Latest news with #Pleiades
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Astrophotography in June 2025: what to shoot in the night sky this month
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Deep-sky astrophotographers are in for a treat this month, with some of the most beautiful nebulae — and a globular cluster — at their best, though with the solstice on 20 June, astronomical darkness will be hard to find. However, such a thing is hardly necessary for a trio of conjunctions this month involving the crescent moon, Mars, the Pleiades, and Regulus, the 'Heart of the Lion.' Here's everything you need to know about astrophotography in June 2025. This is the perfect night for deep-sky astrophotographers to image one of the most beautiful objects in the summer night sky. M13 is the prime example of a globular cluster, a dense ball of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars almost as old as the universe itself that orbits in the halo of the Milky Way. It's called the Hercules Cluster because it's found in the constellation Hercules, which is high overhead at midnight this month, so in the darkest part of the night sky as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. M13 is about 20,000 light years from the solar system — and a fabulous target for telescopes using CCD cameras and smart telescopes like the Unistellar eVscope 2 and Seestar S50. Read: Astrophotography: How-to guides, tips and videos Though officially full on Wednesday, 11 June, moonrise where you live on Tuesday, 10 June is when to be out to catch the most southerly-rising full moon in 2025. This full 'Strawberry Moon' is occurring during a major lunar standstill, a once-in-18.6-years event, meaning it will rise much farther to the southeast than usual. Use apps like PhotoPills and The Photographer's Ephemeris to plan a shot of it rising behind an unusual landmark. Read: How to photograph the full moon Although both of these targets can just be seen with the naked eye from Bortle 1 or dark skies, the larger and brighter Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the smaller Trifid Nebula (M20) in Sagittarius are typically seen only in deep-sky astrophotography images. June is a wonderful time to explore Sagittarius, which is rich in nebulae and star fields, though the more southerly you are, the better view you'll get (tip: wonderful views of Sagittarius are possible from Malaga in Spain and Florida in the U.S., two common places for family vacations). Read: The best light pollution filters Here comes a colorful close encounter in the west after dark. The red planet Mars and blue-white star Regulus in the constellation Leo will appear just 0.7 degrees apart while shining with almost identical brightness. It's a rare chance to take an image showing contrasting colors — and an alternative to the seasonal cliche of the Albireo double star in the Cygnus constellation in the Summer Triangle (which is also high in the sky in June). Read: The best cameras for astrophotography The darkest night skies of each month are always those between the last quarter moon and a few nights after the new moon, when there's little moonlight. That's true this month, with the last quarter moon on 18 June signaling the return of moon-free evenings. However, there's a huge spanner in the works in June's astrophotography window for anyone who lives at northerly latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere — the solstice. It means astronomical darkness will be in short supply and, indeed, impossible at latitudes above 50 degrees north. Read: The best star tracker camera mounts If there was ever a reason to rise early, it's this. A slender 6%-lit crescent moon will appear just half a degree from the Pleiades' open cluster of stars (also called M45 and the 'Seven Sisters') in the eastern sky this morning. The duo will rise at about 3:30 a.m. local time and be visible in twilight, and until dawn breaks. Venus will shine nearby. Use a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a telephoto lens (at least 100mm) on a tripod and keep exposures under one second to avoid blur, or bracket exposures to capture both the bright crescent and M45's fainter stars. Read: When to photograph the moon See the moon with a cherry on top tonight, when a quarter-lit crescent moon will shine in the west after sunset with Mars just a fifth of a degree above it. From parts of the Pacific and northern South America, the moon will briefly occult Mars. From twilight onwards, use a 200mm (minimum) telephoto lens on a tripod and use short exposures (1/100sec or faster) to capture the sharp crescent and Mars as a point of light. Read: Best deep-space telescopes Late June is the peak time of the year to see noctilucent clouds (NLCs) from mid-northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. These shimmering, silvery-blue wispy clouds tend to appear in the northwest as summer nights darken, glowing long after the sun has set (principally because the sun doesn't get that far beneath the horizon at this time of year), so watch from 30-90 minutes after sunset. Formed from ice crystals clinging to meteor dust about 50 miles (80km) up, they sometimes get the nickname 'space clouds' because they sit just beneath the Kármán line, Earth's boundary with space. Camera settings will be similar to any twilight-night photography, which is to say, use a wide aperture (say, f1.8-2.8 or whatever your DSLR or mirrorless camera's wide-angle lens can manage) and experiment with ISO and exposure. Start with ISO 400–800 and expose for one to six seconds. Read more: • Best equatorial mounts • Best deep-space telescopes • The best light pollution filters • The best CCD cameras for astrophotography • The best spotting scopes • The best binoculars • The best microscopes
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Science
- Al Etihad
Celestial spectacles to light up UAE sky this summer; here's a guide
