Interstellar turbulence in the Milky Way distorts light

Radio light from quasar TXS 2005+403 travels roughly 10 billion light-years to reach Earth. It passes through the Cygnus region, one of the most turbulent environments in our Milky Way Galaxy. On the left, this artist’s illustration shows the quasar as it truly appears. On the right, we see how turbulent gas distorts scientists’ view of the quasar in much the same way heat haze from a fire warps our view of the objects behind it. A new study has, for the 1st time, directly detected how this interstellar turbulence distorts light from distant objects. Image via Center for Astrophysics/ Melissa Weiss.

• For the first time, astronomers have directly detected how turbulent gas between stars distorts light.
• These turbulent structures occur at scales roughly the size of our solar system.
• Understanding this distortion could help scientists “de-blur” images of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*.

The Center for Astrophysics published this original article on May 13, 2026. Edits by EarthSky.

Detecting interstellar turbulence

The space between stars in our galaxy, known as the interstellar medium, is churning with clouds of ionized gas and electrons. When waves of light from distant objects pass through this turbulent material, they are bent and distorted in the same way heat haze rising above a fire distorts our view of everything behind it. That distortion has long allowed astronomers to infer that the turbulence exists, but understanding its structure has remained out of reach … until now.

Now, astronomers say they have made the first direct detection of interstellar turbulence distorting light. And they say the findings will help us produce clearer images of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The researchers, led by the Harvard and Smithsonian’s Center for Astrophysics, published their peer-reviewed research in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on May 13, 2026.

An insightful quasar

To measure the interstellar turbulence, astronomers set their sights on quasar TXS 2005+403, a bright radio source powered by a supermassive black hole that is located roughly 10 billion light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.

As radio light from the quasar travels toward Earth, it passes through the Cygnus region of the galaxy. That’s one of the most turbulent and strongly scattering environments in the Milky Way. The turbulence deflects and distorts the radio waves.

Alexander Plavin, an astronomer at the CfA’s Black Hole Initiative and lead author of the new paper, said:

Most of what we see in the radio data isn’t coming from the quasar itself, it’s coming from the scattering caused by the turbulence in this region of the Milky Way. That scattering and the distortions that come with it are what allows us to study the turbulence and better understand and infer its structure.

Imagery revealed light patterns consistent with turbulence

To get a better look at the effects of interstellar turbulence on light from the quasar, scientists analyzed nearly a decade of archival observations from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (NSF VLBA). Operated by NSF’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO), the NSF VLBA is a network of ten radio telescopes spread across the country.

Scientists expected that when radio light from TXS 2005+403 passed though the Milky Way, it would spread out into a smooth blur and fade away. Instead, they found persistent, distinct patterns, producing structured, patchy distortions in the light that could only have come from turbulence. Pavin said:

The most distant pairs of telescopes should not have seen the quasar image, but to our surprise, they clearly detected its signal, or faint glow.

It can’t be explained by simple blurring or by the quasar itself, and it behaves the way turbulence is expected to, which is how we know we’re seeing the effects of interstellar turbulence.

Plavin added that the scattering properties along this line of sight through the galaxy remain persistent over time.

Understanding how gas behaves in our galaxy

The findings have significant implications for future astronomical research. The turbulence the researchers detected exists at scales roughly the size of our solar system. Understanding it helps explain how energy moves through the galaxy and how gas behaves before collapsing to form new stars.

The findings may also directly inform efforts to sharpen images of black holes. The Event Horizon Telescope’s images of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, are degraded by this same interstellar scattering. Studying how turbulence scatters radio light over time and different frequencies provides a path toward removing its effects from those images.

The team has begun a follow-up observing campaign with the NSF VLBA running through 2026. They aim to measure the specific properties of the screen created by this turbulence and track how it changes as the gas moves relative to Earth.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Bottom line: For the first time, astronomers have directly detected how interstellar turbulence distorts the light from distant objects in our galaxy.

Source: Direct Very Long Baseline Interferometry Detection of Interstellar Turbulence Imprint on a Quasar: TXS 2005+403

Via Harvard and Smithsonian’s Center for Astrophysics

Read more: Why no radio signals from aliens? Is space weather to blame?

The post Interstellar turbulence in the Milky Way distorts light first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/W5NrijF

Radio light from quasar TXS 2005+403 travels roughly 10 billion light-years to reach Earth. It passes through the Cygnus region, one of the most turbulent environments in our Milky Way Galaxy. On the left, this artist’s illustration shows the quasar as it truly appears. On the right, we see how turbulent gas distorts scientists’ view of the quasar in much the same way heat haze from a fire warps our view of the objects behind it. A new study has, for the 1st time, directly detected how this interstellar turbulence distorts light from distant objects. Image via Center for Astrophysics/ Melissa Weiss.

• For the first time, astronomers have directly detected how turbulent gas between stars distorts light.
• These turbulent structures occur at scales roughly the size of our solar system.
• Understanding this distortion could help scientists “de-blur” images of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*.

The Center for Astrophysics published this original article on May 13, 2026. Edits by EarthSky.

Detecting interstellar turbulence

The space between stars in our galaxy, known as the interstellar medium, is churning with clouds of ionized gas and electrons. When waves of light from distant objects pass through this turbulent material, they are bent and distorted in the same way heat haze rising above a fire distorts our view of everything behind it. That distortion has long allowed astronomers to infer that the turbulence exists, but understanding its structure has remained out of reach … until now.

Now, astronomers say they have made the first direct detection of interstellar turbulence distorting light. And they say the findings will help us produce clearer images of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The researchers, led by the Harvard and Smithsonian’s Center for Astrophysics, published their peer-reviewed research in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on May 13, 2026.

An insightful quasar

To measure the interstellar turbulence, astronomers set their sights on quasar TXS 2005+403, a bright radio source powered by a supermassive black hole that is located roughly 10 billion light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.

As radio light from the quasar travels toward Earth, it passes through the Cygnus region of the galaxy. That’s one of the most turbulent and strongly scattering environments in the Milky Way. The turbulence deflects and distorts the radio waves.

Alexander Plavin, an astronomer at the CfA’s Black Hole Initiative and lead author of the new paper, said:

Most of what we see in the radio data isn’t coming from the quasar itself, it’s coming from the scattering caused by the turbulence in this region of the Milky Way. That scattering and the distortions that come with it are what allows us to study the turbulence and better understand and infer its structure.

Imagery revealed light patterns consistent with turbulence

To get a better look at the effects of interstellar turbulence on light from the quasar, scientists analyzed nearly a decade of archival observations from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (NSF VLBA). Operated by NSF’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO), the NSF VLBA is a network of ten radio telescopes spread across the country.

Scientists expected that when radio light from TXS 2005+403 passed though the Milky Way, it would spread out into a smooth blur and fade away. Instead, they found persistent, distinct patterns, producing structured, patchy distortions in the light that could only have come from turbulence. Pavin said:

The most distant pairs of telescopes should not have seen the quasar image, but to our surprise, they clearly detected its signal, or faint glow.

It can’t be explained by simple blurring or by the quasar itself, and it behaves the way turbulence is expected to, which is how we know we’re seeing the effects of interstellar turbulence.

Plavin added that the scattering properties along this line of sight through the galaxy remain persistent over time.

Understanding how gas behaves in our galaxy

The findings have significant implications for future astronomical research. The turbulence the researchers detected exists at scales roughly the size of our solar system. Understanding it helps explain how energy moves through the galaxy and how gas behaves before collapsing to form new stars.

The findings may also directly inform efforts to sharpen images of black holes. The Event Horizon Telescope’s images of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, are degraded by this same interstellar scattering. Studying how turbulence scatters radio light over time and different frequencies provides a path toward removing its effects from those images.

The team has begun a follow-up observing campaign with the NSF VLBA running through 2026. They aim to measure the specific properties of the screen created by this turbulence and track how it changes as the gas moves relative to Earth.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Bottom line: For the first time, astronomers have directly detected how interstellar turbulence distorts the light from distant objects in our galaxy.

Source: Direct Very Long Baseline Interferometry Detection of Interstellar Turbulence Imprint on a Quasar: TXS 2005+403

Via Harvard and Smithsonian’s Center for Astrophysics

Read more: Why no radio signals from aliens? Is space weather to blame?

The post Interstellar turbulence in the Milky Way distorts light first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/W5NrijF

Find the Keystone in Hercules, and the Hercules Cluster M13

Hercules is a faint constellation. But its mid-section contains the easy-to-see Keystone star pattern. You can find Hercules between the bright stars Vega in Lyra the Harp, and Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. And once you find its Keystone, you can easily locate M13, the Hercules cluster. Chart via EarthSky.

Use Vega to locate the Keystone in Hercules

In late spring from mid-northern latitudes, you can easily find the brilliant blue-white star Vega in the eastern sky at dusk and nightfall. And this star, which lies in the constellation Lyra the Harp, acts as your guide star to the Keystone, a wedge-shaped pattern of four stars in neighboring constellation Hercules.

Look for the Keystone asterism – star pattern – to the upper right of Vega. If you hold your fist at arm’s length, it’ll easily fit between Vega and the Keystone.

Also, you can locate the Keystone by using Vega in conjunction with the brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus, in Boötes the Herdsman. From mid-northern latitudes this time of year, Arcturus is found quite high in the eastern sky at nightfall. Then, by late evening, Arcturus moves high overhead. The Keystone is found about 1/3 of the way from Vega to Arcturus.

As darkness falls, look for the Keystone in Hercules to the upper right of the brilliant star Vega. Chart via EarthSky.

Use the Keystone to find M13

Furthermore, the Keystone is your ticket to find a famous globular star cluster in Hercules, otherwise known as the Hercules cluster, aka Messier 13 or M13.

