23 AM) / 246,297 miles

First Quarter / March 21, 2021 / 14:41 (02:41 PM) / 247,918 miles

Full Moon / March 28, 2021 / 18:50 (06:50 PM) / 228,465 miles

Last Quarter / April 4, 2021 / 10:04 (10:04 AM) / 231,039 miles

New Moon / April 12, 2021 / 02:32 (02:32 AM) / 250,386 miles

First Quarter / April 20, 2021 / 07:00 (07:00 AM) / 242,669 miles

Full Moon / April 27, 2021 / 03:33 (03:33 AM) / 226,098 miles

Last Quarter / May 3, 2021 / 19:51 (07:51 PM) / 236,242 miles

New Moon / May 11, 2021 / 19:01 (07:01 PM) / 251,964 miles

First Quarter / May 19, 2021 / 19:13 (07:13 PM) / 236,868 miles

Full Moon / May 26, 2021 / 11:14 (11:14 AM) / 225,959 miles

Last Quarter / June 2, 2021 / 07:26 (07:26 AM) / 242,011 miles

New Moon / June 10, 2021 / 10:54 (10:54 AM) / 250,735 miles

First Quarter / June 18, 2021 / 03:54 (03:54 AM) / 231,660 miles

Full Moon / June 24, 2021 / 18:40 (06:40 PM) / 228,003 miles

Last Quarter / July 1, 2021 / 21:12 (09:12 PM) / 247,243 miles

New Moon / July 10, 2021 / 01:17 (01:17 AM) / 247,051 miles

First Quarter / July 17, 2021 / 10:11 (10:11 AM) / 227,841 miles

Full Moon / July 24, 2021 / 02:37 (02:37 AM) / 231,943 miles

Last Quarter / July 31, 2021 / 13:18 (01:18 PM) / 250,842 miles

New Moon / August 8, 2021 / 13:50 (01:50 PM) / 241,780 miles

First Quarter / August 15, 2021 / 15:21 (03:21 PM) / 225,915 miles

Full Moon / August 22, 2021 / 12:02 (12:02 PM) / 237,230 miles

Last Quarter / August 30, 2021 / 07:15 (07:15 AM) / 251,953 miles

New Moon / September 7, 2021 / 00:52 (12:52 AM) / 236,031 miles

First Quarter / September 13, 2021 / 20:41 (08:41 PM) / 226,155 miles

Full Moon / September 20, 2021 / 23:54 (11:54 PM) / 243,024 miles

Last Quarter / September 29, 2021 / 01:58 (01:58 AM) / 250,220 miles

New Moon / October 6, 2021 / 11:05 (11:05 AM) / 230,883 miles

First Quarter / October 13, 2021 / 03:27 (03:27 AM) / 228,609 miles

Full Moon / October 20, 2021 / 14:57 (02:57 PM) / 248,172 miles

Last Quarter / October 28, 2021 / 20:06 (08:06 PM) / 245,969 miles

New Moon / November 4, 2021 / 21:15 (09:15 PM) / 227,240 miles

First Quarter / November 11, 2021 / 12:48 (12:48 PM) / 233,039 miles

Full Moon / November 19, 2021 / 08:59 (08:59 AM) / 251,391 miles

Last Quarter / November 27, 2021 / 12:29 (12:29 PM) / 240,185 miles

New Moon / December 4, 2021 / 07:44 (07:44 AM) / 225,757 miles

First Quarter / December 11, 2021 / 01:37 (01:37 AM) / 238,815 miles

Full Moon / December 19, 2021 / 04:37 (04:37 AM) / 251,726 miles

Last Quarter / December 27, 2021 / 02:26 (02:26 AM) / 234,215 miles

Bottom line: Phases of the moon for 2021 with date, exact UTC time, and distance from Earth.

The post Moon phases 2021 in text format first appeared on EarthSky.

Hubble sees the brightest kilonova yet

Claudia Crowley — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 11:58:23 +0000

Artist’s concept of short gamma-ray burst 200522A, the result of what scientists have confirmed to be the brightest kilonova ever recorded, at 10 times brighter than the next closest observed event. Image via Center for Astrophysics/ NASA/ ESA/ D. Player (STScI).

