Astronomy, Education, Space Science

ESO: Most massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way discovered

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A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

Most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy found

Astronomers have found the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy, thanks to the wobbling motion it induces on a companion star. This artist’s impression shows the orbits of both the star and the black hole, dubbed Gaia BH3, around their common centre of mass. This wobbling was measured over several years with the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Additional data from other telescopes, including ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, confirmed that the mass of this black hole is 33 times that of our Sun. The chemical composition of the companion star suggests that the black hole was formed after the collapse of a massive star with very few heavy elements, or metals, as predicted by theory. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

Astronomers have identified the most massive stellar black hole yet discovered in the Milky Way galaxy. This black hole was spotted in data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission because it imposes an odd ‘wobbling’ motion on the companion star orbiting it. Data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and other ground-based observatories were used to verify the mass of the black hole, putting it at an impressive 33 times that of the Sun.

Stellar black holes are formed from the collapse of massive stars and the ones previously identified in the Milky Way are on average about 10 times as massive as the Sun. Even the next most massive stellar black hole known in our galaxy, Cygnus X-1, only reaches 21 solar masses, making this new 33-solar-mass observation exceptional [1].

Remarkably, this black hole is also extremely close to us — at a mere 2000 light-years away in the constellation Aquila, it is the second-closest known black hole to Earth. Dubbed Gaia BH3 or BH3 for short, it was found while the team were reviewing Gaia observations in preparation for an upcoming data release.

“No one was expecting to find a high-mass black hole lurking nearby, undetected so far,”

says Gaia collaboration member Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, France.

“This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life.”

To confirm their discovery, the Gaia collaboration used data from ground-based observatories, including from the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) instrument on ESO’s VLT, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert [2]. These observations revealed key properties of the companion star, which, together with Gaia data, allowed astronomers to precisely measure the mass of BH3.

Astronomers have found similarly massive black holes outside our galaxy (using a different detection method), and have theorised that they may form from the collapse of stars with very few elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in their chemical composition. These so-called metal-poor stars are thought to lose less mass over their lifetimes and hence have more material left over to produce high-mass black holes after their death. But evidence directly linking metal-poor stars to high-mass black holes has been lacking until now.

Stars in pairs tend to have similar compositions, meaning that BH3’s companion holds important clues about the star that collapsed to form this exceptional black hole. UVES data showed that the companion was a very metal-poor star, indicating that the star that collapsed to form BH3 was also metal-poor — just as predicted.

The research study, led by Panuzzo, is published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

“We took the exceptional step of publishing this paper based on preliminary data ahead of the forthcoming Gaia release because of the unique nature of the discovery,”

says co-author Elisabetta Caffau, also a Gaia collaboration member and CNRS scientist from the Observatoire de Paris – PSL. Making the data available early will let other astronomers start studying this black hole right now, without waiting for the full data release, planned for late 2025 at the earliest.

Further observations of this system could reveal more about its history and about the black hole itself. The GRAVITY instrument on ESO’s VLT Interferometer, for example, could help astronomers find out whether this black hole is pulling in matter from its surroundings and better understand this exciting object.

Notes

[1] This is not the most massive black hole in our galaxy — that title belongs to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s centre, which has about four million times the mass of the Sun. But Gaia BH3 is the most massive black hole known in the Milky Way that formed from the collapse of a star.

[2] Aside from UVES on ESO’s VLT, the study relied on data from: the HERMES spectrograph at the Mercator Telescope operated at La Palma (Spain) by Leuven University, Belgium, in collaboration with the Observatory of the University of Geneva, Switzerland; and the SOPHIE high-precision spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence – OSU Institut Pythéas.

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An Infinity of Worlds:
Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – April.13.2024

Here is this week’s selection of videos and news items about space habitats, living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Space to Ground: Above the Umbra: April 12, 2024 – NASA Johnson

NASA’s Space to Ground is your weekly update on what’s happening aboard the International Space Station.
Got a question or comment? …

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

** A tour of the International Space Station with Andreas Mogensen – European Space Agency, ESA

On the last day of his Huginn mission, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen takes us on a tour of the place he called home for 6 months: the International Space Station. From the beautiful views of Cupola to the kitchen in Node 1 filled with food and friends and all the way to the science of Columbus, the Space Station is the work and living place for astronauts as they help push science forward.