Most likely, you’ll need binoculars to see the Hercules cluster. Sharp-eyed people can see it with the unaided eye in a dark, transparent sky. Through binoculars, this cluster looks like a dim smudge or a somewhat fuzzy star. However, a telescope begins to resolve this faint fuzzy object into what it really is: a huge globe-shaped stellar city populated with hundreds of thousands of stars!

The Keystone and the Hercules cluster will swing high overhead after midnight, and are found in the western sky before dawn.

Can you find the Keystone on this chart? See the compact grouping of 4 stars at the center of Hercules? That’s it. Note the whereabouts of Messier 13 within the Keystone pattern. Also, above the Keystone is another globular cluster, M92. It’s a bit smaller and dimmer than M13, but also easy to pick up in binoculars or a telescope. Image via International Astronomical Union/ Sky & Telescope/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Photos of M13 from EarthSky Community Photos

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Surry, Virginia, made this comparison of 2 famous globular star clusters on April 17, 2026. Steven wrote: “A large and a giant globular cluster: M13 and Omega Centauri (NGC 5139), imaged with the same gear on the same night.” Steven told us that M13 – the cluster on the left, about 22,000 light-years away – contains approximately 400,000 stars and takes up about 0.36 degrees of sky. Omega Centauri, aka NGC 5139, is a giant globular cluster. It’s on the right in this composite. It contains 10 million stars and takes up about 0.6 degrees of sky, larger than a full moon seen from Earth. It is 17,000 light years away. Thank you, Steven!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), captured this telescopic view of the great Hercules Cluster on April 26, 2025. Tameem wrote: “This image features the beautiful globular cluster Messier 13, also historically known as the Al-Jathi Cluster. Located in the constellation Hercules, M13 lies about 22,200 light-years away from Earth and has an estimated age of 11.65 billion years. It contains several hundred thousand ancient stars, densely packed into a region about 213 light-years across. In the same field of view, the spiral galaxy NGC 6207 and the faint active galaxy IC 4617 are visible.” Thank you, Tameem!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tom Cofer in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, captured this telescopic view of Messier 13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, on March 14, 2025. Tom wrote: “A snow globe of stars!” Thank you, Tom!

Finding the Hercules Cluster from Southern Latitudes

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

The great globular cluster M13 is also visible for Southern Hemisphere viewers, although it never climbs especially high above the horizon and never becomes as prominent as it does for observers farther north. Like Northern Hemisphere observers, southern observers require dark skies to glimpse a very faint M13 with the unaided eye. Through binoculars it appears as a faint hazy patch, while telescopes begin to resolve its densely packed population of ancient stars.

M13’s home constellation Hercules becomes visible during late autumn and is best placed during winter nights. You can still find Hercules’ Keystone by using the bright star Vega, low in the northeastern sky, to guide the way west. Because Hercules remains low above the northern horizon from southern latitudes, a clear northern horizon and dark skies greatly improve the view. Even so, the Keystone can still be recognised as a compact quadrilateral pattern west (or left) of Vega.

M13 competes with the Southern Hemisphere’s own spectacular globular clusters, particularly Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae. Both appear much larger and brighter from southern latitudes, often climbing high overhead, and provide a striking comparison to the Hercules Cluster. Nonetheless, M13 is a worthwhile target for Southern Hemisphere observers to seek out.

Bottom line: Let the bright star Vega guide you to a famous star pattern in Hercules – called the Keystone – and then to the Hercules cluster, aka M13, a famous globular star cluster.

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The post Find the Keystone in Hercules, and the Hercules Cluster M13 first appeared on EarthSky.

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Hercules is a faint constellation. But its mid-section contains the easy-to-see Keystone star pattern. You can find Hercules between the bright stars Vega in Lyra the Harp, and Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. And once you find its Keystone, you can easily locate M13, the Hercules cluster. Chart via EarthSky.

Use Vega to locate the Keystone in Hercules

In late spring from mid-northern latitudes, you can easily find the brilliant blue-white star Vega in the eastern sky at dusk and nightfall. And this star, which lies in the constellation Lyra the Harp, acts as your guide star to the Keystone, a wedge-shaped pattern of four stars in neighboring constellation Hercules.

Look for the Keystone asterism – star pattern – to the upper right of Vega. If you hold your fist at arm’s length, it’ll easily fit between Vega and the Keystone.

Also, you can locate the Keystone by using Vega in conjunction with the brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus, in Boötes the Herdsman. From mid-northern latitudes this time of year, Arcturus is found quite high in the eastern sky at nightfall. Then, by late evening, Arcturus moves high overhead. The Keystone is found about 1/3 of the way from Vega to Arcturus.

As darkness falls, look for the Keystone in Hercules to the upper right of the brilliant star Vega. Chart via EarthSky.

Use the Keystone to find M13

Furthermore, the Keystone is your ticket to find a famous globular star cluster in Hercules, otherwise known as the Hercules cluster, aka Messier 13 or M13.

Most likely, you’ll need binoculars to see the Hercules cluster. Sharp-eyed people can see it with the unaided eye in a dark, transparent sky. Through binoculars, this cluster looks like a dim smudge or a somewhat fuzzy star. However, a telescope begins to resolve this faint fuzzy object into what it really is: a huge globe-shaped stellar city populated with hundreds of thousands of stars!

The Keystone and the Hercules cluster will swing high overhead after midnight, and are found in the western sky before dawn.

Can you find the Keystone on this chart? See the compact grouping of 4 stars at the center of Hercules? That’s it. Note the whereabouts of Messier 13 within the Keystone pattern. Also, above the Keystone is another globular cluster, M92. It’s a bit smaller and dimmer than M13, but also easy to pick up in binoculars or a telescope. Image via International Astronomical Union/ Sky & Telescope/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Photos of M13 from EarthSky Community Photos

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Surry, Virginia, made this comparison of 2 famous globular star clusters on April 17, 2026. Steven wrote: “A large and a giant globular cluster: M13 and Omega Centauri (NGC 5139), imaged with the same gear on the same night.” Steven told us that M13 – the cluster on the left, about 22,000 light-years away – contains approximately 400,000 stars and takes up about 0.36 degrees of sky. Omega Centauri, aka NGC 5139, is a giant globular cluster. It’s on the right in this composite. It contains 10 million stars and takes up about 0.6 degrees of sky, larger than a full moon seen from Earth. It is 17,000 light years away. Thank you, Steven!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), captured this telescopic view of the great Hercules Cluster on April 26, 2025. Tameem wrote: “This image features the beautiful globular cluster Messier 13, also historically known as the Al-Jathi Cluster. Located in the constellation Hercules, M13 lies about 22,200 light-years away from Earth and has an estimated age of 11.65 billion years. It contains several hundred thousand ancient stars, densely packed into a region about 213 light-years across. In the same field of view, the spiral galaxy NGC 6207 and the faint active galaxy IC 4617 are visible.” Thank you, Tameem!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tom Cofer in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, captured this telescopic view of Messier 13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, on March 14, 2025. Tom wrote: “A snow globe of stars!” Thank you, Tom!

Finding the Hercules Cluster from Southern Latitudes

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

The great globular cluster M13 is also visible for Southern Hemisphere viewers, although it never climbs especially high above the horizon and never becomes as prominent as it does for observers farther north. Like Northern Hemisphere observers, southern observers require dark skies to glimpse a very faint M13 with the unaided eye. Through binoculars it appears as a faint hazy patch, while telescopes begin to resolve its densely packed population of ancient stars.

M13’s home constellation Hercules becomes visible during late autumn and is best placed during winter nights. You can still find Hercules’ Keystone by using the bright star Vega, low in the northeastern sky, to guide the way west. Because Hercules remains low above the northern horizon from southern latitudes, a clear northern horizon and dark skies greatly improve the view. Even so, the Keystone can still be recognised as a compact quadrilateral pattern west (or left) of Vega.

M13 competes with the Southern Hemisphere’s own spectacular globular clusters, particularly Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae. Both appear much larger and brighter from southern latitudes, often climbing high overhead, and provide a striking comparison to the Hercules Cluster. Nonetheless, M13 is a worthwhile target for Southern Hemisphere observers to seek out.

Bottom line: Let the bright star Vega guide you to a famous star pattern in Hercules – called the Keystone – and then to the Hercules cluster, aka M13, a famous globular star cluster.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

The post Find the Keystone in Hercules, and the Hercules Cluster M13 first appeared on EarthSky.

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The binturong is a strange mammal that smells like popcorn

Meet the mammal that smells like popcorn: the binturong. Image via GabruPawPixels/ Pixabay.

Imagine walking through a Southeast Asian rainforest and catching the unmistakable scent of warm buttered popcorn drifting through the trees. Hmm … is there a popcorn stand in the middle of the forest? The source is likely something far stranger: a shaggy, whiskered mammal with a curling tail and the face of an animal you can’t quite identify.

Meet the binturong, sometimes called the “bearcat”, though it is neither a bear nor a cat. It has dark fur, bright eyes and travels high through the forest canopy with slow, deliberate movements. There is only one species of binturong in the world. And the deeper scientists look into this creature, the more surprising it becomes.

What does a binturong look like?

At first glance, a binturong looks like several animals stitched together.

It has the stocky body of a small bear, long whiskers like a cat and shaggy black fur that often appears slightly frosted at the tips. An adult can grow up to 3 feet (about 90 centimeters) in body length, with an equally impressive bushy tail.

But perhaps the binturong’s most remarkable feature is that its tail is prehensile, meaning it can grip branches like an extra limb. This is something only a handful of carnivorous mammals can do. As the binturong climbs through the treetops, its tail acts almost like a built-in safety rope, helping the animal balance and move among branches.

