Google, google, google…how beautiful, how powerful. Please, go and explore and learn about the Universe using Google Earth and its new night sky application. It’s more than just looking at constellation outlines, oh yes. You can see bright stars, nebulae, black holes and much more. Zoom in! Go ahead. Whee! And, folks, this is all scientific data, with links to real scientific databases, so what’s not to love? It has some educational tools, and I’m sure that will grow in the future, if Google sticks with it. I love the ability to track the phases of the moon over time, and the arcs of the planets across the plane of the sky. This will be a great tool for teachers, students and those who would like to dip their toes into the ocean of astronomical knowledge. So, go, now, and Googlesky!

continue reading.....

An ISS Astronaut took a picture of the edge of Earth’s atmosphere last summer, in which one can see the beautiful transition from the outermost gaseous layer to the vacuum of space.

Observation of the Top of the Earth’s Atmosphere Image

continue reading.....