A team of scientists said earlier this month (November 12, 2020) that they’ve observed the most luminous kilonova candidate yet discovered. Kilo means a thousand, and a kilonova bears its name for its dramatic peak brightness, which might be 1,000 times greater than an ordinary classical nova (but only a fraction as bright as a supernova). This one was associated with a short gamma ray burst – labeled GRB 200522A – seen on May 22, 2020. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, made in the days after the discovery, showed that the radiation from this distant cosmological event didn’t fit the profile scientists had come to expect from typical kilonovae. It shone as much as 10 times brighter most kilonovae in the near-infrared, as viewed from Hubble three days after the first observations.

Gamma rays bursts are believed to be caused when two neutron stars merge in a violent explosion, and the radiation from hot elements created in the explosion creates what is seen from Earth as a kilonova.

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Artist’s concept of a neutron star. The star’s tiny size and great density give it incredibly powerful gravity at its surface. Image via Raphael.concorde/ Daniel Molybdenum/ NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.

According to the paper, to be published in The Astrophysical Journal and currently available at arXiv, the infrared light associated with GRB 200522A is:

… significantly more luminous than any kilonova candidate for which comparable observations exist.

Wen-fai Fong. Image via Northwestern University.

Led by Wen-fai Fong of Northwestern University, the team combined observations from Hubble, the Very Large Array, the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope and the W.M. Keck Observatory. However, Fong said:

Hubble really sealed the deal in the sense that it was the only one to detect infrared light. Amazingly, Hubble was able to take an image only three days after the burst. Hubble’s spectacular resolution was also key in quantifying the amount of light coming from the merger.

Edo Berger, professor of astronomy at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, explained:

The Hubble observations were designed to search for infrared emission that results from the creation of heavy elements – like gold, platinum, and uranium – during a neutron star collision. Surprisingly, we found much brighter infrared emission than we ever expected, suggesting that there was additional energy input from a magnetar [a neutron star with a super strong magnetic field] that was the remnant of the merger.

Artist’s concept of sequence of events in the formation of a magnetar, a massive, highly magnetized neutron star. On May 22, 2020, scientists observed what may be the formation of one of these unusual stellar objects. Scientists believe that two neutron stars collided, resulting in a colossal explosion, leaving behind the magnetar as a remnant. Image via CfA/ NASA/ ESA/ D. Player (STScI).

Why do scientists find GRB 200522A different from other potential kilonovae? Fong said:

Given what we know about the radio and X-rays from this blast, it just doesn’t match up. The infrared emission that we’re finding with Hubble is way too bright. In terms of trying to fit the puzzle pieces of this gamma-ray burst together, one puzzle piece is not fitting correctly.

Several possibilities exist. Berger stated:

What is left behind in such a collision? A more massive neutron star? A black hole? The fact that we see this infrared emission, and that it is so bright, shows that short gamma-ray bursts indeed form from neutron star collisions, but surprisingly the aftermath of the collision may not be a black hole, but rather likely a magnetar.

A magnetar is part of the neutron star family: an ultra-dense star with a magnetic field stronger than Earth’s by a trillion times. Magnetars are short-lived (by cosmic standards) – perhaps 10,000 years – and are the probable source of fast radio bursts (FRBs). Follow-up observations in radio a few years down the line will be able to confirm whether it is indeed a magnetar behind this unexpectedly bright observation.

Bottom line: Hubble Space Telescope observations of a possible kilonova explosion associated with a gamma-ray burst revealed unexpectedly high levels of infrared light. Scientists speculate that the radiation comes from a magnetar – a highly magnetized neutron star – formed by the merger of two neutron stars.

Source: The Broad-band Counterpart of the Short GRB 200522A at z=0.5536: A Luminous Kilonova or a Collimated Outflow with a Reverse Shock?

Via Center for Astrophysics

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Venus seen by BepiColombo

Claudia Crowley — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 07:04:12 +0000

The European Space Agency’s BepiColombo spacecraft, heading toward Mercury, caught this fleeting image of Venus via its monitoring camera 2 on October 15, 2020. The terminator line, or dividing line between light and dark on Venus, can be seen passing from right to left, causing Venus to change phase as the spacecraft swept past.