Its long whiskers might be just as important. Since binturongs are mostly active at night, these highly sensitive whiskers help them sense nearby branches and move through the canopy in the dark.

Its ears are small and rounded, often decorated with tufts of fur, giving the animal a permanently curious expression.

Shaggy, whiskered and perfectly at ease in the treetops, the binturong is one of the few carnivorous mammals with a tail strong enough to grip branches. Image via Kristin Faye/ Pexels.

A life above the forest floor

Binturongs live in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, from India and Nepal to Indonesia and the Philippines. But spotting one in the wild is not easy.

These animals spend much of their lives high in the forest canopy and are mostly active at night. Rather than leaping dramatically through the trees, binturongs tend to move slowly and carefully, climbing branch by branch with surprising confidence.

That relaxed attitude becomes especially clear during the day, when binturongs have occasionally been spotted lounging on branches and quietly basking in the sun — as if rainforest life comes with no particular sense of hurry.

Although classified as carnivores, they have an unexpectedly fruit-heavy diet. Their favorite food is figs, which can make up a large part of what they eat. But they are not picky diners. Binturongs may also snack on birds, fish, insects, eggs and small mammals when the opportunity arises.

Their appetite for fruit makes them important forest helpers. After eating, they spread seeds across the rainforest through their droppings, helping new plants grow. In some forests, scientists consider them key seed dispersers.

These animals move slowly in the rainforest canopy of South and Southeast Asia, but they do so with confidence, as they are amazing climbers. Image via Marjonhorn/ Pixabay.

Why does a binturong smell like popcorn?

Perhaps the binturong’s strangest claim to fame is not what it looks like, but what it smells like.

Many people describe its scent as freshly popped popcorn, warm corn chips or even buttered bread drifting through the forest canopy. It is an unexpectedly pleasant aroma for such an elusive rainforest animal. But the source is far less appetizing.

The smell comes from a chemical compound found in its urine called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. It’s the same molecule responsible for the scent of popcorn and freshly baked bread.

This surprising “snack aroma” is actually part of how this animal communicates. Binturongs use scent-marking as they move through the trees, leaving invisible messages along branches that may signal territory, announce their presence or even help attract a mate. In a dense rainforest where visibility is limited, smell can work almost like a calling card.

So if you think you smell popcorn in a rainforest, it might be worth wondering who has just passed through …

Can you smell it? Is it popcorn? Or … a binturong? Image via Jakafp/ Pixabay.

Curious facts about the binturong

The more you learn about binturongs, the stranger they seem.

Despite being called “bearcats,” they belong to neither group. They are unique members of the civet family (Viverridae). There is only one species of binturong in the world.

They can also be surprisingly vocal. Binturongs may chuckle, purr, snort or even make sounds resembling soft giggles, depending on their mood.

And while they often appear calm and slightly clumsy, they are skilled climbers. Their strong claws and grasping tail allow them to descend trees headfirst – no easy task for such a heavy-bodied mammal.

Binturongs know how to relax. Here they are, sunbathing and enjoying themselves after a long night of climbing. Image via Kevinsphotos/ Pixabay.

Baby binturongs are tiny tree-dwellers

Life begins in the dark for a newborn binturong, which is born blind and relies entirely on its mother before it’s strong enough to climb.

Binturongs usually arrive in small litters of one to three, nestled in a hidden nest high above the forest floor. For the first weeks, their world is limited to warmth, scent and sound, as their bodies slowly develop the coordination needed for life in the canopy.

As they grow, their movements become more deliberate. What begins as cautious exploration soon turns into practice climbs through branches, guided by a mother who stays close and attentive.

Unlike some solitary mammals, young binturongs may remain with their mother for an extended period, gradually learning the slow, careful way of moving that defines their species. Their grasping tail, which will one day help them move with confidence through the treetops, starts out as just another untrained limb.

By the time they are fully independent, they already carry the habits of the canopy: steady, deliberate and always a little unhurried.

Look at these cubs at Perth Zoo.

Are binturongs endangered?

The binturong is currently considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Its biggest threats are habitat loss from deforestation, the illegal wildlife trade and hunting in some regions. As tropical forests disappear, the quiet pathways binturongs use through the canopy become fragmented.

And that would be a loss not only for the rainforest, but for the rest of us too.

After all, few animals remind us quite so vividly that nature still holds surprises: creatures that smell like popcorn, climb using their tails and quietly help forests grow, all while remaining hidden among the leaves.

Though carnivores, they delight in fruit and, in their quiet way, help the forest bloom — and we would feel their absence just as much as the forest would. Image via Magda-Ehlers/ Pexels.

Bottom line: The binturong is a strange mammal that smells like popcorn, lives high in the trees and quietly helps tropical forests grow.

Read more: The tree-kangaroo lives in the hidden world of the treetops

Read more: The pangolin: An armored, insect-controlling mammal

The post The binturong is a strange mammal that smells like popcorn first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/BD4SAVX

Meet the mammal that smells like popcorn: the binturong. Image via GabruPawPixels/ Pixabay.

Imagine walking through a Southeast Asian rainforest and catching the unmistakable scent of warm buttered popcorn drifting through the trees. Hmm … is there a popcorn stand in the middle of the forest? The source is likely something far stranger: a shaggy, whiskered mammal with a curling tail and the face of an animal you can’t quite identify.

Meet the binturong, sometimes called the “bearcat”, though it is neither a bear nor a cat. It has dark fur, bright eyes and travels high through the forest canopy with slow, deliberate movements. There is only one species of binturong in the world. And the deeper scientists look into this creature, the more surprising it becomes.

What does a binturong look like?

At first glance, a binturong looks like several animals stitched together.

It has the stocky body of a small bear, long whiskers like a cat and shaggy black fur that often appears slightly frosted at the tips. An adult can grow up to 3 feet (about 90 centimeters) in body length, with an equally impressive bushy tail.

But perhaps the binturong’s most remarkable feature is that its tail is prehensile, meaning it can grip branches like an extra limb. This is something only a handful of carnivorous mammals can do. As the binturong climbs through the treetops, its tail acts almost like a built-in safety rope, helping the animal balance and move among branches.

Its long whiskers might be just as important. Since binturongs are mostly active at night, these highly sensitive whiskers help them sense nearby branches and move through the canopy in the dark.

Its ears are small and rounded, often decorated with tufts of fur, giving the animal a permanently curious expression.

Shaggy, whiskered and perfectly at ease in the treetops, the binturong is one of the few carnivorous mammals with a tail strong enough to grip branches. Image via Kristin Faye/ Pexels.

A life above the forest floor

Binturongs live in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, from India and Nepal to Indonesia and the Philippines. But spotting one in the wild is not easy.

These animals spend much of their lives high in the forest canopy and are mostly active at night. Rather than leaping dramatically through the trees, binturongs tend to move slowly and carefully, climbing branch by branch with surprising confidence.

That relaxed attitude becomes especially clear during the day, when binturongs have occasionally been spotted lounging on branches and quietly basking in the sun — as if rainforest life comes with no particular sense of hurry.

Although classified as carnivores, they have an unexpectedly fruit-heavy diet. Their favorite food is figs, which can make up a large part of what they eat. But they are not picky diners. Binturongs may also snack on birds, fish, insects, eggs and small mammals when the opportunity arises.

Their appetite for fruit makes them important forest helpers. After eating, they spread seeds across the rainforest through their droppings, helping new plants grow. In some forests, scientists consider them key seed dispersers.

These animals move slowly in the rainforest canopy of South and Southeast Asia, but they do so with confidence, as they are amazing climbers. Image via Marjonhorn/ Pixabay.

Why does a binturong smell like popcorn?

Perhaps the binturong’s strangest claim to fame is not what it looks like, but what it smells like.

Many people describe its scent as freshly popped popcorn, warm corn chips or even buttered bread drifting through the forest canopy. It is an unexpectedly pleasant aroma for such an elusive rainforest animal. But the source is far less appetizing.

The smell comes from a chemical compound found in its urine called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. It’s the same molecule responsible for the scent of popcorn and freshly baked bread.

This surprising “snack aroma” is actually part of how this animal communicates. Binturongs use scent-marking as they move through the trees, leaving invisible messages along branches that may signal territory, announce their presence or even help attract a mate. In a dense rainforest where visibility is limited, smell can work almost like a calling card.

So if you think you smell popcorn in a rainforest, it might be worth wondering who has just passed through …

Can you smell it? Is it popcorn? Or … a binturong? Image via Jakafp/ Pixabay.

Curious facts about the binturong

The more you learn about binturongs, the stranger they seem.

Despite being called “bearcats,” they belong to neither group. They are unique members of the civet family (Viverridae). There is only one species of binturong in the world.

They can also be surprisingly vocal. Binturongs may chuckle, purr, snort or even make sounds resembling soft giggles, depending on their mood.

And while they often appear calm and slightly clumsy, they are skilled climbers. Their strong claws and grasping tail allow them to descend trees headfirst – no easy task for such a heavy-bodied mammal.

Binturongs know how to relax. Here they are, sunbathing and enjoying themselves after a long night of climbing. Image via Kevinsphotos/ Pixabay.

Baby binturongs are tiny tree-dwellers

Life begins in the dark for a newborn binturong, which is born blind and relies entirely on its mother before it’s strong enough to climb.

Binturongs usually arrive in small litters of one to three, nestled in a hidden nest high above the forest floor. For the first weeks, their world is limited to warmth, scent and sound, as their bodies slowly develop the coordination needed for life in the canopy.