2 June 2025 00:24 SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI) For those who love stargazing and just soaking up grandeur of the cosmos, this summer promises a visual feast, with celestial spectacles set to light up the sky from June through early September, experts told Aletihad . Astronomy is more than a scientific pursuit — it is a cultural, personal experience, the team at Al Sadeem Observatory said in an interview with Aletihad . 'Staying engaged with astronomy during the UAE summer is important because it offers a chance to witness spectacular celestial events, including the core of the Milky Way Galaxy, which is visible only during these months,' they said. The astronomical calendar may be packed this season, but the experts said stargazers must be wary of some weather factors that could affect visibility. 'High temperatures often lead to increased humidity and atmospheric turbulence, which can blur or distort the view of celestial objects. In regions like the UAE, dust and haze from desert winds are common in summer and can scatter light, reducing contrast in the night sky.'Clear, dry nights are still possible, they noted; hence, 'planning observations after windy or humid days should be done carefully.'Here are the major upcoming astronomical events to watch for: JuneThis month features two Moon-Mars conjunctions (June 1 and 30), a full moon on the 11th, and the June Solstice on the 21st. On June 22-23, stargazers will be able to catch a pre-dawn conjunction of the crescent moon, Venus and Pleiades. On June 25, the new moon will be perfect for Milky Way watching; and then, the Bootid meteor shower arrives on the 27th. July A full moon will be visible on July 11, and the moon links with Saturn on the 16th. A pre-dawn trio — Moon, Venus, and Jupiter — will light up the sky on July 21–22. Meteor showers will peak towards the end of July: Pisces (28–29) and Alpha Capricornids & Delta Aquarids (30–31).The new moon on the 24th will offer clear skies for deep-sky the impact of lunar phases on stargazing, the Al Sadeem Observatory team said: 'During full moon nights, the moon's brightness significantly illuminates the sky, making it difficult to observe faint celestial objects. In contrast, new moon nights offer the best conditions for stargazing.' AugustA full moon will be up on August 9, and from 12th to 25th, there will be a morning planet parade (Mercury through Neptune). The Perseid meteor shower will be at their peak from August 12 to k-Cygnids will be visible on the 18th, followed by a Venus-Jupiter-Moon alignment on the August 19–20.A new moon on August 23 signals an ideal night for stargazing. On the dawn of August 27–28, the Suhail star may be observable. September On September 7, a full lunar eclipse will be totally visible from the UAE. Stargazing Tips In the region, studying the stars is deeply rooted in tradition, the team at Al Sadeem Observatory said. 'People have long looked to the skies not just for science, but also for guidance and seasonal awareness.'Spotting the Suhail star, for example, has traditionally marked the end of summer and the beginning of cooler weather, the team said. When looking at the sky, it pays to remember that bright planets often look like stars, the experts said. 'Planets often appear in the night sky as bright dots and can be easily mistaken for stars. To distinguish them, sky map applications like Stellarium or Sky Map can be very helpful.'For the best skywatching experience, choose dark, open locations and allow your eyes time to adjust to the darkness, the experts said. They also highlighted the unpredictability of meteor showers, 'Meteor showers are spontaneous celestial events—while they peak on specific nights, the timing and brightness of individual meteors are unpredictable.' The sky is full of wonders, Al Sadeem Astronomy said. 'Everyone should have the chance to experience them at least once — both as humans and as passionate sky lovers.'
Arab Times
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Arab Times
Scorching Summer In Kuwait To Begin June 7
KUWAIT CITY, May 24: The Al-Ajari Scientific Center has announced that the Al-Batin season will begin tomorrow, Sunday. This marks the final phase of the Al-Kanna season and will last for 13 days. It is distinguished by shorter shadows on certain days, as the sun's rays fall almost directly overhead. In a press release, the center explained that the appearance of the Al-Batin star is typically accompanied by strong northwesterly winds. These winds, along with rising temperatures from sunrise to sunset, often lead to the spread of dust and sand in the air. During this period, daylight will extend beyond 13 hours and 47 minutes, with sunset occurring at 6:38 PM, resulting in shorter nights. The center also noted that following the end of Al-Batin, the Thuraya (Pleiades) season will begin on June 7, 2025, signaling the true start of summer. The coming two weeks will be marked by dry conditions and a steady rise in temperatures. It added that during the Pleiades period, temperatures are expected to climb significantly, reaching high levels in several parts of the country and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA Mission Captures Eerie New View of The Moon And Sun