** Soyuz MS-24 Space Station Farewells and Hatch Closing – Friday, April 5, 2024 – NASA Video

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya closed the hatch of the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on April 6 ahead of their landing later that day. Following hatch closure, the vehicle undocked from the International Space Station’s Rassvet module, returning to Earth a few hours later for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan. During her mission, O’Hara spent 204 days in space living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** Soyuz MS-24 Space Station Undocking – Friday, April 5, 2024 – NASA Video

** Soyuz MS-24 Landing Day Highlights – Saturday, April 6, 2024 – NASA Video

=== Commercial space habitats

** “An Unlikely Astronaut” by Susan Kilrain  – Axiom Space Youtube – Axiom Space

The diverse backgrounds and experiences of each astronaut make them truly exceptional. Celebrate International Day of Human Space Flight with @Commandeer_MLA as he reads the children’s book “An Unlikely Astronaut” by @Astro_Susan in space.

** Max Space – Designing very large inflatable space habitats

** Sierra Space – Debut flight nears for Dream Chaser missions to ISS

See also The Past, Present, & Future Evolutions of Human Spaceflight | Sierra Space – Apr.12.2024.

**  VAST – Starlink to keep station continually connected

— Vast’s Haven-1 to be World’s First Commercial Space Station Connected by SpaceX Starlink | VAST – Apr.9.2024

Today, we are announcing that Vast’s Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station, will be equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink laser terminal providing Gigabit/s speed, low latency connectivity to its crew users, internal payload racks, external cameras and instruments.

“If you need to provide high-speed, low-latency, continuous internet connectivity on a space station in orbit in 2025, SpaceX Starlink is the only option,” said Max Haot, Vast’s CEO. “We expect their network and technology leading position to continue and accelerate over time, which is why we are excited to have the chance to partner with SpaceX on deploying their first laser connectivity for a space station.”

The Haven-1 crew will be able to connect their personal devices via Wi-Fi to the Starlink network and have unprecedentedly better internet connectivity on orbit to host outreach video calls and perform experiments and science with full, high-speed internet access. Even during crew rest time, they will be able to use high-speed internet.

“High-speed, low-latency connectivity on orbit for crew and critical scientific research is critical to any space station experience,” said Stephanie Bednarek, SpaceX’s Senior Director of Commercial Sales. “We are excited for Vast’s Haven-1 to be the first commercial space station to stay connected with Starlink.”

Vast and SpaceX have reached an agreement for SpaceX to provide Starlink connectivity to future Vast platforms beyond Haven 1, including connectivity for Vast’s next space station, which the company plans to bid for in NASA’s upcoming commercial Low Earth Orbit destinations (CLDs) competition.

In May 2023, Vast announced that SpaceX will launch Haven-1, followed by two human spaceflight missions to the Haven-1 space station.

This new partnership between Vast and SpaceX will continue to create and accelerate greater accessibility to space and more opportunities for exploration on the road to making humanity multiplanetary.

** Starlab – Voyager Space – Bishop airlock in action on the ISS

A video of recent activity on Voyager Space’s Bishop Airlock: Making Moves: Gambit Payload Relocates on the Bishop Airlock | Voyager Space – Mar.11.2024.

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-17 Crew Use Special Tools to Keep Space Station Clean, Tidy – CCTV Video News Agency

The three Chinese astronauts aboard the country’s Tiangong space station are using special tools to keep their living quarters clean and tidy.

=== Space habitat architectures, history, etc.

** The Early History of Rotating Space Habitats – Dr. Marie-Luise Hauser – Space Renaissance

The Early History of Rotating Space Habitats – Fantastic Possibility and Futuristic Reality

=== Lunar habitation

** ICON: 3D printing of structures with lunar materials

ICON, a leader in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing, announced that it has received a contract awarded under Phase III of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The nearly $60 million contract builds upon previous NASA and Department of Defense funding for ICON’s Project Olympus to research and develop space-based construction systems to support planned exploration of the Moon and beyond. ICON’s Olympus system is intended to be a multi-purpose construction system primarily using local Lunar and Martian resources as building materials to further the efforts of NASA as well as commercial organizations to establish a sustained lunar presence.