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Via ESA

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A close look at the Rosette Nebula

Claudia Crowley — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 09:04:20 +0000

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | William Shaheen captured this telescopic view of the Rosette Nebula on October 15, 2020. He wrote: “A large, colorful and detailed nebula at a distance of 5,200 light-years, the Rosette is one of my favorite objects to photograph.” Thank you, William! Equipment included Mount: Orion HDX110: Telescope: Celestron RASA 11 V2; Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro; Filter: Optolong L-eNhance filter.

The beautiful Rosette Nebula, aka NGC 2237, lies about 5,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Monoceros the Unicorn, and is about 130 light-years across. It is an emission nebula, meaning that the gases that compose it glow as they are energized by radiation from local stars. The young stars in the nebula’s center are gravitationally bound to each other; they are an open cluster formed together from the material of the nebula.

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Bottom line: A telescopic photo of the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237), with its central cluster of stars, from EarthSky Community member William Shaheen.

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Favorite photos of October’s young moon

Claudia Crowley — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 10:24:42 +0000

View larger at EarthSky Community Photos. | Do you see the thin sliver of a crescent moon, above the clouds, in the center of this photo? New moon was October 16. On that day, the moon was most nearly between the Earth and sun for this monthly orbit. Radu Anghel captured the thread-like young crescent moon from Bacau, Romania, on October 17. Radu wrote: “A very young moon, only 20 hours old. Easy and wonderful to spot even with binoculars, 20 minutes after the sunset.” Thank you, Radu.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | From the Southern Hemisphere at this time of year, a young moon is easier to see. That’s because it’s springtime in that hemisphere, and the ecliptic – which marks the approximate path of the sun, moon and planets across our sky – stands nearly perpendicular in spring with respect to the western horizon after sunset. Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe, made this composite of several photos of the very young moon on October 17, 2020. See the earthshine in the upper right image? Thank you, Peter!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohamed Mohamed caught the young moon shining in the evening sky from Tripoli, Libya, on October 18. Thank you, Mohamed.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Pradya Gharpure captured the young moon from Nagpur, India, on October 18. Pradnya wrote: “The beautiful young crescent just before it set this evening!! It was a mesmerizing sight to see the earthshine too!!” Thank you, Pradnya.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Salil Kawli caught the young moon in purple twilight from Mumbai, India, on October 18. Salil wrote: “Crescent moon. Illuminated 4%.” Thanks, Salil!

The post Favorite photos of October’s young moon first appeared on EarthSky.

Photos of fiery Mars, at its best in 2020

Claudia Crowley — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 13:47:48 +0000

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Doug Groenhoff caught bright Mars – brightest starlike object in the sky for most of the night now – above a mountain near Tucson, Arizona, on October 12. Doug wrote: “Mars rising over the Catalina Mountains, Tucson, Arizona. About 15 minutes after sunset. Day before its max opposition.”