As they grow, their movements become more deliberate. What begins as cautious exploration soon turns into practice climbs through branches, guided by a mother who stays close and attentive.

Unlike some solitary mammals, young binturongs may remain with their mother for an extended period, gradually learning the slow, careful way of moving that defines their species. Their grasping tail, which will one day help them move with confidence through the treetops, starts out as just another untrained limb.

By the time they are fully independent, they already carry the habits of the canopy: steady, deliberate and always a little unhurried.

Look at these cubs at Perth Zoo.

Are binturongs endangered?

The binturong is currently considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Its biggest threats are habitat loss from deforestation, the illegal wildlife trade and hunting in some regions. As tropical forests disappear, the quiet pathways binturongs use through the canopy become fragmented.

And that would be a loss not only for the rainforest, but for the rest of us too.

After all, few animals remind us quite so vividly that nature still holds surprises: creatures that smell like popcorn, climb using their tails and quietly help forests grow, all while remaining hidden among the leaves.

Though carnivores, they delight in fruit and, in their quiet way, help the forest bloom — and we would feel their absence just as much as the forest would. Image via Magda-Ehlers/ Pexels.

Bottom line: The binturong is a strange mammal that smells like popcorn, lives high in the trees and quietly helps tropical forests grow.

Read more: The tree-kangaroo lives in the hidden world of the treetops

Read more: The pangolin: An armored, insect-controlling mammal

The post The binturong is a strange mammal that smells like popcorn first appeared on EarthSky.

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Venus-Jupiter conjunction in June: Start watching now!

On June 8 and 9, 2026, Venus and Jupiter will have a spectacular conjunction. They’ll be approximately 3 moon-widths apart (roughly 1.5 degrees). But you can start watching them get closer now! See more charts for the nights leading up to the Venus-Jupiter conjunction below. Image via EarthSky.

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for EarthSky’s free newsletter and get daily night sky updates!

See the Venus-Jupiter conjunction

As seen from all of Earth, an amazing event is coming to our evening sky. And you can start watching now! It’s a spectacular conjunction of the sky’s two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter. Their closest pairing is around June 8 and 9.

Look west after sunset. As darkness falls, Venus is the first planet you’ll see. Jupiter – only slightly fainter than Venus – will appear next. It’s a bit higher than Venus in the western twilight. Watch every night as evening twilight fades, and as the planets creep closer together.

See the charts below for the moon’s passage this week past these two blazing worlds. We also show charts for the end of May, when Venus and Jupiter will be getting close!

Then wow! By June 6 or 7, the planets will be really close! And when June 8 and 9 arrives – their evenings of closest approach – these two blazing worlds in our evening sky will be only about 1.5 degrees apart. Your pinky held at arm’s length should just fit between the two planets. Don’t miss this!

In early June, as seen from Earth’s Northern or Southern Hemisphere, the planetary pair will set more than two hours after sunset.

Optical aid will enhance the view

You definitely won’t need binoculars or a telescope to see Venus and Jupiter. They’ll outshine all the stars!

But ordinary binoculars will give you an enhanced view. When closest, Venus and Jupiter will easily fit into your binoculars’ field of view. Look for a subtle color difference, with Venus piercing white and Jupiter slightly creamier or yellowish.

With a tripod or steady hand (or by leaning against a wall or fence), your binoculars might show you one or two of Jupiter’s four largest moons. These are the famous Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). They’ll look like tiny pinpricks of light, in a line bisecting the planet.

Meanwhile, a telescope will reveal more. Venus is currently in a gibbous phase, between half and fully lit. Didn’t know Venus shows phases? It does!

Brightest vs. biggest

Jupiter and Venus look roughly the same size in our sky. But, if you could see them side by side in space, you’d find Jupiter about 12 times wider than Venus. Also, you could fit over 1,000 Venuses inside Jupiter. So why does Venus look brighter to us?

For one, Venus is much closer to us than Jupiter. Right now the two planets might look close together in our sky. But in reality they’re quite far apart. Venus is currently about 111 million miles (180 million km) from Earth. And Jupiter is much farther away at 560 million miles (900 million km) from Earth.

And here’s reason #2 why Venus looks brighter. It’s covered with thick clouds that are good at reflecting sunlight. Venus reflects about 70% of the sunlight that strikes it. Jupiter reflects about 52% of the sunlight that strikes it.

Read more: Why is Venus so bright in our Earth’s sky?

May 17-20 (Northern Hemisphere): Moon, Venus, Jupiter!

The day after new moon – as seen from the Northern Hemisphere – a razor-thin young moon will appear low in the west after sunset. This is a great time of year to see young moons low in the western sky. Blazing Venus will be above the moon on May 17. And bright Jupiter will be above Venus. Don’t miss these next few evenings! And keep an eye on these planets, the two brightest planets visible from Earth. They will be only 3 moon-widths apart around June 8 and 9. Spectacular! Chart via EarthSky.

Wow! Here’s the Northern Hemisphere view of the slender young moon and blazing Venus – the brightest planet – on May 18, 2026. Look west shortly after sunset. Jupiter, the 2nd-brightest planet, will be above them. So beautiful! Chart via EarthSky.

This is a great time of year to see planets in the west after sunset from the Northern Hemisphere. On May 19, 2026, the waxing crescent moon will lie between Venus and Jupiter. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. They’ll all set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

On May 20, 2026, the waxing crescent moon will float close to Jupiter (2nd-brightest planet) and above brilliant Venus (brightest planet). It’ll be a beautiful evening scene. Look west shortly after the sun goes down. By the way, Venus and Jupiter are inching closer together on the sky’s dome. Their conjunction will fall around June 8 and 9. Chart via EarthSky.

These charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

May 19-21 (Southern Hemisphere): Moon, Venus, Jupiter!

We set these Southern Hemisphere charts for longitudes around New Zealand and Australia. And so the dates are shifted (because these charts are across the International Date Line), in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere charts above. Here is the the young moon near brilliant Venus – the brightest planet – on May 19, as seen from New Zealand and Australia. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. Jupiter, the 2nd-brightest planet, will be above them. They’ll be an eye-catching sight! Chart via EarthSky.

From Australia and New Zealand on May 20, the waxing crescent moon will lie between Venus and Jupiter. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. They’ll all set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

From Australia and New Zealand on May 21, 2026, the waxing crescent moon will float close to Jupiter (2nd-brightest planet) and above brilliant Venus (brightest planet). It’ll be a beautiful evening scene. Look west shortly after the sun goes down. By the way, Venus and Jupiter are inching closer together on the sky’s dome. Their conjunction will fall around June 8 and 9. Keep an eye on them for the next few weeks! Chart via EarthSky.

These charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Northern and Southern Hemispheres in late May

For viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, on the last few days of May, little Mercury will appear in the bright evening twilight low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will shine nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

For viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, on the last few days of May, little Mercury will appear in the bright evening twilight low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will shine nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: What else to watch for

While watching for Venus and Jupiter, you might also notice some other bright points of light nearby.

Gemini’s twin stars, Castor and Pollux, are a bit to the north (right) of the planets. They’re not nearly as bright as Venus and Jupiter. But they’ll mimic the “doubleness” of the two planets. So they’ll be noticeable if your sky is dark enough.

And lower down, closer to the horizon, you might spot another planet, elusive Mercury. It should be fairly bright, but not nearly as bright as Venus and Jupiter.

What to watch for after June 9

After the close June 9 conjunction, Venus will appear each evening a little farther from the sunset point than Jupiter. Its greatest elongation, or greatest apparent distance from the sun in the twilight sky, will fall on August 14-15, 2026. Afterwards, Venus will drop sunward. It’ll pass between us and the sun in October 2026, and afterwards emerge in the east before dawn.

Meanwhile, Jupiter will continue dropping steadily down toward the sunset point. It’ll pass into the sun’s glare in July 2026, moving behind the sun from Earth. It’ll emerge in the east before dawn after about mid-August.

On June 16, a thin crescent moon will make a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury. And on June 17, the moon will be just a bit higher than Venus. Use binoculars to look between the moon and Venus in order to spot a pretty star cluster known as the Beehive. This cluster buzzing with stars lies in the constellation Cancer the Crab.

More charts to come! Stay tuned.

Bottom line: Get ready for a spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction! You can already start watching the planets now as they get closer in the evening sky after sunset. The big event happens on June 8 and 9, 2026.

The post Venus-Jupiter conjunction in June: Start watching now! first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/EMOZaTw

On June 8 and 9, 2026, Venus and Jupiter will have a spectacular conjunction. They’ll be approximately 3 moon-widths apart (roughly 1.5 degrees). But you can start watching them get closer now! See more charts for the nights leading up to the Venus-Jupiter conjunction below. Image via EarthSky.

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for EarthSky’s free newsletter and get daily night sky updates!

See the Venus-Jupiter conjunction

As seen from all of Earth, an amazing event is coming to our evening sky. And you can start watching now! It’s a spectacular conjunction of the sky’s two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter. Their closest pairing is around June 8 and 9.

Look west after sunset. As darkness falls, Venus is the first planet you’ll see. Jupiter – only slightly fainter than Venus – will appear next. It’s a bit higher than Venus in the western twilight. Watch every night as evening twilight fades, and as the planets creep closer together.

See the charts below for the moon’s passage this week past these two blazing worlds. We also show charts for the end of May, when Venus and Jupiter will be getting close!

Then wow! By June 6 or 7, the planets will be really close! And when June 8 and 9 arrives – their evenings of closest approach – these two blazing worlds in our evening sky will be only about 1.5 degrees apart. Your pinky held at arm’s length should just fit between the two planets. Don’t miss this!