“To change the space exploration paradigm from ‘there and back again’ to ‘there to stay,’ we’re going to need robust, resilient, and broadly capable systems that can use the local resources of the Moon and other planetary bodies. We’re pleased that our research and engineering to-date has demonstrated that such systems are indeed possible, and we look forward to now making that possibility a reality,” said Jason Ballard, ICON co-founder and CEO. “The final deliverable of this contract will be humanity’s first construction on another world, and that is going to be a pretty special achievement.”

=== Mars habitation

** SpaceX Starship – Latest on plans for using Starship for Mars settlement and a lunar base

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Highlight: Canberra – Sydney – Australia – Mar 25, 2024 11:28 AEDT – ISS Above

NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station

** Highlight: Aotearoa NZ S to N – Mar 27, 2024 – 10:17 NZDT – ISS Above

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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Astronomy, Education, Space Science

ESO: Merger of 2 stars creates a magnetic star and a nebula

The latest report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

Beautiful nebula, violent history:
clash of stars solves stellar mystery

This image, taken with the VLT Survey Telescope hosted at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, shows the beautiful nebula NGC 6164/6165, also known as the Dragon’s Egg. The nebula is a cloud of gas and dust surrounding a pair of stars called HD 148937. In a new study using ESO data, astronomers have shown that the two stars are unusually different from each other — one appears much younger and, unlike the other, is magnetic. Moreover, the nebula is significantly younger than either star at its heart, and is made up of gases normally found deep within a star and not on the outside. These clues together helped solve the mystery of the HD 148937 system — there were most likely three stars in the system until two of them clashed and merged, creating a new, larger and magnetic star. This violent event also created the spectacular nebula that now surrounds the remaining stars.
Credit: ESO/VPHAS+ team. Acknowledgement: CASU

When astronomers looked at a stellar pair at the heart of a stunning cloud of gas and dust, they were in for a surprise. Star pairs are typically very similar, like twins, but in HD 148937, one star appears younger and, unlike the other, is magnetic. New data from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) suggest there were originally three stars in the system, until two of them clashed and merged. This violent event created the surrounding cloud and forever altered the system’s fate.

“When doing background reading, I was struck by how special this system seemed,”

says Abigail Frost, an astronomer at ESO in Chile and lead author of the study published today in Science. The system, HD 148937, is located about 3800 light-years away from Earth in the direction of the Norma constellation. It is made up of two stars much more massive than the Sun and surrounded by a beautiful nebula, a cloud of gas and dust.

“A nebula surrounding two massive stars is a rarity, and it really made us feel like something cool had to have happened in this system. When looking at the data, the coolness only increased.”

[Frost say:]

“After a detailed analysis, we could determine that the more massive star appears much younger than its companion, which doesn’t make any sense since they should have formed at the same time!”

The age difference — one star appears to be at least 1.5 million years younger than the other — suggests something must have rejuvenated the more massive star.

This collection of panels shows three artist’s impressions depicting the violent event that changed the fate of the stellar system HD 148937; a real astronomical image is shown in the last panel. Originally, the system had at least three stars (top left panel), two of them close together and another one much more distant, until one day the two inner stars clashed and merged (top right panel). This violent event created a new, larger and magnetic star, now in a pair with the more distant one (bottom left panel). The merger also released the materials that created the spectacular nebula now surrounding the stars (bottom right panel).Credit: ESO/L. Calçada, VPHAS+ team. Acknowledgement: CASU

Another piece of the puzzle is the nebula surrounding the stars, known as NGC 6164/6165. It is 7500 years old, hundreds of times younger than both stars. The nebula also shows very high amounts of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen. This is surprising as these elements are normally expected deep inside a star, not outside; it is as if some violent event had set them free.

To unravel the mystery, the team assembled nine years’ worth of data from the PIONIER and GRAVITY instruments, both on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), located in Chile’s Atacama Desert. They also used archival data from the FEROS instrument at ESO’s La Silla Observatory.

“We think this system had at least three stars originally; two of them had to be close together at one point in the orbit whilst another star was much more distant,”

explains Hugues Sana, a professor at KU Leuven in Belgium and the principal investigator of the observations.

“The two inner stars merged in a violent manner, creating a magnetic star and throwing out some material, which created the nebula. The more distant star formed a new orbit with the newly merged, now-magnetic star, creating the binary we see today at the centre of the nebula.”