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Nancy Ricigliano captured Mars from Long Island, New York, on October 6, using a Celestron 11-inch telescope. She wrote: “I had this telescope for three years. I could never get it collimated right. The week before I said I’m going to get this once and for all. I finally did it and this was my reward.” Thank you, Nancy.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | John Nelson took these photos of Mars from August to October 2020, from Puget Sound, Washington, using a 12-inch Meade LX850 telescope. He wrote: “This is a composite featuring separate images of Mars during a two month progression from August 8th leading to its closest approach to Earth on October 6th. Mother Nature was very kind, offering clear skies in the Pacific Northwest at regular intervals for two months. I’ve been waiting for two years to do this…ever since the 2018 Mars opposition.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | John Nelson captured Mars at its closest approach to Earth on October 6, using a 12-inch telescope. Of the photo processing John wrote: “11,108 frames were captured over a period of 87 seconds. Pipp was used to crop and debayer the video sequence. Autostakkert3 was used to align the frames, select the best 2000 and stack them and produce a .png image which I then took into Registax6 for wavelets processing to sharpen and bring out detail. Finishing touches to contrast and lighting applied in Lightroom. Having close cropped the video sequence, I used PhotoshopElements9 to set the image in a wider field black background for asthetic purposes.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Wo Wehali in Atlanta, Georgia caught these images of Mars. He wrote, “Here is a collage of images I’ve taken of Mars from August through the day Mars was closest to Earth, on October 6. In terms of detail, this has been a much better apparition than 2018!” And it’s not over yet. On October 13, Earth will pass between Mars and the sun.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Helio C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil captured Mars very close to the moon on October 2, 2020. In this photo, Mars is about in the 8 o’clock position. Helio wrote: “By very little, the close encounter failed to become a grazing occultation. Only 4 arcminutes separated Mars from the lunar limb.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Brian Ottum caught the moon and Mars on October 2, 2020. In this photo, Mars is the tiny dot in the upper right. He wrote: “I took this from my remote control telescope located in the New Mexico desert. Cloudy here in Michigan, so am happy to see it ‘virtually.'”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman caught the moon just after full with Mars nearby, on October 2, 2020, from Tucson, Arizona. In this photo, Mars is in the upper left. He wrote: “The moon and Mars were really beautiful.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia caught Mars through a telescope from Mattituck, New York, at 10:41 p.m. September 30, 2020. That’s October 1 at 02:41 UTC. Thank you, Steven!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Marcelo Barbosa in Texas captured this telescopic image of Mars on September 27, 2020. Mars will reach its once-in-2-years opposition on October 13. That’s when Earth will pass between Mars and the sun, bringing the planet closest to us for this 2-year period. Earth and Mars are already close, and the planet now shines brightly in our night sky. Plus the telescopic view of Mars is nearly at its best now! Thank you, Marcelo!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Joel Weatherly in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, caught the northern lights and Mars rising in the same view, September 26, 2020. He wrote: “This image features some of my favorite autumn sights, including the aurora borealis, Pleiades, and Mars. This week’s geomagnetic unrest has allowed for multiple nights of aurora observations here in Alberta. Mars has also been an incredible sight to observe, with its signature hue showing up plainly to the unaided eye.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Veteran meteor observer Eliot Herman in Tucson used an automatic all-sky camera to capture this cool image of a bright meteor and Mars over Tucson, Arizona, on September 22, 2020. He wrote: “Looks like it was shot from Mars – not really, of course – but it does look like Mars shot it toward Earth. First time I have caught such a conjunction.” View this image full-sized. Thank you, Eliot!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Paulette Haws captured the planet Mars this past Monday evening, September 21, 2020. Mars is very bright now and fiery red, rising in the east not long after sunset. In this photo, Mars is shining above, and reflected in, Little Tupper Lake in New York state. Thanks, Paulette!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Aurelian Neacsu in Visina, Dambovita, Romania, captured this telescopic view of Mars on September 16, 2020. You can’t see much of Mars’ surface when the red planet is at its farthest from Earth. But – as Earth catches up to Mars in the race of the planets – the distance between our two worlds is shrinking. Thank you, Aurelian!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Kakuktinniq at Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, also captured red Mars gleaming through the aurora borealis on September 12, 2020. He wrote: “Northern Lights over the Hudson Bay, with Mars near the center of the image.”

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kaiih Henson captured the moon and Mars in the sky over a brightly lit construction site in Somerset, England. Kaiih wrote: “Fishing at Lilstock Beach, the full moon and Mars dueted in the night sky whilst building continues on the new Hinkley Point nuclear powerstation, unaware of the STELLAR performance happening above.” Thank you, Kaiih!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Abigail Atienza wrote: “I just want to share a photo of the waning gibbous moon and the red planet Mars (on the right) with the northern lights in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. September 6, 2020, 9:20 p.m. Road to Nowhere.” Thank you, Abigail! See more photos of early September’s moon and Mars.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman captured this dramatic view of Mars this past weekend, when it was near the moon: “Moon and Mars clearing the ridgeline in Tucson, Arizona. The close conjunction of the moon and bright near-opposition Mars was a striking sight. The terminator of the moon shows the terrain picking up light on the craters and mountains leading to the observed discontinuities [the jagged appearance of the upper edge of the moon].” Thank you, Eliot! See more photos of early September’s moon and Mars.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kannan A in Singapore captured the moon and Mars around 6:30 a.m. on September 5, 2020. He wrote: “The waning gibbous moon and planet Mars seen in the morning, descending toward the northwest of Singapore.” Thank you, Kannan A.See more photos of early September’s moon and Mars.

