Astronomy

Another month down, and we’re officially into April! With it, we’re welcoming brighter mornings and brighter evenings – thank you, daylight savings! We’re getting closer to retiring the winter coats and swapping hot drinks for iced ones. Spring is here! Pink Moon Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The ‘Pink Moon’ will be the full moon of April and you will be able to see this on Sunday 12th at 8:22pm. The name ‘Pink Moon’ actually comes from a pink wildflower that grows in spring, not because the moon will actually appear pink, sadly. I would love to live in a world where we have a pink moon! This year’s Pink Moon will also be known as a micromoon, this means the moon will be at its farthest point from Earth. Therefore the moon will appear smaller and dimmer – opposite to a supermoon. Lyrids M...

Messier 51, universally known as the Whirlpool Galaxy is one of the most photogenic galaxies of all The sheer magnificence of Messier 51 is apparent is this stunning image. Image: Bob Fera. Messier 51 (NGC 5194) in Canes Venatici is the archetypal face-on spiral galaxy. Aptly named and very well known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, this magnificent object has few rivals across the entire sky and, if the sheer volume of images received at Astronomy Now headquarters over recent years is any indicator, only mighty Messier 31 in Andromeda is as popular. The sheer magnificence of Messier 51 is apparent is this stunning image. Image: Bob Fera. The Whirlpool was discovered by Charles Messier in 1773 and the most famous observations of it were made by William Parsons, the Third Earl of Rosse, who was t...

A spectacular cosmic event is on the horizon: a rare nova explosion so bright that it will be visible to the naked eye. A red giant and a white dwarf orbiting each other in a nova similar to T Coronae Borealis. Astronomers have been closely monitoring a small constellation, eagerly awaiting the eruption of a nearby binary star system. The long wait may finally be over—recent calculations suggest the nova could explode as soon as Thursday, March 27. The Blaze Star’s Explosive Cycle T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), also known as the Blaze Star, is a binary system located 3,000 light-years from Earth. It undergoes recurring nova eruptions approximately every 79 years, and the next one is imminent. For the past decade, the Blaze Star has been exhibiting behavior eerily similar to the lead-up to it...