In early June, as seen from Earth’s Northern or Southern Hemisphere, the planetary pair will set more than two hours after sunset.

Optical aid will enhance the view

You definitely won’t need binoculars or a telescope to see Venus and Jupiter. They’ll outshine all the stars!

But ordinary binoculars will give you an enhanced view. When closest, Venus and Jupiter will easily fit into your binoculars’ field of view. Look for a subtle color difference, with Venus piercing white and Jupiter slightly creamier or yellowish.

With a tripod or steady hand (or by leaning against a wall or fence), your binoculars might show you one or two of Jupiter’s four largest moons. These are the famous Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). They’ll look like tiny pinpricks of light, in a line bisecting the planet.

Meanwhile, a telescope will reveal more. Venus is currently in a gibbous phase, between half and fully lit. Didn’t know Venus shows phases? It does!

Brightest vs. biggest

Jupiter and Venus look roughly the same size in our sky. But, if you could see them side by side in space, you’d find Jupiter about 12 times wider than Venus. Also, you could fit over 1,000 Venuses inside Jupiter. So why does Venus look brighter to us?

For one, Venus is much closer to us than Jupiter. Right now the two planets might look close together in our sky. But in reality they’re quite far apart. Venus is currently about 111 million miles (180 million km) from Earth. And Jupiter is much farther away at 560 million miles (900 million km) from Earth.

And here’s reason #2 why Venus looks brighter. It’s covered with thick clouds that are good at reflecting sunlight. Venus reflects about 70% of the sunlight that strikes it. Jupiter reflects about 52% of the sunlight that strikes it.

Read more: Why is Venus so bright in our Earth’s sky?

May 17-20 (Northern Hemisphere): Moon, Venus, Jupiter!

The day after new moon – as seen from the Northern Hemisphere – a razor-thin young moon will appear low in the west after sunset. This is a great time of year to see young moons low in the western sky. Blazing Venus will be above the moon on May 17. And bright Jupiter will be above Venus. Don’t miss these next few evenings! And keep an eye on these planets, the two brightest planets visible from Earth. They will be only 3 moon-widths apart around June 8 and 9. Spectacular! Chart via EarthSky.

Wow! Here’s the Northern Hemisphere view of the slender young moon and blazing Venus – the brightest planet – on May 18, 2026. Look west shortly after sunset. Jupiter, the 2nd-brightest planet, will be above them. So beautiful! Chart via EarthSky.

This is a great time of year to see planets in the west after sunset from the Northern Hemisphere. On May 19, 2026, the waxing crescent moon will lie between Venus and Jupiter. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. They’ll all set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

On May 20, 2026, the waxing crescent moon will float close to Jupiter (2nd-brightest planet) and above brilliant Venus (brightest planet). It’ll be a beautiful evening scene. Look west shortly after the sun goes down. By the way, Venus and Jupiter are inching closer together on the sky’s dome. Their conjunction will fall around June 8 and 9. Chart via EarthSky.

These charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

May 19-21 (Southern Hemisphere): Moon, Venus, Jupiter!

We set these Southern Hemisphere charts for longitudes around New Zealand and Australia. And so the dates are shifted (because these charts are across the International Date Line), in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere charts above. Here is the the young moon near brilliant Venus – the brightest planet – on May 19, as seen from New Zealand and Australia. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. Jupiter, the 2nd-brightest planet, will be above them. They’ll be an eye-catching sight! Chart via EarthSky.

From Australia and New Zealand on May 20, the waxing crescent moon will lie between Venus and Jupiter. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. They’ll all set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

From Australia and New Zealand on May 21, 2026, the waxing crescent moon will float close to Jupiter (2nd-brightest planet) and above brilliant Venus (brightest planet). It’ll be a beautiful evening scene. Look west shortly after the sun goes down. By the way, Venus and Jupiter are inching closer together on the sky’s dome. Their conjunction will fall around June 8 and 9. Keep an eye on them for the next few weeks! Chart via EarthSky.

These charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Northern and Southern Hemispheres in late May

For viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, on the last few days of May, little Mercury will appear in the bright evening twilight low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will shine nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

For viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, on the last few days of May, little Mercury will appear in the bright evening twilight low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will shine nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: What else to watch for

While watching for Venus and Jupiter, you might also notice some other bright points of light nearby.

Gemini’s twin stars, Castor and Pollux, are a bit to the north (right) of the planets. They’re not nearly as bright as Venus and Jupiter. But they’ll mimic the “doubleness” of the two planets. So they’ll be noticeable if your sky is dark enough.

And lower down, closer to the horizon, you might spot another planet, elusive Mercury. It should be fairly bright, but not nearly as bright as Venus and Jupiter.

What to watch for after June 9

After the close June 9 conjunction, Venus will appear each evening a little farther from the sunset point than Jupiter. Its greatest elongation, or greatest apparent distance from the sun in the twilight sky, will fall on August 14-15, 2026. Afterwards, Venus will drop sunward. It’ll pass between us and the sun in October 2026, and afterwards emerge in the east before dawn.

Meanwhile, Jupiter will continue dropping steadily down toward the sunset point. It’ll pass into the sun’s glare in July 2026, moving behind the sun from Earth. It’ll emerge in the east before dawn after about mid-August.

On June 16, a thin crescent moon will make a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury. And on June 17, the moon will be just a bit higher than Venus. Use binoculars to look between the moon and Venus in order to spot a pretty star cluster known as the Beehive. This cluster buzzing with stars lies in the constellation Cancer the Crab.

More charts to come! Stay tuned.

Bottom line: Get ready for a spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction! You can already start watching the planets now as they get closer in the evening sky after sunset. The big event happens on June 8 and 9, 2026.

The post Venus-Jupiter conjunction in June: Start watching now! first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/EMOZaTw

Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ossama Fathy in St. Catherine, Egypt, captured this shot of the Milky Way on April 4, 2025. Ossama wrote: “From Farsh El Nabi Elias, a sacred and elevated plateau (2,000 meters or 6500 feet above sea level) near the summit of Mount Moses (Mount Sinai) in Egypt. Mount Moses is a site revered across multiple faiths.” Thank you, Ossama! Read more about which moon phase is best for stargazing below.

Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends on what you want to do.

Stargazing for dim objects is best without moonlight

Most astronomers prefer to observe the sky when the moon is not visible. That’s because they want to look at planets, stars, galaxies, clusters, the Milky Way and nebulae. To see these deep-sky objects well, the sky must be dark, free of light pollution and moonlight.

The darkest skies will be around the new moon, when the moon rises and sets with the sun. So the moon is not in the nighttime sky. Therefore, both the morning and evening sky are moon-free and great for stargazing. It’s best to go out in the country to a dark site.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Smithfield, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of Messier 82, the Starburst Galaxy in Ursa Major, on March 10, 2026. Steven wrote: “M82 had a gravitational interaction with its larger neighbor, galaxy M81. This, in turn, funneled large amounts of gas toward the core of M82, which then triggered intense star formation at a rate 10 times faster than in our Milky Way.” Thank you, Steven!

Here is a great website to determine the moonrise and moonset times from your location: Sunrise Sunset Calendars. Be sure to check “Moonrise and moonset.”

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for EarthSky’s free newsletter and get daily night sky updates!

Circumventing the moon phase for dim objects

As the moon moves from a new phase to a crescent in the evening sky, dark sky observing can continue. Astronomers either wait until after the moon sets or observe in a part of the sky far from the moon. During this lunar phase, the moonlight is not very bright. That changes as the moon grows in illumination. But not in the way you might think.

When the moon is 1st quarter or last (3rd) quarter – and half-lit in the sky – its brightness is only about 1/6th of a full moon. Then three nights before a full moon it is half as bright as a full moon. Only during the full moon phase does the moon reach its brightest. This sharp peak in brightness on the nights near full moon is due to what is known as the opposition surge, caused by both shadow-hiding and backscattering of sunlight off of the moon.

You can also adjust your observing time to avoid a moonlit sky. The 1st quarter moon sets at around midnight so you have a dark sky in the early morning hours. Around a 3rd quarter moon you can observe in the evening hours since the moon rises at about midnight.

Stargazing during a full moon

Sometimes, events like the appearance of a comet, a meteor shower or auroras occur during a bright moon. There is simply nothing the astronomer can do about that. As for comets, eventually, the moon moves out of the sky or the comet moves to the morning or evening sky. For meteor showers, which occur on nearly the same day each year, you can observe before moonrise or after moonset. And if you must deal with the moon, hide it behind something so that its light does not shine directly upon your surroundings.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | An amazing aurora photo captured by EarthSky’s Raúl Cortés. He and his family were driving around northern Norway up into Lapland. He caught this aurora from outside a restaurant in northern Norway on February 28, 2025. Bright and beautiful, despite light pollution! Raúl wrote: “The best we saw was in Skibotn just in front of Lyngen Fjord.” Thank you, Raúl!

And what to do when an aurora appears in your moonlit sky? Photograph it, and let the moonlight illuminate the earth’s surface, providing a stunning foreground landscape. Make something good out of a bad situation. Or as the old saying goes, “When life gives you bears, make barricades.” Or something like that.

Just ignore that bright moon up there

A growing number of amateur astronomers and most professional astronomers do not look through their telescopes but instead, use them to image the sky. To their surprise, they have learned that a significant amount of moonlight does not interfere with their images. Using special filters to remove moonlight and taking multiple images to stack – to increase contrast – they can image up to nearly the full moon and still get good images.

And if the moon is out while you are stargazing, look at everything else first and then enjoy the view of the moon through binoculars or telescopes. That’s because the moon is so bright, you won’t see anything dim afterwards.

