Heads up! A new comet is already bright enough to see naked eye and may be a show stopper in a couple of weeks!
Scientific American
Will Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Be the Brightest of the Year?
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) could soon shine very bright in Earth’s skies
So let's say astronomers see a big ol' asteroid heading right for Earth. What can we do? DON'T PANIC. I mean, first off. Also: nuke it. Seriously. But not for the reason you think!
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Nuking an asteroid might actually work
Preventing an impact could rely on bombing it...but to deflect it, not destroy it
In the past, maps of solar eclipse paths assumed Earth and the Moon were spheres. But they're not! And when you take that into account, eclipses get a *whole* lot more complicated.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Total eclipses from the imperfect Moon
New software can make maps of solar eclipse paths that include effects of lunar craters and mountains
A *lot* of wee near-Earth asteroids have even more wee moons orbiting them. Why? The main culprit could be… sunlight.
Scientific American
Tiny Asteroids Have Even Tinier Moons—But Why?
Scientists are putting a new spin on the creation of binary asteroids
Sooooo… Once upon a time, Earth may have had rings. Like Saturn's. Yes, really.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
The Earth may have had rings!
An asteroid broken up by Earth’s gravity may have given it rings long ago
Did you know there's a Supermoon next week? Let's throw some kryptonite at it.
Scientific American
Never Mind the Supermoon—Our Moon Is Always Super
Supermoons are popular in the media, but are they really so different from how our extraordinary moon ordinarily appears?
The BepiColombo spacecraft passed an incredible *165* km above Mercury's surface and took some truly amazing shots of the planet!
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Incredible shots of Mercury as BepiColumbo steals some of its energy
The spacecraft is getting closer! Also, Saturn at opposition and a year in Virginia for me.
Hey RFK Jr! Kiss my vaxxed butt! #COVID #Flu image
A *staggering* view of Mars that you VERY much want to see. And it even has a case of phobobombing.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
A jaw-dropping view of Mars
The Red Planet shines in a new Mars Express image, but Phobos steals the show
 image
If Hubble can see so much detail in distant galaxies, why can't it see the Apollo astronaut bootprints on the Moon? This is a question with a definite resolution.
Scientific American
Why Can’t the Hubble Space Telescope See Astronauts on the Moon?
Even Earth’s mightiest telescopes aren’t up to the task of imaging Apollo lunar landing sites. A lack of resolution is the biggest reason why