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Current asteroid count is 1,351,400
Observable comet count is 1118
Current exoplanet count is 5626
Current longitude II of the GRS is 53°
Today Monitor
Mars: January 16, 2025
Jupiter: December 7, 2024
Saturn: September 8, 2024
Uranus: November 17, 2024
Neptune: September 31, 2024
Evening: January 10, 2025 at 47.2°E
Morning: June 1, 2025 at 45.9°W
Evening: December 4,2023 at 21.3°E
Morning: January 12, 2024 at 23.5°W
Evening: March 24, 2024 at 18.7°E
Morning: May 9, 2024 at 26.4°W
Evening: July 22, 2024 at 26.9°E
Morning: September 5, 2024 at 18.1°W
Evening: November 16, 2024 at 22.5°E
Morning: December 25, 2024 at 22.0°W
Wednesday, September 18
Thursday, October 17
given for 00:00 UT
Date | Size | Age | Angle | Phase |
---|---|---|---|---|
14 Aug 2024 | 30.51' | 9.53 | -6.644° | |
15 Aug 2024 | 30.96' | 10.53 | -6.946° | |
16 Aug 2024 | 31.45' | 11.53 | -6.807° | |
27 Aug 2024 | 31.47' | 22.53 | 6.648° | |
28 Aug 2024 | 31.09' | 23.53 | 6.822° | |
29 Aug 2024 | 30.74' | 24.53 | 6.717° | |
11 Sep 2024 | 30.44' | 7.92 | -7.081° | |
12 Sep 2024 | 30.88' | 8.92 | -7.442° | |
13 Sep 2024 | 31.38' | 9.92 | -7.388° | |
14 Sep 2024 | 31.90' | 10.92 | -6.884° | |
23 Sep 2024 | 32.03' | 19.92 | 6.983° | |
24 Sep 2024 | 31.54' | 20.92 | 7.577° | |
25 Sep 2024 | 31.07' | 21.92 | 7.769° | |
26 Sep 2024 | 30.64' | 22.92 | 7.584° | |
27 Sep 2024 | 30.28' | 23.92 | 7.067° | |
09 Oct 2024 | 30.41' | 6.22 | -6.872° | |
10 Oct 2024 | 30.80' | 7.22 | -7.260° | |
11 Oct 2024 | 31.24' | 8.22 | -7.306° | |
12 Oct 2024 | 31.73' | 9.22 | -6.971° | |
21 Oct 2024 | 32.22' | 18.22 | 6.835° | |
22 Oct 2024 | 31.69' | 19.22 | 7.618° | |
23 Oct 2024 | 31.17' | 20.22 | 7.933° | |
24 Oct 2024 | 30.69' | 21.22 | 7.796° | |
25 Oct 2024 | 30.28' | 22.22 | 7.257° | |
08 Nov 2024 | 31.20' | 6.47 | -6.417° | |
19 Nov 2024 | 31.78' | 17.47 | 6.845° | |
20 Nov 2024 | 31.27' | 18.47 | 7.271° | |
21 Nov 2024 | 30.79' | 19.47 | 7.223° | |
22 Nov 2024 | 30.36' | 20.47 | 6.738° |
Date | Size | Age | Angle | Phase |
---|---|---|---|---|
11 May 2024 | 31.43' | 2.86 | -6.465° | |
12 May 2024 | 30.97' | 3.86 | -6.734° | |
13 May 2024 | 30.54' | 4.86 | -6.649° | |
26 May 2024 | 31.26' | 17.86 | 6.556° | |
27 May 2024 | 31.51' | 18.86 | 6.627° | |
08 Jun 2024 | 31.21' | 1.47 | -6.565° | |
09 Jun 2024 | 30.83' | 2.47 | -6.570° | |
22 Jun 2024 | 31.42' | 15.47 | 6.419° | |
23 Jun 2024 | 31.72' | 16.47 | 6.548° | |
05 Jul 2024 | 31.15' | 28.47 | -6.475° | |
06 Jul 2024 | 30.85' | 0.04 | -6.542° | |
20 Jul 2024 | 31.77' | 14.04 | 6.576° | |
01 Aug 2024 | 31.01' | 26.04 | -6.516° | |
