A reverse view of an eclipse. In this image of Earth, you might notice the dark round area near the top of the planet. What could it be? It's actually the shadow of the Moon left during an annular solar eclipse in 2012. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Ever since our earliest telescopic observations of Mars, when we thought we saw artificial canals, we've dreamed of life on Mars. But is it really possible? Might we find alien life next door? Read about life on Mars in my newest article: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/aliens-... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

This field of white dwarf stars was captured in 2002 by Hubble and is an important tool in determining the age of the universe. A white dwarf is the remnant of a dead star. They cool at a predictable rate, so by studying these stars, we can determine how old they are. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

No planet in Star Wars is better known than Tatooine, and it's most famous for its twin sunset. Is this science fact or science fiction? Can a planet have two suns? Read all about binary stars and their planets here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/a-real-... #MayThe4th #StarWarsDay 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

A stellar baby photo. At a meager 400 light-years away, the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is one of the closest star-forming regions to us. With help from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, we can peer through the clouds to see the stars forming inside. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Telescopes are one of the most iconic scientific instruments. They're deceptively simple and their fundamentals have remained unchanged for 400 years. With them, we see farther than we ever could alone. Take a closer look at telescopes: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/far-see... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Today is Hubble's 36th anniversary of launch. This image was released to celebrate Hubble's 30th anniversary in 2020. It shows NGC 2014 (red) and NGC 2020 (blue). Together they are known as the Cosmic Reef. Both are completely different types of nebulae. (1/3) #Hubble 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

For Earth Day, let's remind ourselves just how small the Earth is. This is The Pale Blue Dot. You see that tiny bluish pixel? That's the Earth in farthest photo ever taken of it. It was taken in 1990 by Voyager 1 as the probe left the Solar System, over 6 billion km from Earth. (1/3) #EarthDay 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

When we study the universe, we see a mystery. 85% of the matter that should be there is simply missing. Dark matter is culprit. But what exactly is this stuff that doesn't interact with ordinary matter? Shed some light on dark matter here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/the-uns... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Two galaxies collide and are born anew. This image is of Arp 107, two galaxies that have collided and are in the process of combining together. While this may sound like the end these galaxies, it's actually a new beginning. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

It's Dark Sky Week! Electric lighting has made life easier for us, but it also brings problems. Light pollution has taken over the world. Stargazing isn't the only thing impacted by it. Read about light pollution in my previous article: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/the-end... #DarkSkyWeek 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

When we imagine finding life beyond Earth, we envision civilizations that we can talk to. What are the odds that there are other civilizations? That's what Frank Drake asked when he came up with the Drake Equation. Let's solve it together: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/let-s-s... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Artemis II is set to return to Earth in just a few hours. To celebrate, let's take a look at my favorite image taken during the mission. This image captures an Earthset, the Earth setting behind the Moon's horizon. Technically, there's actually no such thing as an Earthset. (1/3) #ArtemisII 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

Artemis II has officially broken the record for farthest humans from Earth set by Apollo 13. But Apollo 13 was never meant to travel as far as it did. It got its record due to a near-disaster. Learn more about Apollo 13 in my new article: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/houston... #ArtemisII 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

With Artemis II on its way to the Moon, let's remember the first time humans landed there. This photo was taken by Michael Collins of Apollo 11 in the command module as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were returning in the lunar module at the end of their mission. (1/2) #ArtemisII 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

If you want to learn even more, in addition to my article about the mission and timeline, I also previously wrote an article with an overview of the entire Artemis Program. www.amidthestarstours.com/post/we-chos... #ArtemisII 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

We're less than T-minus three hours to launch of the Artemis II. 6:24 PM EDT is when the launch window opens. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the mission of Artemis II and it's timeline of events, I wrote an article two months ago breaking the mission down. #ArtemisII 🔭⚛️🧪🛰️

To say the universe is massive is an understatement. The human mind simply can't fathom the true size of the universe. So, to really understand it, you need to use a scale model. In my article, I construct and discuss such a scale model. www.amidthestarstours.com/post/how-big... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

A galaxy ablaze with star formation. NGC 2283 is barred spiral galaxy about 45 million light-years away from Earth. The dense knots of brightly glowing gas is the result of active star formation. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Today NASA announced SR-1 Freedom, a first of its kind Mars mission using groundbreaking tech. How does Mars travel work? Is Freedom what we need to get humans to Mars? Read about Freedom and what a trip to Mars entails in my newest article: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/the-fre... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Earth isn't the only planet with aurorae. Just like Earth's Northern Lights, Saturn's magnetic field diverts charged particles from the Sun to its poles, where the particles collide with gas molecules in the atmosphere to create a light show. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Scientists no longer think of the universe as a steady state with no start or end. Instead, we trace the origin of the universe to the Big Bang. What was the Big Bang? What does it imply about the end of the universe? Read all about it here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/startin... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

The Pillars of Creation from a whole new perspective. You've likely seen Hubble's famous "Pillars of Creation" image before, but here's an alternative look at it by the James Webb Space Telescope. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

