dark energy slivers

NGC 4449: Close-Up of a Small Galaxy

The Earth always looks so blue. [Down there, every place has it’s own kind of color.] You know everything about the Earth, don’t you? [I’ve always been into space and stargazing. I’ve been all over, searching for places with the best views and clearest skies. Went all the way to the Namib Desert once.] Is that…unusual? [Maybe a bit adventurous for some. But my parents supported me the whole way. Told me to do what I wanted to do. So I did. And you learn it’s not enough to hear or read about a thing. Sometimes you gotta live it.]

Saturn: Light, Dark, and Strange

2026 May 9

Messier Craters in Stereo Image Credit: Apollo 11, NASA; Stereo Image Copyright Patrick Vantuyne

Explanation: Many bright nebulae and star clusters in planet Earth’s sky are associated with the name of astronomer Charles Messier from his famous 18th century catalog. His name is also given to these two large and remarkable craters on the Moon. Standouts in the dark, smooth lunar Sea of Fertility or Mare Fecunditatis, Messier (left) and Messier A have dimensions of 15 by 8 and 16 by 11 kilometers respectively. Their elongated shapes are explained by the extremely shallow-angle trajectory followed by an impactor, moving left to right, that gouged out the craters. The shallow impact also resulted in two bright rays of material extending along the surface to the right, beyond the picture. Intended to be viewed with red/blue glasses (red for the left eye), this striking stereo picture of the crater pair was recently created from high resolution scans of two images (AS11-42-6304, AS11-42-6305) taken during the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.