Category Archives: Education

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for August 2025

Check out the night sky this month, August 2025. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: August 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in August 2025?

A close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus peaks on the 11th and 12th. Viewing the Perseid meteors will be hampered by a bright Moon. And look for the Dumbbell Nebula, which offers a peek into how stars like our Sun go out in style.

0:00 Intro
0:13 August planet viewing
1:17 Perseids outlook
1:43 The Dumbbell Nebula
3:07 August Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.

Moon phases during August 2025. Credits: NASA JPL

** What to see in the night sky: August 2025 | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky this month, including Venus and Jupiter’s close approach, Uranus’s meeting with the Pleiades, Saturn and Neptune’s nightly tango and the low-down full Moon.

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – August 2025 | Sky & Telescope Youtube

Find out “what’s up” in the August sky! This month we track down four planets before dawn; have some fun with New Moons; peek at some Perseids; and gaze at the center of our galaxy. So load up on the bug juice, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

See also

** The Night Sky | August 2025 | Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS | Saturn & Titan | Perseids Meteor Shower | Late Night Astronomy

An interstellar comet is traveling through our solar system, the shadow of Titan moves across Saturn and a major meteor shower peaks. Let’s take a look at what you can see in the night sky for August of 2025.

…

Timestamps:
0:00 Saturn and Titan
2:45: Interstellar Comet 3I ATLAS
4:28 Perseids Meteor Shower
5:33 The Moon
6:26 The Planets
7:25 Deep Sky Challenge

** What’s in the Sky this Month | August 2025 | High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in August!

Read the full August 2025 Newsletter: https://www.highpointscientific.com/a...

…

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:33 – Nearest Neighbors
01:56 – Perseid Meteor Shower
03:16 – The Double Double
04:08 – The Ring Nebula
04:59 – Messier 22
05:46 – Albireo
06:30 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook August 2025 | Peter Detterline

** August 2025 Night Sky Guide – Neil McKeown on X

** See also:

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70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
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—- Books —

Stellaris: People of the Stars

Astronomy, Education, Space Science

ESO: Observing the dawn of a new solar system

The latest report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

For the first time, astronomers witness
the dawn of a new solar system

This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. The image was taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315. Together the ALMA and JWST observations indicate that, in addition to these features, there is also a disc of gaseous silicon monoxide around the star that is condensing into solid silicates –– the first stages of planetary formation.

International researchers have, for the first time, pinpointed the moment when planets began to form around a star beyond the Sun. Using the ALMA telescope, in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, and the James Webb Space Telescope, they have observed the creation of the first specks of planet-forming material — hot minerals just beginning to solidify. This finding marks the first time a planetary system has been identified at such an early stage in its formation and opens a window to the past of our own Solar System.

“For the first time, we have identified the earliest moment when planet formation is initiated around a star other than our Sun,”

says Melissa McClure, a professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands and lead author of the new study, published today in Nature.

Co-author Merel van ‘t Hoff, a professor at Purdue University, USA, compares their findings to

“a picture of the baby Solar System“, saying that “we’re seeing a system that looks like what our Solar System looked like when it was just beginning to form.”

This newborn planetary system is emerging around HOPS-315, a ‘proto’ or baby star that sits some 1300 light-years away from us and is an analogue of the nascent Sun. Around such baby stars, astronomers often see discs of gas and dust known as ‘protoplanetary discs’, which are the birthplaces of new planets. While astronomers have previously seen young discs that contain newborn, massive, Jupiter-like planets, McClure says,

“we’ve always known that the first solid parts of planets, or ‘planetesimals’, must form further back in time, at earlier stages.”

In our Solar System, the very first solid material to condense near Earth’s present location around the Sun is found trapped within ancient meteorites. Astronomers age-date these primordial rocks to determine when the clock started on our Solar System’s formation. Such meteorites are packed full of crystalline minerals that contain silicon monoxide (SiO) and can condense at the extremely high temperatures present in young planetary discs. Over time, these newly condensed solids bind together, sowing the seeds for planet formation as they gain both size and mass. The first kilometre-sized planetesimals in the Solar System, which grew to become planets such as Earth or Jupiter’s core, formed just after the condensation of these crystalline minerals.