All eyes were on space in the 1950s and 60s as the USA and USSR competed in the Space Race. It was a formative era in the space exploration. But why was space travel suddenly so important? Who really won the Space Race? Read my article here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/the-rac... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope in use. For it to see as far as it does, it needs a massive mirror. Most telescopes, both grounded and space, use mirrors to collect light. The bigger the mirror, the more light collected and the better the image. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Tomorrow morning we'll be treated to the special sight of a total lunar eclipse, popularly known as a "blood moon." But what is a lunar eclipse and why does the Moon turn red? To learn all about lunar eclipses, read my recent article here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/total-e... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

This image is the groundbreaking proof of a long believed astronomical concept. This is the Serpens Nebula, an active star-forming region. Look closely, and you'll spot multiple stellar jets being ejected from the newly formed stars. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

In this deep field image, nearly every light you see is a galaxy rather than a star. While the few bright lights with diffraction spikes are stars in the Milky Way that happen to be in sight, everything else is galaxies far away, which contain billions of stars of their own. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

You might have heard about a "planet parade" this week, but many outlets give exaggerative reports that leave out the needed context and details. In this article, I break down the so-called parade without any hype or clickbait. Read it here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/planets... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

That's not an abstract painting, it's Jupiter's surface! As a gas giant planet, Jupiter has no solid surface. It's just one big atmosphere. This color-enhanced image from the Juno probe shows the turbulent and dynamic surface of Jupiter's bands and storms in vivid detail. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

This is the Spider Nebula as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. As JWST sees the world in infrared, the collapsed star at the nebula's center and its surroundings glow brightly, where they would normally be dim in visible light. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Neutron stars are some of the densest things in the universe. They are so incredibly crammed full of matter, that just one tablespoon of material taken from a neutron star would weigh more than 2 trillion pounds. That's about the weight of Mt. Everest. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Things in the universe are far away. The closest star? 4 light-years. The closest galaxy? 2.5 million light-years. How's it possible to measure something so far away? You have to climb the cosmic distance ladder. Read all about it here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/the-cos... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

The Space Shuttle Endeavour silhouetted by an orbital sunset as it approaches the ISS. As the Sun is fully behind the Earth, the Earth is a silhouette, but the atmosphere is able to scatter light around the planet. This is why it's not completely dark immediately after sunset. (1/5) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

You can't hear in space, but if you could, the sound of the Sun would be deafening, even 92 million miles away at Earth. At 100 decibels, during the day it would be as loud as a rock concert directly in your ear. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

There are over a septillion stars in the visible universe, and each one is unique. Those stars all follow similar life cycles. In this article, I break down the life cycle of a star and all the different paths it can take. Read it here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/the-lif... #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

There comes a time in any star's life when it has to move out from its childhood home. This is part of the Tarantula Nebula, a stellar nursery. As the stars reach maturity, their stellar winds will push the remaining gas of the nebula away, leaving behind an open star cluster. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

On Mercury, you'd get celebrate your birthday not once, but twice a day, every day! A solar day (from noon to noon) is longer than a year (one lap around the Sun) on Mercury. One day there lasts 176 Earth days, while one Mercurian year is exactly half as much at 88 Earth days. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

The objects featured here are HH49 and HH50, as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. HH stands for Herbig–Haro object, which is a type of nebula formed when narrow jets of gas are created from newborn stars colliding with the nearby gas clouds they formed out of. #Astronomy ⚛️🧪🛰️

Looks like I posted too soon. After experiencing problems in the wet dress rehearsal, including a fuel leak, NASA has delayed the launch date. They are now aiming for the March 6-11 launch window at the earliest. 🔭🧪🛰️ Here's an article from Space.com about the delay: www.space.com/space-explor...

We're potentially mere days away from the launch of Artemis II. As early as February 8, a crew of four could be on their way towards the Moon. In my newest article, I break down the historic mission and its timeline of events. Read it here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/shoot-f... #ArtemisII 🔭🧪🛰️

We've all seen the grand spiral structures of galaxies, but have you ever seen the finer structure within? Usually, the interstellar dust that creates this form is invisible, but the James Webb Space Telescope is equipped to reveal the hidden detail using its infrared imaging. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪

Space has a smell. When astronauts return from a spacewalk, they often report a distinct smell that lingers in their airlock from exposure to the vacuum of space. It's something like the aroma of a seared steak. (1/3) #Astronomy ⚛️🧪

This is an up-close photo of Saturn's rings, but it also shows so much more. Those two little dots are actually the Earth and Moon as seen from over 1.4 billion kilometers away by the Cassini spacecraft. Everything you know and love is on that dot. #Astronomy ⚛️🧪

We search for worlds beyond our own. We've found over 6,000 exoplanets in the past 30 years. We hunt with methods of all kinds. In my recent article, I break down exoplanets and the strategies used to find them. Read it here: www.amidthestarstours.com/post/planet-... #Astronomy #Exoplanets ⚛️🧪

It might rain diamonds on Uranus and Neptune. It's hypothetically possible for diamonds to form thousands of miles deep in the atmospheres of the planets, causing them to rain down on the lower layers. #Astronomy #PlanetaryScience ⚛️🧪

NGC 6357, known as the Lobster Nebula, is a diffuse nebula over 1,000 light-years across. This image is actually a composite of three different spectrums. The blue is visible light, the orange is infrared, and the pink is X-ray. #Astronomy ⚛️🧪