02 Aug 2024 | 30.73' | 27.04 | -6.622° | |
16 Aug 2024 | 31.45' | 11.53 | 6.680° | |
17 Aug 2024 | 31.94' | 12.53 | 6.611° | |
28 Aug 2024 | 31.09' | 23.53 | -6.608° | |
29 Aug 2024 | 30.74' | 24.53 | -6.758° | |
30 Aug 2024 | 30.43' | 25.53 | -6.567° | |
12 Sep 2024 | 30.88' | 8.92 | 6.748° | |
13 Sep 2024 | 31.38' | 9.92 | 6.795° | |
14 Sep 2024 | 31.90' | 10.92 | 6.467° | |
24 Sep 2024 | 31.54' | 20.92 | -6.608° | |
25 Sep 2024 | 31.07' | 21.92 | -6.837° | |
26 Sep 2024 | 30.64' | 22.92 | -6.706° | |
09 Oct 2024 | 30.41' | 6.22 | 6.695° | |
10 Oct 2024 | 30.80' | 7.22 | 6.831° | |
11 Oct 2024 | 31.24' | 8.22 | 6.620° | |
21 Oct 2024 | 32.22' | 18.22 | -6.408° | |
22 Oct 2024 | 31.69' | 19.22 | -6.763° | |
23 Oct 2024 | 31.17' | 20.22 | -6.728° | |
05 Nov 2024 | 30.24' | 3.47 | 6.535° | |
06 Nov 2024 | 30.52' | 4.47 | 6.723° | |
07 Nov 2024 | 30.84' | 5.47 | 6.580° | |
18 Nov 2024 | 32.26' | 16.47 | -6.549° | |
19 Nov 2024 | 31.78' | 17.47 | -6.638° | |
03 Dec 2024 | 30.57' | 1.74 | 6.584° | |
04 Dec 2024 | 30.83' | 2.74 | 6.475° | |
16 Dec 2024 | 32.04' | 14.74 | -6.545° | |
30 Dec 2024 | 30.69' | 28.74 | 6.543° | |
31 Dec 2024 | 31.00' | 0.07 | 6.472° |
Source: NASA/GSFC
An illustration of a star being torn apart by a black hole. To the right of center, there is a black sphere representing a black hole, surrounded by many thick wisps of light. To the left of it, there is a fuzzy, bright white object representing a star. The star has a tail of gas coming off its right, which is brightest near the star, but becomes grayer further away. This tail flows into the black hole’s right side and swirls around the black hole in a horizontal disk. The disk is thicker toward its center and more diffuse farther away. Material in the disk also appears to wrap around the top of the black hole. Above and below the black hole, there are purple rays of light that extend upward and downward in two broad cones. This scene sits amid a black backdrop of space with many dim, white stars in the background.
Source: Space Telescope Science Institute
In May, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64.
Source: hubblesite.org
“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning.
An American Flamingo takes a sip of water in the Indian River at Haulover Canal on Merritt Island on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. The American Flamingos are more common in Mexico and Cuba but the winds from Hurricane Idalia relocated them to Florida in September 2023. Kennedy Space Center in Florida shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge where more than 310 species of birds inhabit the refuge.
