Astro Bob

We have to name stuff. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t know what we’re talking about. When Pluto and its moons were essentially pinpoints, we got along with the bare bones. Not anymore. Every new solar system body seen up close calls out for names. To keep them all straight, astronomers at the International...

An Invitation To Observe Saturn Tonight

25 Jul 2015

moon, rings, Saturn

astrobob

Planets

The waxing moon coasts to Saturn’s side tonight. With Jupiter and Venus now so low in the west after sunset, Saturn is quickly becoming our only evening planet. While more planets means more fun, I don’t feel deprived. We’ve had a great year so far with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter putting in bright...

Pluto – Home To Nitrogen Glaciers And Serious Global Cooling

24 Jul 2015

Charon, glacier, New Horizons, Pluto, Sputnik Planum, Tombaugh Regio

astrobob

Planets

Frigid Pluto, where the surface temperature dips to -390°F, is as lively as Mars. Among the discoveries announced during an afternoon press conference today are glacier-like flows of nitrogen ice and a surprisingly hazy atmosphere. How Pluto gets its hazy skies The photo above was taken from an angle otherwise impossible to...

Earth’s Million Mile Smile

23 Jul 2015

ACE, Apollo, Blue Marble, DSCOVR, Earth, EPIC, L1 Lagrange

astrobob

You and I see Earth up close every day, and I think we’d agree, it’s a pretty awesome planet. Now, a new satellite called the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) will be watching Earth every day from a distance of one million miles. DSCOVR was built to provide continuous views of Earth,...

Pluto, A Small World With Big Mysteries

22 Jul 2015

Charon, Hydra, New Horizons, Nix, Pluto

astrobob

Planets

Gosh, for being so small, Pluto is certainly a complex planet. Oops, dwarf planet. This latest photo of a new mountain range discovered in Tombaugh Regio, shows a wonderful diversity of landscapes. First mountains but also craters, ice flows (at right), squiggly terrain (center) and dramatic contrasts between the dark,...

How Will We Name Pluto’s Bizarre Features? With Colorful Names Of Course

An Invitation To Observe Saturn Tonight

Pluto – Home To Nitrogen Glaciers And Serious Global Cooling

Earth’s Million Mile Smile

Pluto, A Small World With Big Mysteries

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