[Co-author Laurent Mahy, currently a senior researcher at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, adds: ]

“The merger scenario was already in my head back in 2017 when I studied nebula observations obtained with the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Telescope,”

“Finding an age discrepancy between the stars suggests that this scenario is the most plausible one and it was only possible to show it with the new ESO data.”

This scenario also explains why one of the stars in the system is magnetic and the other is not — another peculiar feature of HD 148937 spotted in the VLTI data.

At the same time, it helps solve a long-standing mystery in astronomy: how massive stars get their magnetic fields. While magnetic fields are a common feature of low-mass stars like our Sun, more massive stars cannot sustain magnetic fields in the same way. Yet some massive stars are indeed magnetic.

This wide-field view, created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2, shows the rich star clouds in the constellation of Norma (the Carpenter’s Square) in our Milky Way galaxy. The beautiful nebula NGC 6164/6165, also known as the Dragon’s Egg, appears in the centre of the image. Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin

Astronomers had suspected for some time that massive stars could acquire magnetic fields when two stars merge. But this is the first time researchers find such direct evidence of this happening. In the case of HD 148937, the merger must have happened recently.

“Magnetism in massive stars isn’t expected to last very long compared to the lifetime of the star, so it seems we have observed this rare event very soon after it happened,”

Frost adds.

ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in the Chilean Atacama Desert, will enable researchers to work out what happened in the system in more detail, and perhaps reveal even more surprises.

Links

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An Infinity of Worlds:
Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Apr.5.2024

Here is this week’s selection of videos and news items about space habitats including the International Space Station and about living in space and space settlement.

** The past two Space to Ground reports from NASA Johnson

** NASA Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle (Official NASA Trailer) – NASA

NASA hosted a news conference from the Johnson Space Center in Houston April 3, 2024, to announce the companies selected to move forward in the development of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle under the LTVS (Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services) contract. The award leverages NASA’s expertise in developing and operating these next generation “Moon buggies” to build commercial capabilities that support scientific discovery and long-term human exploration on the Moon. NASA intends to begin using the LTV for crewed operations during the Artemis V mission on the surface of the Moon.

** NASA News Conference on Lunar Terrain Vehicle for Artemis Missions – NASA

Live from Johnson Space Center in Houston, we’ll announce the company, or companies, selected to move forward in developing the LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle).

The LTV will help future Artemis astronauts search for water, ice, and other resources on the lunar surface, helping humanity establish a long-term presence on another planetary body for the first time.

Hear from:

• Vanessa Wyche, director, NASA Johnson
• Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist, NASA Headquarters
• Lara Kearney, manager, Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program, NASA Johnson

For more information, see: NASA Selects Companies to Advance Moon Mobility for Artemis Missions | NASA – Apr.3.2024.

** Axiom Space Welcomes CNES – Axiom Space Youtube

Axiom Space welcomed the President of the National Centre for Space Studies (@CnesFrance), Philippe Baptiste, for an in-depth look at our progress in commercial space and discuss economic partnerships. #BuildingOpportunity

** Blue Origin publishes paper on Orbital Reef in Nature journal: Orbital Reef and commercial low Earth orbit destinations—upcoming space research opportunities | npj Microgravity – Mar.2024

As the International Space Station comes to the end of a transformative era of in-space research, NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations (CLD) Program aims to catalyze a new generation of platforms with co-investment from the private sector, preventing a potential gap in research performed in LEO, while building a robust LEO economy. In this paper, we provide insight into the CLD Program focusing on Orbital Reef, describing its operational and technical characteristics as well as new opportunities it may enable. Achieving about a third of the pressurized volume of the ISS with the launch of a single pressurized module and growing to support hundreds of Middeck Locker Equivalents (MLE) in passive and active payloads internally and externally, Orbital Reef will enable government, academic, and commercial institutions to continue and expand upon research and development (R&D) efforts currently performed on ISS. Additionally, it will enable nascent markets to establish their operations in space, by initiating new lines of research and technology development and the implementation of new ventures and visions. Using Blue Origin’s New Glenn heavy launch system, Sierra Space’s cargo and crew Dream Chaser® vehicles, and Boeing’s Starliner crew vehicle, and expertise from Amazon/Amazon Supply Chain, Arizona State University, Genesis Engineering, and Redwire, Orbital Reef is being designed to address ISS-era transportation logistics challenges. Finally, this manuscript describes some of the expected challenges from the ISS-to-CLD transition, and provides guidance on how researchers in academia and industry can shape the future of commercial destinations and work performed in LEO.

