May starts out with a bang and continues with two much-anticipated space exploration launches. In addition, more and more local events are being added to the United States’ International Year of Astronomy calendar , so be sure to keep checking in for activities in your city. Here’s what’s in store for you internationally: May 2009 NASA Theme: Our Sun (this month Galileo first wrote up his observations on sunspots in 1612) Featured object in the sky...

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Zubeneschamali, globular cluster M5, and elliptical galaxy NGC 4697 this week. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome — to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets...

Here is what the future of computer-simulated galaxy mergers may look like. This image to the right — unusual for its vivid color and detail — shows five stages of a collision between two virtual galaxies, cooked up by computer programs that simulate the processes at work. View a bigger version of this image . The image is part of an ongoing project to visualize simulated mergers in a more realistic manner — to produce something more like what you...

NASA has recently launched an expanded version of NASA Home and City , an interactive online program that allows users to discover some of the many NASA technologies that affect their everyday lives. The site takes visitors on an illustrated tour of the commercial products and advanced technologies that have origins in NASA space and aeronautics research and development. Using a colorful map complete with sound effects, users can scroll through more...

Here’s another great example of material I receive as Photo Editor of Astronomy . Astroimager Robert Lockwood from San Diego created an animation he did of Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin). For the final animation, Robert combined 75 exposures — 25 each through red, green, and blue filters. Each exposure lasted 45 seconds. He also allowed an additional 30 seconds to elapse between sets of three. The telescope Robert used was a 7.2-inch Takahashi Epsilon-180...

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Kite, globular cluster M53, and the Hockey Stick Galaxy this week. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome — to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets for you...

Tuesday at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science meeting in Hatfield, England, astronomers announced a new milestone: an extrasolar planet with the lowest confirmed mass of any yet discovered around a normal star . “Confirmed” . . . “normal star” . . . seems like a lot of caveats, doesn’t it? Let me explain. The planet is called Gliese 581 e, and the research says it contains 1.9 times Earth’s mass. Earth-mass planets are the holy grails...

Special post from Imelda B. Joson and Edwin L. Aguirre In the years since its inception, the Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference (NEAIC) has evolved into the largest gathering of its kind on the East Coast. Astrophotography aficionados from North America, Europe, and Asia have attended or spoken at the 2-day conference, held each year at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. “This year’s NEAIC was a resounding success,” said Jim Burnell...

Is a big telescope better than a small one? Well, it all depends on what you want to use it for and how much the cost difference is. As with airplanes, bigger isn’t always better. A little two-place airplane works just fine for training pilots in the initial stages, thank you. A six-place jet can often conduct research aloft just as effectively as a big Boeing 747, and at a much lower cost. So it is with telescopes. This size and cost issue is so...

In my newest video, I give you an overview of the Big Bang Theory (the cosmology theory, not the television show), and help clear up a few common misconceptions. Hopefully the crazy world of cosmology will make a bit more sense after you’ve watched the production. This clip is the first in a series called Cosmology 101. Over the next few months, you’re invited to tune in to watch me discuss additional cosmology topics. Watch the video, Cosmology 101...