Stargazing to enjoy the moon

This schematic explains the different moon phases and how they are illuminated. Image via timeanddate.com. Used with permission.

The moon is above the horizon half of the day. It’s even visible in the daytime. And, as it travels around the sky each month, it puts on a show that changes each night. It is interesting and fun to follow the phases of the moon. The moon rises roughly 50 minutes later each day so maybe follow the moon through an entire lunar cycle. Learn more about understanding the phases of the moon.

Want to know the current or upcoming moon phase? Check our visible planet and night sky guide.

So, which moon phase is best for stargazing?

And the answer is … it depends on what you want to see. Some people enjoy watching the moon itself, as it waxes and wanes in our sky. Others avoid it because it overwhelms the dim objects they really want to see.

Bottom line: The best phase of the moon for stargazing depends on what you want to do. Some enjoy watching the moon itself. On the other hand, people using telescopes avoid the moon because its glare interferes with deep-sky objects.

A planisphere is virtually indispensable for beginning stargazers. Order your EarthSky planisphere today.

The post Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends. first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3MWmyvz

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ossama Fathy in St. Catherine, Egypt, captured this shot of the Milky Way on April 4, 2025. Ossama wrote: “From Farsh El Nabi Elias, a sacred and elevated plateau (2,000 meters or 6500 feet above sea level) near the summit of Mount Moses (Mount Sinai) in Egypt. Mount Moses is a site revered across multiple faiths.” Thank you, Ossama! Read more about which moon phase is best for stargazing below.

Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends on what you want to do.

Stargazing for dim objects is best without moonlight

Most astronomers prefer to observe the sky when the moon is not visible. That’s because they want to look at planets, stars, galaxies, clusters, the Milky Way and nebulae. To see these deep-sky objects well, the sky must be dark, free of light pollution and moonlight.

The darkest skies will be around the new moon, when the moon rises and sets with the sun. So the moon is not in the nighttime sky. Therefore, both the morning and evening sky are moon-free and great for stargazing. It’s best to go out in the country to a dark site.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Smithfield, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of Messier 82, the Starburst Galaxy in Ursa Major, on March 10, 2026. Steven wrote: “M82 had a gravitational interaction with its larger neighbor, galaxy M81. This, in turn, funneled large amounts of gas toward the core of M82, which then triggered intense star formation at a rate 10 times faster than in our Milky Way.” Thank you, Steven!

Here is a great website to determine the moonrise and moonset times from your location: Sunrise Sunset Calendars. Be sure to check “Moonrise and moonset.”

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for EarthSky’s free newsletter and get daily night sky updates!

Circumventing the moon phase for dim objects

As the moon moves from a new phase to a crescent in the evening sky, dark sky observing can continue. Astronomers either wait until after the moon sets or observe in a part of the sky far from the moon. During this lunar phase, the moonlight is not very bright. That changes as the moon grows in illumination. But not in the way you might think.

When the moon is 1st quarter or last (3rd) quarter – and half-lit in the sky – its brightness is only about 1/6th of a full moon. Then three nights before a full moon it is half as bright as a full moon. Only during the full moon phase does the moon reach its brightest. This sharp peak in brightness on the nights near full moon is due to what is known as the opposition surge, caused by both shadow-hiding and backscattering of sunlight off of the moon.

You can also adjust your observing time to avoid a moonlit sky. The 1st quarter moon sets at around midnight so you have a dark sky in the early morning hours. Around a 3rd quarter moon you can observe in the evening hours since the moon rises at about midnight.

Stargazing during a full moon

Sometimes, events like the appearance of a comet, a meteor shower or auroras occur during a bright moon. There is simply nothing the astronomer can do about that. As for comets, eventually, the moon moves out of the sky or the comet moves to the morning or evening sky. For meteor showers, which occur on nearly the same day each year, you can observe before moonrise or after moonset. And if you must deal with the moon, hide it behind something so that its light does not shine directly upon your surroundings.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | An amazing aurora photo captured by EarthSky’s Raúl Cortés. He and his family were driving around northern Norway up into Lapland. He caught this aurora from outside a restaurant in northern Norway on February 28, 2025. Bright and beautiful, despite light pollution! Raúl wrote: “The best we saw was in Skibotn just in front of Lyngen Fjord.” Thank you, Raúl!

And what to do when an aurora appears in your moonlit sky? Photograph it, and let the moonlight illuminate the earth’s surface, providing a stunning foreground landscape. Make something good out of a bad situation. Or as the old saying goes, “When life gives you bears, make barricades.” Or something like that.

Just ignore that bright moon up there

A growing number of amateur astronomers and most professional astronomers do not look through their telescopes but instead, use them to image the sky. To their surprise, they have learned that a significant amount of moonlight does not interfere with their images. Using special filters to remove moonlight and taking multiple images to stack – to increase contrast – they can image up to nearly the full moon and still get good images.

And if the moon is out while you are stargazing, look at everything else first and then enjoy the view of the moon through binoculars or telescopes. That’s because the moon is so bright, you won’t see anything dim afterwards.

Stargazing to enjoy the moon

This schematic explains the different moon phases and how they are illuminated. Image via timeanddate.com. Used with permission.

The moon is above the horizon half of the day. It’s even visible in the daytime. And, as it travels around the sky each month, it puts on a show that changes each night. It is interesting and fun to follow the phases of the moon. The moon rises roughly 50 minutes later each day so maybe follow the moon through an entire lunar cycle. Learn more about understanding the phases of the moon.

Want to know the current or upcoming moon phase? Check our visible planet and night sky guide.

So, which moon phase is best for stargazing?

And the answer is … it depends on what you want to see. Some people enjoy watching the moon itself, as it waxes and wanes in our sky. Others avoid it because it overwhelms the dim objects they really want to see.

Bottom line: The best phase of the moon for stargazing depends on what you want to do. Some enjoy watching the moon itself. On the other hand, people using telescopes avoid the moon because its glare interferes with deep-sky objects.

A planisphere is virtually indispensable for beginning stargazers. Order your EarthSky planisphere today.

The post Which moon phase is best for stargazing? That depends. first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3MWmyvz

Stardust in Antarctica shows Earth crossed a supernova cloud

Stars within 10 parsecs (about 33 light-years). This map is based on data from the GAIA space observatory and uses other references in the scientific literature. Star systems whose primary star belongs to spectral class A-K are labelled. Also includes known hydrogen clouds within 10 parsecs including two white dwarf HII regions. Image via Galaxymap.org.

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• Stardust in Antarctic ice – originating in vast clouds in space, left when stars explode – reveals the presence of iron-60. This material doesn’t form naturally on Earth. But supernovae produce it.
• A look back at ice cores tens of thousands of years old shows the amount of iron-60 varies slightly over this time period. It suggests our solar system has been traveling through a cloud of supernova debris for 40,000 to 124,000 years.
• The amount of iron-60 was sparser in the past than it is now. So it appears we are still passing through one of these interstellar clouds. So the iron-60 helps trace our path through the universe.

By Dominik Koll, Australian National University

Stardust in Antarctica shows Earth crossed supernova cloud

When you think of outer space, you’re likely picturing stars, planets and moons. But much of space is filled with clouds of gas, plasma and stardust … or interstellar clouds.

In the local parts of our galaxy alone, there’s a complex of roughly 15 individual interstellar clouds. The solar system is currently traversing one of them, aptly named the Local Interstellar Cloud. Scientists believe the origin and history of these clouds are tightly connected to the birth and death of stars. But we can see their imprints right here on Earth, in a place you might not expect: Antarctic ice.

My colleagues and I have been studying stardust – the dust left behind in space from supernova explosions – trapped in old Antarctic snow and ice. This dust lets us trace the history of our solar neighborhood, including the solar system itself.

In a new study that the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters – published on May 13, 2026 – we found a subtle clue that reveals our solar system’s movement through the local interstellar environment over the past 80,000 years.

This ice core from Antarctica contains stardust from supernovae, or exploding stars. An analysis revealed a material called iron-60, an isotope of iron. Iron-60 doesn’t occur naturally on Earth. Its presence in Antarctic ice shows that our solar system has traveled through a cloud of supernova debris. Image via Alfred-Wegener-Institute/Esther Horvath/ The Conversation.

Looking down to see the sky

Astronomy usually looks outward. Telescopes collect light from distant stars and galaxies, allowing us to observe events across vast stretches of space and time. From these observations, we infer how stars live and die, how elements are formed, and how the universe evolves.

Our approach turns that idea on its head.

Instead of observing the light coming to us, we study the debris of exploding stars right here on Earth. As cosmic furnaces, stars forge many elements in their cores, from carbon and oxygen to calcium and iron. This includes rare isotopes (variants of chemical elements) such as iron-60.

When massive stars explode into supernovae at the end of their life, these elements fly out into space and become interstellar dust.

Tiny grains of this dust then drift through the galaxy and occasionally find their way to Earth’s surface. Radioactive iron-60, a fingerprint of stellar explosions, lies embedded within these grains. By searching for these atoms in geological archives on Earth, we can probe astrophysical events like supernovae long after their light has faded.

This is why Antarctica is so valuable. Its snow accumulates slowly and remains largely undisturbed, forming a layered record that stretches back tens of thousands of years. Each layer captures a snapshot of the material that was present in our cosmic neighborhood at the time.

Finding stardust in Antarctica

When we studied 500 kg (1,100 lbs) of recent snow in Antarctica, we unexpectedly found this rare radioactive isotope. Where did it come from? There was no recent near-Earth supernova.

But our solar neighborhood is filled with 15 clouds, with the solar system currently traversing at least one of them. Is the stardust waiting in the clouds for Earth to sweep it up? If yes, then the amount of stardust Earth collects should be related to their structure: the denser the clouds, the more iron-60 they contain. This was our educated guess in 2019.