A cross-sectional diagram of the Orbital Reef commercial space station. Credits: Blue Origin/Nature Microgravity

 

**  VAST

** Starlab – – Mitsubishi Corporation Joins Starlab Space as Strategic Partner, Equity Owner in Joint Venture | Starlab – Apr.5.2024

Starlab Space LLC (Starlab Space), the joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus, today welcomed Mitsubishi Corporation as a strategic partner and equity owner in Starlab Space. This partnership expands Starlab Space’s reach beyond a transatlantic partnership and transforms the joint venture into a global organization.

Mitsubishi Corporation, renowned for its innovative endeavors across diverse industries, brings extensive expertise and resources to this global partnership. Mitsubishi Corporation is expected to leverage its capabilities to significantly increase the value of Starlab, using space research to enhance and accelerate terrestrial product development in multiple industries and expand access to space-based technologies globally

** A Home for Astronauts around the Moon – NASA

The primary structure of the Gateway space station’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) module is one step closer to launch following welding completion in Turin, Italy. HALO is one of four Gateway modules where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for lunar surface missions. NASA is partnering with Northrop Grumman and their subcontractor Thales Alenia Space to develop HALO.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman/Thales Alenia Space

The Gateway space station’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) module under construction in Turin, Italy. Image credits: Northrop Grumman/Thales Alenia Space

** Collins Aerospace tests new astronaut spacesuits onboard Zero-G flight – Spaceflight Now

After working with the same spacesuits for nearly 40 years, NASA is looking to introduce the next generation of suits for astronauts working on the International Space Station and beyond. Collins Aerospace was one of two companies chosen to develop a new Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) for the ISS and is also preparing a follow-on version that will be available for Artemis missions to the Moon.

Danny Olivas, chief test astronaut for Collins, recently spoke with Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith about one of the latest chapters in their test campaign: flying inside the suits onboard a Zero G plane, which can simulate microgravity through parabolic arcs.

Olivas walks us through this latest round of testing, what it was like being in the suit in that environment and what’s left before NASA astronaut can don these new spacesuits out in low Earth orbit.

** Other news, articles, op-eds, etc:

** Highlight: Eye of the Sahara – Mauritania – Mar 26, 2024 23:57 UTC – ISS Above

NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station

** Highlight: Florida – Sunglint – From Gulf to Atlantic over KSC – Feb 28, 2024 13:48 EDT – ISS Above

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

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Outpost in Orbit:
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Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for April 2024

Check out the night sky this month, April 2024. Here are videos highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: April 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in April 2024?
Catch Mars and Saturn rising, and Jupiter hangs out with Comet 12P. Plus NASA has you covered for the total eclipse whether you’re headed to totality or watching from afar.

0:00 Intro
0:14 Moon & planet highlights
0:57 Comet 12p/Pons-Brooks
1:38 Total solar eclipse
3:45 April Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

— Additional Resources —
NASA’s Solar Eclipse hub: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/fut…
Find events & clubs: NASA’s Night Sky Network: https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/…
Skywatching resources from NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching

** Tonight’s Sky: April 2024 – Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

Clear April nights are filled with starry creatures. Near the Big Dipper, you will find several interesting binary stars. You can also spot galaxies like the Pinwheel Galaxy, M82, and M96—the last of which is an asymmetric galaxy that may have been gravitationally disrupted by encounters with its neighbors. Keep watching for space-based views of these celestial objects.

About this Series … “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-gallery/tonights-sky.

** What to see in the night sky: April 2024 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal what’s in the night sky this month, including Comet 12P/Pons Brooks, the Moon and the Pleiades, the April 8 solar eclipse, Lyrid Meteor Shower and the Plough asterism.

00:00 Intro
00:18 Inner planets
02:23 Outer planets
07:31 Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
10:54 Solar eclipse
12:38 Moon and the Pleiades
13:16 Jewelled Handle
13:48 Lyrid Meteor Shower
14:22 Summer Triangle
15:20 Comet C/2021 S3 PANSTARRS
16:30 The Plough
21:03 Deep-sky objects

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – April 2024 – Sky & Telescope Youtube

See also

** Night Sky Notebook April 2024– Peter Detterline

** See also:

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Stellaris: People of the Stars

Everyone can participate in space