Latest news with #WhentheCurvesLineUp
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Look up: This planet is about to pass through cosmic beehive in unique sky event
The second-closest planet to Earth is about to pass through a beehive in the sky — a beehive of stars. Starting Thursday, Mars should be seen passing through the Beehive star cluster, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The best time to see the red planet pass through the stars is two hours after sunset on Friday, May 2, according to the space website When the Curves Line Up. The star cluster, also known as Messier 44, is typically best seen during the spring night sky toward the constellation Cancer, according to NASA. The Beehive is made up of around 1,000 young stars that are all loosely connected by gravity. These stars, between 600 and 700 million years old, are considered young in contrast to the Milky Way Galaxy, which is 4.6 billion years old. Mars can be seen with the naked eye, though binoculars can be used for a closer look as it passes through the star cluster, according to When the Curves Line Up. While the moon is expected to be over 30% illuminated, some stars in the cluster could be washed out. If stargazers cannot see Mars make its passage, they will get another chance — but will have to wait a while. Mars infrequently passes through the star cluster every year, either in the spring or fall. The red planet's passage through the cluster should happen again starting Oct. 11, 2026, When the Curves Line Up wrote. The famed astronomer Galileo took the first telescopic view of the star cluster in 1609, EarthSky reported. Using a paper tube and two pieces of glass, he counted 40 stars. Over a century later, astronomer William Messier added the cluster to his catalogue of nebulous objects in the sky, resulting in its scientific name. Halley's Comet debris soon to leave glowing streaks in the sky It's one of the biggest moons of the year — so why can't you tell? Watch unique sky event from your backyard as planet passes through a cosmic beehive Here are 10 photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope after 35 years in space Why won't you be able to see the closest supermoon of 2025?
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Watch unique sky event from your backyard as planet passes through a cosmic beehive
Down on Earth, it is about to look as though a reddish star in the Beehive star cluster is moving. The reality is it's not a star, it's Earth's neighbor, Mars. Between May 1 and 6, Mars is expected to make its approach through the Beehive star cluster, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Mars infrequently passes through the star cluster once every year, either in the spring or in the fall, as it did in December 2024, BBC Sky at Night reported. The best night to see Mars make its passage is May 2, two hours after sunset, the space website When the Curves Line Up wrote. The moon's illumination should be over 30%, which could wash out the naked-eye view of some of the cluster's stars. Scientifically designated as Messier 44 and located in the constellation Cancer, the Beehive is made up of around 1,000 stars loosely connected by gravity, NASA stated. It is best seen in the spring night sky and covers a part of space large enough to fit about three full moons. Mars should be seen making its way through the star cluster with a pair of binoculars, When the Curves Line Up wrote. This star cluster is unique for being positioned along the elliptic, the invisible plane in which all the solar system's planets line up as they orbit around the sun. Though Mars resembles a star in the night sky, it's far closer than the stars that make up the Beehive. The star cluster is 600 light years away, according to NASA, while the space agency reports that Mars is 142 million miles from Earth. While second-century astronomer Ptolemy noted the cluster as 'the nebulous mass in the breast of Cancer,' Galileo made the first telescopic view of the star cluster in 1609, when he counted 40 stars, EarthSky wrote. Here are 10 photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope after 35 years in space Why won't you be able to see the closest supermoon of 2025? This newly found green comet may not have survived its trek past the sun Here's what a Beatles song and a fossil have to do with a NASA mission to study asteroids 4 planets align in early-morning sky: How and where to spot them