Soon, some scientists brought forth other explanations. Millions of years ago Earth received large showers of iron-60 from massive supernovae. Is the iron-60 in Antarctic snow the last remnant or an echo of this signal? A rain that became a drizzle?

To find out, we analyzed a 300-kg (660-lb) section of Antarctic ice, dating from 40,000 to 80,000 years ago. The process is painstaking. First we needed to melt the ice. Then we chemically treated it to isolate tiny amounts of iron, including the iron-60 from the stardust.

Next, using the sensitive atom-counting technique of accelerator mass spectrometry at the Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility at Australian National University, we counted individual atoms of iron-60.

The expectation was straightforward: based on previous measurements from surface snow of Antarctica and several-thousand-year-old ocean sediments, we anticipated a certain steady level of iron-60 deposition.

The results

Instead, we found less. Not zero, but noticeably lower than we expected.

This result suggests that less interstellar dust was reaching Earth during that period. This is a remarkable change on a comparatively short astrophysical timescale and does not fit the long timescales of the iron-60 deposits that landed here millions of years ago. Instead, we needed to look for a smaller, more local source for the isotope.

The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is a type of interstellar cloud. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.

A fitting story

Naturally, astronomers are also quite interested in the clouds around the solar system. Last year, a study reconstructing the history of the clouds arrived at the conclusion that they most likely originated in a stellar explosion. Furthermore, they found the solar system has been traversing the Local Interstellar Cloud from sometime between 40,000 and 124,000 years ago.

If that’s correct, we would expect that the amount of iron-60 on Earth should have changed sometime in the same time period: between 40,000 and 124,000 years ago.

This is exactly what our results showed in Antarctica.

The story doesn’t fit perfectly, though. If these clouds did originate directly from an exploding star, we would expect way more iron-60 than we actually see in Antarctic ice.

Nevertheless, these clouds are imprinted in Earth’s geological record. If we look deeper and analyze even older ice, we might soon unravel the mystery of these local interstellar clouds, revealing their full history and uncertain origins.

Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Nuclear Physics, Australian National University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Bottom line: Stardust in Antarctica reveals the presence of an element that is not naturally made on Earth. But it is created in supernovae. Looking at the time period this material appears in ice cores lets us know when Earth passed through this cloud of supernova debris.

The post Stardust in Antarctica shows Earth crossed a supernova cloud first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/cO6LyQr

Stars within 10 parsecs (about 33 light-years). This map is based on data from the GAIA space observatory and uses other references in the scientific literature. Star systems whose primary star belongs to spectral class A-K are labelled. Also includes known hydrogen clouds within 10 parsecs including two white dwarf HII regions. Image via Galaxymap.org.

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• Stardust in Antarctic ice – originating in vast clouds in space, left when stars explode – reveals the presence of iron-60. This material doesn’t form naturally on Earth. But supernovae produce it.
• A look back at ice cores tens of thousands of years old shows the amount of iron-60 varies slightly over this time period. It suggests our solar system has been traveling through a cloud of supernova debris for 40,000 to 124,000 years.
• The amount of iron-60 was sparser in the past than it is now. So it appears we are still passing through one of these interstellar clouds. So the iron-60 helps trace our path through the universe.

By Dominik Koll, Australian National University

Stardust in Antarctica shows Earth crossed supernova cloud

When you think of outer space, you’re likely picturing stars, planets and moons. But much of space is filled with clouds of gas, plasma and stardust … or interstellar clouds.

In the local parts of our galaxy alone, there’s a complex of roughly 15 individual interstellar clouds. The solar system is currently traversing one of them, aptly named the Local Interstellar Cloud. Scientists believe the origin and history of these clouds are tightly connected to the birth and death of stars. But we can see their imprints right here on Earth, in a place you might not expect: Antarctic ice.

My colleagues and I have been studying stardust – the dust left behind in space from supernova explosions – trapped in old Antarctic snow and ice. This dust lets us trace the history of our solar neighborhood, including the solar system itself.

In a new study that the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters – published on May 13, 2026 – we found a subtle clue that reveals our solar system’s movement through the local interstellar environment over the past 80,000 years.

This ice core from Antarctica contains stardust from supernovae, or exploding stars. An analysis revealed a material called iron-60, an isotope of iron. Iron-60 doesn’t occur naturally on Earth. Its presence in Antarctic ice shows that our solar system has traveled through a cloud of supernova debris. Image via Alfred-Wegener-Institute/Esther Horvath/ The Conversation.

Looking down to see the sky

Astronomy usually looks outward. Telescopes collect light from distant stars and galaxies, allowing us to observe events across vast stretches of space and time. From these observations, we infer how stars live and die, how elements are formed, and how the universe evolves.

Our approach turns that idea on its head.

Instead of observing the light coming to us, we study the debris of exploding stars right here on Earth. As cosmic furnaces, stars forge many elements in their cores, from carbon and oxygen to calcium and iron. This includes rare isotopes (variants of chemical elements) such as iron-60.

When massive stars explode into supernovae at the end of their life, these elements fly out into space and become interstellar dust.

Tiny grains of this dust then drift through the galaxy and occasionally find their way to Earth’s surface. Radioactive iron-60, a fingerprint of stellar explosions, lies embedded within these grains. By searching for these atoms in geological archives on Earth, we can probe astrophysical events like supernovae long after their light has faded.

This is why Antarctica is so valuable. Its snow accumulates slowly and remains largely undisturbed, forming a layered record that stretches back tens of thousands of years. Each layer captures a snapshot of the material that was present in our cosmic neighborhood at the time.

Finding stardust in Antarctica

When we studied 500 kg (1,100 lbs) of recent snow in Antarctica, we unexpectedly found this rare radioactive isotope. Where did it come from? There was no recent near-Earth supernova.

But our solar neighborhood is filled with 15 clouds, with the solar system currently traversing at least one of them. Is the stardust waiting in the clouds for Earth to sweep it up? If yes, then the amount of stardust Earth collects should be related to their structure: the denser the clouds, the more iron-60 they contain. This was our educated guess in 2019.

Soon, some scientists brought forth other explanations. Millions of years ago Earth received large showers of iron-60 from massive supernovae. Is the iron-60 in Antarctic snow the last remnant or an echo of this signal? A rain that became a drizzle?

To find out, we analyzed a 300-kg (660-lb) section of Antarctic ice, dating from 40,000 to 80,000 years ago. The process is painstaking. First we needed to melt the ice. Then we chemically treated it to isolate tiny amounts of iron, including the iron-60 from the stardust.

Next, using the sensitive atom-counting technique of accelerator mass spectrometry at the Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility at Australian National University, we counted individual atoms of iron-60.

The expectation was straightforward: based on previous measurements from surface snow of Antarctica and several-thousand-year-old ocean sediments, we anticipated a certain steady level of iron-60 deposition.

The results

Instead, we found less. Not zero, but noticeably lower than we expected.

This result suggests that less interstellar dust was reaching Earth during that period. This is a remarkable change on a comparatively short astrophysical timescale and does not fit the long timescales of the iron-60 deposits that landed here millions of years ago. Instead, we needed to look for a smaller, more local source for the isotope.

The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is a type of interstellar cloud. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.

A fitting story

Naturally, astronomers are also quite interested in the clouds around the solar system. Last year, a study reconstructing the history of the clouds arrived at the conclusion that they most likely originated in a stellar explosion. Furthermore, they found the solar system has been traversing the Local Interstellar Cloud from sometime between 40,000 and 124,000 years ago.

If that’s correct, we would expect that the amount of iron-60 on Earth should have changed sometime in the same time period: between 40,000 and 124,000 years ago.

This is exactly what our results showed in Antarctica.

The story doesn’t fit perfectly, though. If these clouds did originate directly from an exploding star, we would expect way more iron-60 than we actually see in Antarctic ice.

Nevertheless, these clouds are imprinted in Earth’s geological record. If we look deeper and analyze even older ice, we might soon unravel the mystery of these local interstellar clouds, revealing their full history and uncertain origins.

Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Nuclear Physics, Australian National University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Bottom line: Stardust in Antarctica reveals the presence of an element that is not naturally made on Earth. But it is created in supernovae. Looking at the time period this material appears in ice cores lets us know when Earth passed through this cloud of supernova debris.

The post Stardust in Antarctica shows Earth crossed a supernova cloud first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/cO6LyQr

Contemplate the apex of the sun in May, with Vega

From the Northern Hemisphere, the bright star Vega is easy to spot on May evenings. Go outside on a May evening, and face northeast. You’ll easily notice Vega, a bright blue-white star. If your sky is dark, you might also see its constellation Lyra the Harp. In its journey around the galaxy, our sun moves toward bright Vega. The point toward which we move is called the apex of the sun, aka the solar apex. Image via EarthSky.

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for EarthSky’s free newsletter for daily night sky updates.

Apex of the sun = our sun’s direction of motion

Our star, the sun, and its planets are moving through space in the general direction of the bright star Vega. Astronomers call the sun’s direction of motion by a great old name: the solar apex or, more romantically, the apex of the sun’s way.

And the month of May is a great time to visualize our sun’s motion through space, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. In May, our Milky Way galaxy lies as flat around the horizon as it can. And the star Vega – which is near the solar apex on the sky’s dome – is ascending in the northeast on May evenings for Northern Hemisphere viewers.

Vega is part of the constellation Lyra the Harp.

Can you see Vega from the Southern Hemisphere, too? Yes, but, from southerly latitudes, it isn’t up in early evening in May. That’s because, at that time of the night, the body of Earth itself blocks it from the view of southern observers. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you can see Vega, but you’ll need to look later at night. Look here for details on the differences in seeing Vega from Northern and Southern Hemisphere locations, in May.

