Latest news with #nightsky
Forbes
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dazzling Night Sky Photos: ‘Capture The Dark' Contest Winners Inspire Awe
The night sky presents wondrous and mysterious views — of the moon, stars, galaxies, meteor showers and other otherworldly marvels. The winners of this year's annual Capture the Dark photography contest capture this cosmic canvas in awe-inspiring tableaus. The contest, now in its fifth year, is run by Dark Sky International, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of the ubiquity of artificial light, or light pollution, and how it can impact human health, disrupt wildlife ecosystems by interrupting predictable natural rhythms of day and night, waste energy and obscure views that have inspired science, philosophy and art for centuries. Light pollution continues to increase annually worldwide, according to a landmark study from 2023, with North America seeing a spike of more than 10 percent. Dark Sky International received its highest number of submissions yet for this year's contest — more than 2,284 from over 22 countries. They picture everything from comets and shimmering deep-sky observations to nocturnal wildlife. 'The result is more than a gallery of stunning images,' the organization said last week when announcing the winners, which were selected by a panel of astrophotographers. 'It's a call to action to protect the night.' This year, for the first time, Dark Sky International released guidelines for responsible astrophotography for Capture the Dark entrants. Photographers are asked to respect dark-sky locations, use light responsibly and present an authentic night-sky experience by being transparent about editing, labeling composite images and ensuring the sky matches the geographic location of the foreground. Here are some of this year's winners across eight categories open to all skill levels and to photos taken with everything from the highest-end photography equipment to phones and GoPros. First Place, Capture the Dark For the image titled 'The Watchers,' JJ Rao captured rare red sprites dancing over the tidal flats of Western Australia. 'A large sprite like this exists for 10 milliseconds, up to 40 times faster than an eye blink,' the photographer said. 'This makes photographing them challenging and requires very dark skies. The central sprite is unusual. It's known as a 'jellyfish' sprite, the largest and fastest of all sprites.' Second Place, Capture the Dark Third Place, Capture the Dark First Place, The Impact of Light Pollution Ambre de l'AIPe snapped this image, titled 'Requiem for a Dream' in the northern Alps of France. 'The tent is pitched in the snow, and a sea of clouds filters the light from the town of Chamonix,' de l'AIPe said. 'An incredible atmosphere, and it's even more incredible to realize that the town, despite the clouds obscuring the light, shines right up to the summit of Mont-Blanc.' Second Place, The Impact of Light Pollution Third Place, The Impact of Light Pollution First Place, International Dark Sky Places For the winning image 'Starlight Highway,' photographer Tom Rae stood at the entrance to a dark-sky preserve in New Zealand. 'The Starlight Highway sign is definitely one of the cooler signs to find on the road, and there is a good reason for it, as you can see,' Rae said. 'The sign marks the entrance to the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the most significant dark sky reserves on Earth.' Second Place, International Dark Sky Places Third Place, International Dark Sky Places First Place, Creatures Of The Night Oscar Leonardo Chavez Torres made an ordinary sight in Sonora, Mexico, look extraordinary. 'Scorpions use the darkness to hunt in the desert,' the photographer noted. 'These organisms thrive in the dark nights of the desert, and even the moon can be enough light to drop their activity.' Second Place, Creatures Of The Night Third Place, Creatures Of The Night
CBC
21 hours ago
- Science
- CBC
How to see the 'planet parade' on now
Social Sharing Want to spot up to six planets at once in the night sky? Look up before dawn this week for the second and last "planet parade" of the year. Which planets can you see? Right now, with just the naked eye, you can see four planets at the same time before dawn: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. The latter three have been visible for weeks, but Mercury turned the sky into a "parade" when it joined them this weekend. Mercury has been faint and close to the horizon, but is currently getting brighter each night, and will be at its highest above the horizon on Tuesday, Aug. 19, reports Forbes. Later in the week, Mercury will begin moving closer to the horizon again before eventually sinking into the glare of dawn later this month, ending the parade. Two other planets, Neptune and Uranus, are only visible with telescopes. If you're wondering where Mars will be in all this, it will be barely visible low in the west during evening twilight, but will set at nightfall, writes Alan McRoberts on Sky & Telescope's weekly planet roundup. What will they look like? Canadian astronomy educator Chris Vaughan warns in his Skylights blog that during the "planet parade" the planets "won't be stacked like bowling balls as depicted in all the A.I. generated images on social media, and they aren't that close together." Andrew Fazekas, astronomy columnist for CBC Radio, said what the planets will actually look like is bright points of light. "To the naked eye, you're not going to see anything spectacular," he said, adding that it should be thought of less as a spectacle and more as a "wonderful observing challenge" — to be able to spot so many planets at once. WATCH | It's getting harder to stargaze within city limits: Sky grief: That feeling you get when you're missing the stars 2 years ago However, one thing that may make it extra worthwhile is the crescent moon, which Fazekas says will be eye-catching and a "wonderful guidepost" to help identify different planets. That's because it will be near Jupiter on Tuesday morning, near Venus on Wednesday, and near Mercury — which is often hard to find — on Thursday morning. Vaughan says this could make for some good photo opportunities. "On Tuesday morning, the moon will show a slimmer crescent and shine just above those planets, making a lovely