Click to enlarge or show full screenFri, 10 May 2024 18:47 GMT
Source: www.nasa.gov
Image credit: NASA/JPL
2024-03-15 solar system
According to NASA, on April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass less than 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) from Earth's surface, closer than the distance of geosynchronous satellites. Although previously dubbed the Doomsday Asteroid, about 340 meters wide Apophis does not pose any danger of impact during close approach in 2029 as it will be visible with the unaided eye. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA/LRO/LROC/ASU/Smithsonian Institution
2024-01-27 solar system
Moon is shrinking and torn by tidal forces from Earth. Evidence for seismic activity has been detected near candidate regions for the Artemis III mission scheduled for a crewed lunar landing. Such quakes can produce ground shaking strong enough for faults to slide or for piling up new thrust faults. The LROC image shows a cluster of lobate scarps (left pointing arrows) near the lunar south pole. A thrust fault scarp cut across an approximately 1-km diameter degraded crater (right pointing arrow). Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University
2024-01-27 solar system
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the JAXA SLIM lander on the Moon’s surface on Jan. 24, 2024. SLIM landed at -13.316° south latitude, +25.2510° east longitude, at an elevation of minus 912 meters. The image is 880 meters wide and lunar north is up. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI)
2024-01-26 Exoplanets
Discovered in 2017, the Superterran planet GJ 9827 d is located some 97 light-years away in Pisces and may have a water-rich atmosphere in spite of being hotter than Venus because it orbits extremely close to it host star alongside two further known inner planets. Astronomers will further investigate with the help of the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: JAXA/タカラトミー/ソニーグループ(株)/ 同志社大学)
2024-01-25 solar system
JAXAs lunar lander SLIM has been photographed by its small rover, the Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2). The soft landing about 55 meters east of target point was completed at 1.4m/sec surpassing specifications. Though the solar panels were supposed to face upwards after landing, on the photo SLIM is shown with its main engine facing upwards, but JAXA hopes it will gather sunlight and restore power until local sunset on Feb 1st. Analysis so far has also revealed that one of the two main engines was lost due to some abnormality at an altitude of 50 meters just before landing. Both exploration rover robots are in good working condition. SLIM landed on the moon at 15:20 on January 19 UTC. Link to source 🔗
Backlog
No, we are not on Facebook but proudly on AstroBin with Mille Gracie to the author Salvatore Iovene:
If anybody is interested in the night life of bats, here is a funny 1-minute MP4 video (24MB).
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Constellation | Taurus |
Distance | 117.44 parsec |
Known planet(s) | 1 |
Acrux (Alp-1 Cru) in Cru [HIP 60718]
Distance: 321 light-years, Magnitude: 0.77
The primary star in the Southern Cross, Acrux is a multiple system composed of luminous B-class stars and a fainter white dwarf. Acrux is the southmost 1st magnitude star.
Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗GJ 169.1 A (Stein 2051) in Camelopadalis
Distance: 18 light-years, Magnitude: 11
Stein 2051 (Gliese 169.1, G 175-034, LHS 26/27) is a nearby binary star system, containing a red dwarf (component A) and a degenerated star, a white dwarf (component B), located in the constellation of Camelopardalis at about 18 light-years away. Stein 2051 B is the 6th nearest white dwarf after Sirius B, Procyon B, van Maanen's star, LP 145-141 and 40 Eridani B.
Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗
M17 (Cluster with Nebula) in Sagittarius
Magnitude: 6
From its position in space some 5,500 light years away, the 'Omega' nebula occupies a region of 40 light-years across, with its brightest portion covering a 15 light-year expanse. Like many nebulae, this giant complex of cosmic clouds of interstellar matter is a starforming region in the Sagittarius-Carina arm of our Milky Way.
Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗Lepus (southern), area rank: 51
A constellation with 73 visible stars, located south of Orion. In constellation pictures it is drawn as a hare trampled down by the hunting Orion.
Star Chart9P/Tempel 1
Discovered in 1867, short-periodic 9P/Tempel 1 has a 7.6 km wide nucleus and orbits the sun once in 5.52 years. Due to its current aphelion distance of 4.7 AU, comet Tempel's orbit changes under gravitaional pulls by Jupiter and the inner planets. The last major change occurred in 1881, when Jupiter stretched Tempel's period to 6.5 years. On July 4, 2005, NASA's Deep Impact probe deliberately dropped an impactor which left a 150 meters wide and 30 meters deep crater on Tempel's surface. On February 15, 2011, NASA's Stardust probe passed the comet at 181km distance and imaged the crater.
Orcus (TNO/Plutino)
Semi-major: 39.39880 AU, Size: 814 km
With a mean distance of 39AU, 90482 Orcus orbits in the Kuiper Belt which begins at about 30AU, behind Neptune. The others are asteroids located in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. Orcus is about 800 km across and has a moon named Vanth, probably a third as large.
Telesto (moon of Saturn)
Telesto is known as a Tethys Trojan because, together with Calypso, it circles Saturn in the same orbit as the moon Tethys, 60 degrees ahead of it. Telesto is about 32.6x23.6x20.0 km across and appears to have a smooth, icy surface. It does not show the signs of instense cratering seen on many of Saturn's other moons.
KELT-9 b (in Cygnus)
Mass: 2.88 xJup
Radius: 1.891 xJup
SMA: 0.03462 AU
Period: 1.48112 days
Distance: 204.455 parsec
Category: Hot Jovian
ESI: 0.0440147
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