Bottom line: Photos from the EarthSky community of the bright planet Mars, at its best. Earth passed between Mars and the sun – bringing the planet to a once-in-two-years opposition – on October 13, 2020.

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Stunning images of the night

Claudia Crowley — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 11:45:40 +0000

View larger | Mihail Minkov captured this photo, which is titled Star Catcher. The photo is from the Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria. It’s the 1st-place winner in 2020’s IDA photo contest, in the Connecting to the Dark category.

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) held its first annual Capture the Dark photography competition during May 2020. The goal was to portray the meaning of the night for people around the world. Participants were invited to submit images in five categories: Connecting to the Dark, International Dark Sky Places, Impact of Light Pollution, Bright Side of Lighting, and Youth. In two weeks, IDA received nearly 450 submissions from people around the world. An international panel of judges made the final selections. The winning entries in each category are on this page.

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

Category 1: Connecting to the Dark.

IDA explained:

Experiencing a natural night provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our humanity and place in the universe.

The winning entry in this category is Star Catcher, shown at the top of this post. Photographer Mihail Minkov said:

I have a 4-year-old daughter, who is really in love with the night sky … She is always asking to come with me when I go to shoot the Milky Way. So I decided to make her part of the process and try to show her what it’s like to be out under the dark sky, and see the beauty of the night sky. I hope that one day, she will remember that, and this memory will make her a good and decent person, who really takes care of the planet and the night sky.

View larger. | Jean-Francois Graffand captured this image at the Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve in France. It’s the winner in the International Dark Sky Places category. The photo is titled Dark Night in Pyrénées Mountains.

Category 2: International Dark Sky Places.

IDA explained:

Over 130 protected lands and municipalities have been certified by IDA as an International Dark Sky Place creating havens for astrophotographers around the world.

Winning photographer Jean-Francois Graffand said:

A typical landscape of French Pyrénées mountains, taken inside the Pic du Midi Dark Sky Reserve, during a summer night. At 1,400-meters [4,600 feet] of altitude, the mountain torrent descends into the valley where absolutely no source of light is visible at night.

View larger. | Petr Horálek captured this image at the Great Wall of China. It’s the winner in the Impact of Light Pollution category. The photo is titled Remembering the Old Times.

Category 3: Impact of Light Pollution.

IDA explained:

Light pollution can have significant impacts on the environment, human health, and our access to the universe.

Winning photographer Petr Horálek said:

Stargazing on one of the most legendary ancient human creations, the Chinese Great Wall, makes you deeply think. A piece of deepest history meets current civilization, unfortunately producing the light pollution. Think about how wonderful skies looked for ancient Chinese people walking the wall.

View larger. | Jean-Francois Graffand captured this photo at the Pyrénées National Parc in France. It’s the winner in the Bright Side of Lighting category. It’s titled The Celestial River.

Category 4: Bright Side of Lighting.

IDA explained:

Light pollution can give lighting a bad rap. But lighting that follows IDA’s Principles for Responsible Outdoor Light can be beautiful, healthy, and functional.

Winning photographer Jean-Francois Graffand said:

Panoramic view of the Pont d’Espagne site, in the heart of the Pic du Midi Dark Sky Reserve … Surrounded by the mountains at 1500m [5,000 ft] of altitude, all the city lights in the valley are hidden. During the summer tourist season, the little restaurant hosts some employees, which can generate the only light source. Here only a faint warm bedside lamp is turned on in a room, but amplified by the long exposure and high iso, it seems to light up the place like a beacon and reveals the landscape.

View larger.| Nayana Rajesh, age 16, captured the winning entry in the Youth category. The photo is set in Ennis, Texas. It’s titled “The Barn.”

Category 5: Youth.

IDA explained:

Entrant must be 17 years old or younger.

Winning photographer Nayana Rajesh said:

One of my favorite things about living in Texas is the blooming of the bluebonnets each year. I went out to Ennis, Texas, to shoot the bluebonnets under the stars at a ranch owned by our friend Jim. It’s important to me to always be learning something new every time I shoot, so I spent the night learning how to focus stack manually and think through different compositions.

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

Bottom line: Winning photos in the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) 2020 photography contest.

Via International Dark-Sky Association

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

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