A new NASA mission to map the solar wind has returned some of its first images from its position in low Earth orbit. The Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission launched on 11 March 2025, and its early glimpses of the Solar System and the space beyond are both eerie and fascinating. Each of PUNCH's four satellites carries an imaging instrument – one narrow-field and three wide-field, to capture different aspects of the solar atmosphere as it transitions into the solar wind and blows through the Solar System. The aspect captured by the narrow-field imager (NFI) is perhaps the eeriest of all. This instrument is a type of coronagraph, which includes an attachment called an occulter that sits in the middle of the field of view and blocks out the Sun's disk. This allows fine details of the solar atmosphere, or corona, to be seen, in the same way details of the corona can be seen during a solar eclipse. In the image from PUNCH's NFI, the occulter is not quite fully aligned with the Sun, which means some of the Sun's light leaks through the image in interesting ways. Around the edge of the occulter, a bright ring of diffracted light can be seen, while a larger halo of light bouncing off the occulter dominates the image. Within this halo floats the new Moon, fully illuminated by the Sun's light reflecting off Earth. The visuals from the wide-field imagers (WFIs) are just as fascinating, all of them showing constellations and star clusters, with the Pleiades making an appearance in all three. From WFI-2, we get this gloriously rainbow-tinted image of the stars. Although we can't see those hues with our own eyes, they do represent something real. The spacecraft is equipped with a filter that allows it to determine how light is polarized, its waves aligned in a particular orientation. When light travels through and bounces off matter, it can become polarized. WFI-2 used its filters to detect the polarization of sunlight scattering off the interplanetary dust that orbits the Sun on the plane of the Solar System. This scattering creates a phenomenon known as zodiacal light that can be seen in dark night skies most strongly around the annual equinoxes. The hues and saturations indicate the direction and strength of the polarization of zodiacal light in WFI-2's image. The images from WFI-1 and WFI-3 are pretty similar to each other, showing zodiacal light stretching upwards, from slightly different angles. The Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars, and the Pleiades, a cluster resembling a scoop, can be seen at the top middle and slightly down and to the right in the WF-1 image. Meanwhile, in the WF-3 image, the Pleiades cluster appears at nine o'clock, with the constellation of Cassiopeia at the top. All four images, NASA says, provide confirmation that all the instruments are working as they should. Now, the ground team will be working on calibration, after which the true science work will commence. If we're lucky, though, even this early phase of the mission will yield some observations that help us understand how the Sun generates the wind that carves out the Solar System's bubble in the Milky Way galaxy. Mysteriously Perfect Sphere Spotted in Space by Astronomers The Most Violent Solar Storm Ever Detected Hit Earth in 12350 BCE Dark Matter Could Be Evolving, And The Implications Are Profound
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's PUNCH spacecraft see a cosmic rainbow in the zodiacal light
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's newest spacecraft aimed at studying the sun have captured a colorful "rainbow" in the warm glow of zodiacal light observed above Earth. The PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, which launched on March 11, consists of four small satellites working in unison in low Earth orbit to provide a comprehensive view of the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, and study the constant stream of charged particles emitted by the sun known as solar wind. The mission delivered its first set of images, including a vivid, rainbow-colored view of the sky, according to a statement from NASA that shared PUNCH's latest images. These images feature zodiacal light — the faint, diffuse glow created by sunlight scattering off dust particles in space. In one view captured by the PUNCH mission's WFI-2 instrument on April 18, a hazy glow transitions from red on the left to green in the center and blue on the right, set against a backdrop of stars. The coloration of light in this image does not depict a true optical rainbow as would be seen by the naked eye, but rather a colored representation of different wavelengths of light that highlight the instrument's capability to analyze various components of the solar atmosphere. The mission measures the corona and solar wind in three dimensions by studying the polarization of light, which is the direction light travels after it has been scattered by particles. The four satellites include one Narrow Field Imager (NFI), which blocks out the bright light from the sun to better see details in the corona. On April 27, the NFI instrument captured the new moon as it passed by the sun, using its occulter (an object that blocks a direct view of the sun) to hide the solar disk. These early images help the PUNCH mission team calibrate the instruments and ensure they are working as expected. The PUNCH spacecraft also include three Wide Field Imagers (WFIs), which are designed to see the very faint, outermost portion of the corona and solar wind. The WFI-1 and WFI-3 instruments also captured the soft glow of zodiacal light on April 16, with the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters and Andromeda galaxy in view. The Andromeda galaxy can be seen as a faint wispy spiral on the far right of the image below. The 'W' shape of the Cassiopeia constellation can be made out at the top. The familiar Pleiades can be seen at the left side of the image. RELATED STORIES: — NASA's sun-studying PUNCH mission captures its 1st-light images. Everything looks great so far — NASA set to deliver a knock-out PUNCH to mysteries of the solar wind — SpaceX rocket launches NASA SPHEREx space telescope and PUNCH solar probes (video) PUNCH launched on March 12, 2025 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Riding alongside the four PUNCH satellites was another new NASA spacecraft, called SPHEREx. Like the James Webb Space Telescope, SPHEREx — which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer — peers into the cosmos with infrared eyes. Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, however, SPHEREx is designed to take in a wide view of the universe in order to create a new map of the visible sky. "We are literally mapping the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colors for the first time in humanity's history," Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said during a conference about SPHEREx on Jan. 31.