Where is the solar apex in our sky?

The solar apex isn’t exactly in Vega’s direction. It’s located in our sky in the direction of a constellation that’s harder to pick out … the constellation Hercules. This constellation is southwest of the star Vega and its constellation Lyra. It’s a location on the celestial sphere with these coordinates: 18h 28m 0s in right ascension, 30° N in declination.

How do we know our sun is moving in this direction? Astronomers find this point on our sky by measuring the motions of stars near the sun.

A star chart showing the location of the solar apex in the sky. It’s not far from Vega. Image via Stellarium. Used with permission.

Sun’s motion in its galactic neighborhood

Think back to when you last walked on a busy sidewalk. In general, most people are walking at a similar pace. At a distance, they look close together. But if you pick up your pace when walking toward them, people appear to be moving apart.

As the sun travels along its galactic sidewalk with neighboring stars, it moves slightly faster than the mean velocity of its neighbors. If you could fast-forward over several hundred thousand years, you’d notice the following: nearby stars appear to move away from the solar apex. On the opposite side of the celestial sphere, called the antapex, you’d see the opposite: the distance between stars in the sky appears to get smaller.

You can see this effect in an animation from the European Space Agency, based on data from the Gaia space telescope. Scientists extrapolated the motion of 40,000 stars over 1.6 million years to see how they would appear to move in the sky. All these stars had known motions that Gaia measured and were within 326 light-years of the sun.

The trails show how far the stars move on the celestial sphere. It’s a busy animation. But if you look closely, you’ll notice, towards the end, many (not all) stars on the upper left appear to be moving away from a central point. That’s the solar apex. And on the right, they appear to be getting closer to each other. That’s the antapex, which is opposite on the sky from the solar apex. You can read more about this video the at ESA website.

Looking toward the apex of the sun

Vega is a bright star. So you can look for it and find it pretty easily, from Northern Hemisphere locations, in the northeast in early evening in May. By the predawn and dawn hours, the Southern Hemisphere can see Vega, too. Look north from the Southern Hemisphere before dawn.

To see a precise view – and time – for Vega from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Then look for the star Vega and contemplate the fact that our sun and family of planets travel more or less toward it.

With its blue-white color, Vega also happens to be one of the loveliest stars you’ll ever see.

The blue-white star Vega is near the apex of the sun’s way, our sun’s direction of motion through space. Image via Fred Espenak at AstroPixels.com. Used with permission.

Sun’s motion in our galaxy

A friend from Australia wrote:

I seek to find out what speed our sun is traveling at and also how many years it takes to circumnavigate the galaxy.

Our sun takes a long time to circumnavigate the Milky Way, which is a collection of several hundred billion stars with an estimated diameter of about 100,000 light-years. There are various estimates for the speed the sun travels through the galaxy, but its speed is in the range of about 140 miles per second (225 km/sec).

Likewise, there are multiple estimates for the length of time it takes the sun to complete one circuit of the galaxy, but a typical estimate is about 230 million years.

That period of time – the length of the sun’s orbit around the Milky Way’s center – is sometimes called a cosmic year.

What is the solar antapex?

The solar antapex is located opposite the solar apex on the celestial sphere, near the bright star Sirius. Therefore, our sun and planets travel more or less away from Sirius (that’s in the constellation Canis Major). Sirius is the sky’s brightest star. Not surprisingly, Vega and Sirius lie in opposite directions in Earth’s sky.

You can look for Sirius at this time of year, too. Remember, Vega resides almost exactly opposite Sirius. If you have an unobstructed horizon, this evening you might see Sirius low in the southwest as Vega rises low in the northeast (at mid-northern latitudes).

At mid-northern latitudes, you’ll possibly see both stars around 8:30 to 9 p.m. local time (the time on your clock wherever you are) in May.

Use the 3 stars of Orion’s Belt to find Sirius, the brightest star of the nighttime sky. From mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, you might see Sirius low in the southwest, as Vega rises in the northeast.

Bottom line: Our sun – and solar system – are moving in space in the general direction of the solar apex, which is located near the star Vega.

Read our daily sun news

The post Contemplate the apex of the sun in May, with Vega first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/pTxP0GL

From the Northern Hemisphere, the bright star Vega is easy to spot on May evenings. Go outside on a May evening, and face northeast. You’ll easily notice Vega, a bright blue-white star. If your sky is dark, you might also see its constellation Lyra the Harp. In its journey around the galaxy, our sun moves toward bright Vega. The point toward which we move is called the apex of the sun, aka the solar apex. Image via EarthSky.

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for EarthSky’s free newsletter for daily night sky updates.

Apex of the sun = our sun’s direction of motion

Our star, the sun, and its planets are moving through space in the general direction of the bright star Vega. Astronomers call the sun’s direction of motion by a great old name: the solar apex or, more romantically, the apex of the sun’s way.

And the month of May is a great time to visualize our sun’s motion through space, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. In May, our Milky Way galaxy lies as flat around the horizon as it can. And the star Vega – which is near the solar apex on the sky’s dome – is ascending in the northeast on May evenings for Northern Hemisphere viewers.

Vega is part of the constellation Lyra the Harp.

Can you see Vega from the Southern Hemisphere, too? Yes, but, from southerly latitudes, it isn’t up in early evening in May. That’s because, at that time of the night, the body of Earth itself blocks it from the view of southern observers. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you can see Vega, but you’ll need to look later at night. Look here for details on the differences in seeing Vega from Northern and Southern Hemisphere locations, in May.

Where is the solar apex in our sky?

The solar apex isn’t exactly in Vega’s direction. It’s located in our sky in the direction of a constellation that’s harder to pick out … the constellation Hercules. This constellation is southwest of the star Vega and its constellation Lyra. It’s a location on the celestial sphere with these coordinates: 18h 28m 0s in right ascension, 30° N in declination.

How do we know our sun is moving in this direction? Astronomers find this point on our sky by measuring the motions of stars near the sun.

A star chart showing the location of the solar apex in the sky. It’s not far from Vega. Image via Stellarium. Used with permission.

Sun’s motion in its galactic neighborhood

Think back to when you last walked on a busy sidewalk. In general, most people are walking at a similar pace. At a distance, they look close together. But if you pick up your pace when walking toward them, people appear to be moving apart.

As the sun travels along its galactic sidewalk with neighboring stars, it moves slightly faster than the mean velocity of its neighbors. If you could fast-forward over several hundred thousand years, you’d notice the following: nearby stars appear to move away from the solar apex. On the opposite side of the celestial sphere, called the antapex, you’d see the opposite: the distance between stars in the sky appears to get smaller.

You can see this effect in an animation from the European Space Agency, based on data from the Gaia space telescope. Scientists extrapolated the motion of 40,000 stars over 1.6 million years to see how they would appear to move in the sky. All these stars had known motions that Gaia measured and were within 326 light-years of the sun.

The trails show how far the stars move on the celestial sphere. It’s a busy animation. But if you look closely, you’ll notice, towards the end, many (not all) stars on the upper left appear to be moving away from a central point. That’s the solar apex. And on the right, they appear to be getting closer to each other. That’s the antapex, which is opposite on the sky from the solar apex. You can read more about this video the at ESA website.

Looking toward the apex of the sun

Vega is a bright star. So you can look for it and find it pretty easily, from Northern Hemisphere locations, in the northeast in early evening in May. By the predawn and dawn hours, the Southern Hemisphere can see Vega, too. Look north from the Southern Hemisphere before dawn.

To see a precise view – and time – for Vega from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Then look for the star Vega and contemplate the fact that our sun and family of planets travel more or less toward it.

With its blue-white color, Vega also happens to be one of the loveliest stars you’ll ever see.

The blue-white star Vega is near the apex of the sun’s way, our sun’s direction of motion through space. Image via Fred Espenak at AstroPixels.com. Used with permission.

Sun’s motion in our galaxy

A friend from Australia wrote:

I seek to find out what speed our sun is traveling at and also how many years it takes to circumnavigate the galaxy.

Our sun takes a long time to circumnavigate the Milky Way, which is a collection of several hundred billion stars with an estimated diameter of about 100,000 light-years. There are various estimates for the speed the sun travels through the galaxy, but its speed is in the range of about 140 miles per second (225 km/sec).

Likewise, there are multiple estimates for the length of time it takes the sun to complete one circuit of the galaxy, but a typical estimate is about 230 million years.

That period of time – the length of the sun’s orbit around the Milky Way’s center – is sometimes called a cosmic year.

What is the solar antapex?

The solar antapex is located opposite the solar apex on the celestial sphere, near the bright star Sirius. Therefore, our sun and planets travel more or less away from Sirius (that’s in the constellation Canis Major). Sirius is the sky’s brightest star. Not surprisingly, Vega and Sirius lie in opposite directions in Earth’s sky.

You can look for Sirius at this time of year, too. Remember, Vega resides almost exactly opposite Sirius. If you have an unobstructed horizon, this evening you might see Sirius low in the southwest as Vega rises low in the northeast (at mid-northern latitudes).

At mid-northern latitudes, you’ll possibly see both stars around 8:30 to 9 p.m. local time (the time on your clock wherever you are) in May.

Use the 3 stars of Orion’s Belt to find Sirius, the brightest star of the nighttime sky. From mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, you might see Sirius low in the southwest, as Vega rises in the northeast.

Bottom line: Our sun – and solar system – are moving in space in the general direction of the solar apex, which is located near the star Vega.

Read our daily sun news

The post Contemplate the apex of the sun in May, with Vega first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/pTxP0GL