photo!" he writes. "Wednesday will deliver a second photo op while the even narrower crescent moon shines within the box formed by Castor, Pollux, Jupiter, and Venus!" Where and when should you look? The planet parade is best seen in the east in the hour before dawn. A good view of the horizon will be needed, especially to spot Mercury. Vaughan says Mercury will rise around 5 a.m. and will be most visible between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Fazekas recommends looking 45 minutes before sunrise and warns "you have to be fairly fast before Mercury sinks." Venus and Jupiter will be higher, near the moon. Saturn will be high toward the south, McRobert writes. Uranus will be near the star cluster Pleiades and Neptune will be near Saturn. Both will be visible with binoculars, and Fazekas says a telescope is better for viewing Neptune. Why do the planets appear to line up? Planets always appear in a line or arc across the sky because they all orbit in the same disc-like plane as the Earth, which we see edge-on. NASA likens it to viewing cars on a racetrack from the racetrack itself. How rare are planet parades? They usually happen every few years to once a decade, depending on your definition, although this is the second for 2025. The previous took place from January to mid-February, when four planets were visible after sunset rather than before sunrise. If you want to see all five planets visible to the naked eye at once, you might want to mark your calendar for October 2028 — in that month, they'll all appear together before sunrise, NASA says.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Six planets are hanging out in early morning skies this month. Here's how to spot them
NEW YORK — Six planets are hanging out in the sky this month in what's known as a planetary parade. Catch the spectacle while you can because it's the last one of the year. These linkups happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once. Such parades are fairly common, happening around every year depending on the number of planets. At least one bright planet can be spotted on most nights, weather permitting, according to NASA. Six planets were visible in January skies and every planet of our solar system was visible in February, but not all could be spotted with the naked eye. Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and a faint Mercury are visible this month without any special equipment, and the best chances to spot them are over the next week. Uranus and Neptune can only be glimpsed through binoculars and telescopes. Jupiter and Venus made a close brush earlier this week and are still near each other in the eastern sky, 'close together like cat's eyes,' said Carolyn Sumners at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Mercury will be at its farthest point from the sun on Tuesday morning, making it easier to spot before it disappears into the sun's glare. To catch the planets, go out in the morning shortly before sunrise and look east. Try to find Jupiter and Venus clustered together first. Saturn is off to the side and Mercury will be close to the horizon, trying to rise before the sun. 'You're looking for little tiny pinpoints of light, but they are the brightest ones,' said Justin Bartel with the Science Museum of Virginia. 'They don't really twinkle like the stars do.' Before heading out, make sure it is a clear, cloudless morning and try to get away from tall buildings that could block the view. Mercury will hide behind the sun again toward the end of the month, but a crescent moon will then join the parade. The next big planetary hangout is in February. ___ Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Science
- Washington Post
Six planets are hanging out in early morning skies this month. Here's how to spot them
NEW YORK — Six planets are hanging out in the sky this month in what's known as a planetary parade . Catch the spectacle while you can because it's the last one of the year. These linkups happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once. Such parades are fairly common, happening around every year depending on the number of planets. At least one bright planet can be spotted on most nights, weather permitting, according to NASA.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Six planets are hanging out in early morning skies this month. Here's how to spot them
Six planets are hanging out in the sky this month in what's known as a planetary parade. Catch the spectacle while you can because it's the last one of the year. These linkups happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once. Such parades are fairly common, happening around every year depending on the number of planets. At least one bright planet can be spotted on most nights, weather permitting, according to NASA. Six planets were visible in January skies and every planet of our solar system was visible in February, but not all could be spotted with the naked eye. Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and a faint Mercury are visible this month without any special equipment, and the best chances to spot them are over the next week. Uranus and Neptune can only be glimpsed through binoculars and telescopes. Jupiter and Venus made a close brush earlier this week and are still near each other in the eastern sky, 'close together like cat's eyes,' said Carolyn Sumners at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Mercury will be at its farthest point from the sun on Tuesday morning, making it easier to spot before it disappears into the sun's glare. To catch the planets, go out in the morning shortly before sunrise and look east. Try to find Jupiter and Venus clustered together first. Saturn is off to the side and Mercury will be close to the horizon, trying to rise before the sun. 'You're looking for little tiny pinpoints of light, but they are the brightest ones,' said Justin Bartel with the Science Museum of Virginia. 'They don't really twinkle like the stars do.' Before heading out, make sure it is a clear, cloudless morning and try to get away from tall buildings that could block the view. Mercury will hide behind the sun again toward the end of the month, but a crescent moon will then join the parade. The next big planetary hangout is in February. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
