Occasionally I see references in Astronomy to the speed of something as “supersonic.” I’m having trouble reconciling this term with velocities typically found among astronomical objects. Wouldn’t “relativistic” be closer to the truth? Anything close to sonic speeds in Earth’s atmosphere wouldn’t cover much distance in outer space. Peter IanchiouTucson, Arizona One would certainly thinkContinue reading "What does the term ‘supersonic’ mean in astronomy?"

The post What does the term ‘supersonic’ mean in astronomy? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Mercury reaches greatest elongation in the evening sky this month. Venus and Jupiter have a spectacular conjunction, and later in the month the Moon occults Venus. Meanwhile, Jupiter drops deeper into twilight as it sinks toward next month’s conjunction with the Sun. The morning sky hosts ever-more-prominent Saturn, while Mars and Uranus meet in Taurus.Continue reading "June 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Venus and Jupiter have a spectacular conjunction, and the Moon occults Venus"

The post June 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Venus and Jupiter have a spectacular conjunction, and the Moon occults Venus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

June evenings offer a great chance to view three bright planets. Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury gather in the northwestern sky as darkness settles in, creating a grand sight to the naked eye and worthy targets through a telescope. Jupiter has been wandering through Gemini the Twins since the dawn of 2026. Shining at magnitude –1.9,Continue reading "June 2026: What’s in the Southern Hemisphere sky this month?"

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As winter’s brilliant stars slip toward the western horizon and the constellations of spring climb higher, Northern Hemisphere observers discover a quieter but richly rewarding sky. Spring is celebrated for its galaxies, yet our own Milky Way offers an equally compelling bounty of open and globular clusters. From youthful, loosely packed groups that still sparkleContinue reading "Observe spring’s star clusters"

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While there is consensus that our Sun formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a molecular cloud of gas and dust, less has been known about how long the formation of the star...

The post Do we know how long it took the Sun to form? first appeared on Science Illustrated.

Palaeontologists from Flinders University have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo. Over the last decade, a series of discoveries around Lake Callabonna in arid South Australia have yielded multiple complete...

The post Ancient roos bounce back first appeared on Science Illustrated.