These images illustrate how hot gas condenses into solid minerals around the baby star HOPS-315. The image to the left was taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Two insets show artist’s impressions of molecules of silicon monoxide condensing into solid silicates.

With their new discovery, astronomers have found evidence of these hot minerals beginning to condense in the disc around HOPS-315. Their results show that SiO is present around the baby star in its gaseous state, as well as within these crystalline minerals, suggesting it is only just beginning to solidify.

“This process has never been seen before in a protoplanetary disc — or anywhere outside our Solar System,”

says co-author Edwin Bergin, a professor at the University of Michigan, USA.

These minerals were first identified using the James Webb Space Telescope, a joint project of the US, European and Canadian space agencies. To find out where exactly the signals were coming from, the team observed the system with ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, which is operated by ESO together with international partners in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

With these data, the team determined that the chemical signals were coming from a small region of the disc around the star equivalent to the orbit of the asteroid belt around the Sun.

“We’re really seeing these minerals at the same location in this extrasolar system as where we see them in asteroids in the Solar System,“

says co-author Logan Francis, a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University.

Because of this, the disc of HOPS-315 provides a wonderful analogue for studying our own cosmic history. As van ‘t Hoff says,

“this system is one of the best that we know to actually probe some of the processes that happened in our Solar System.”

It also provides astronomers with a new opportunity to study early planet formation, by standing in as a substitute for newborn solar systems across the galaxy.

ESO astronomer and European ALMA Programme Manager Elizabeth Humphreys, who did not take part in the study, says:

“I was really impressed by this study, which reveals a very early stage of planet formation. It suggests that HOPS-315 can be used to understand how our own Solar System formed. This result highlights the combined strength of JWST and ALMA for exploring protoplanetary discs.”

Links

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron
70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
Ideal Telescope for Beginners
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—- Books —

Stellaris: People of the Stars

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for July 2025

Check out the night sky this month, July 2025. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: July 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in July 2025?
Look for Mars in the evening, Venus and Jupiter in the morning, and find the eagle constellation, Aquila, soaring overhead.

0:00 Intro
0:14 July planet viewing
1:43 The Constellation Aquila
3:12 July Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.

The phases of the Moon for July 2025. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

** What to see in the night sky: July 2025 | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – July 2025 | Sky & Telescope Youtube

Let’s explore “what’s up” in the July sky in a fun and informative way! This month we’ll check on the planets’ whereabouts, go on a “sat-seeing” tour, and chase down one of best know celestial critters: Scorpius. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour episode.


See also

** The Night Sky | July 2025 | Full Buck Moon | Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower | Late Night Astronomy

A major meteor shower peaks and we explore the ghostly remnants of a dead star. Let’s take a look at what you can see in the night sky for July of 2025.

…

Timestamps:
0:00 Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
1:52 The Moon
3:13 The Planets
4:15 Deep Sky Objects

** What’s in the Sky this Month | July 2025 | High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in July!

Read the full July 2025 Newsletter: https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

…

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:37 – Nearest Neighbors
01:53 – Saturn & Neptune
02:41 – Dwarf Planet Pluto at Opposition
03:17 – Messier 4
04:03 – Messier 8 – Lagoon Nebula
04:34 – Messier 16 – Eagle Nebula
05:17 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook July 2025 | Peter Detterline

** See also:

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron
70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
Ideal Telescope for Beginners
BONUS Astronomy Software Package

—- Books —

Stellaris: People of the Stars

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for June 2025

Check out the night sky this month, June 2025. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: June 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in June 2025?

Saturn and Venus in the morning sky, and Mars at night. June brings the longest and shortest day of the year, depending on your hemisphere. And make your way out to dark skies to marvel at the Milky Way Galaxy’s core.

0:00 Intro
0:13 June planet viewing
1:09 Milky Way core season
1:59 June solstice
3:36 June Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.

The phases of the Moon for June 2025. Credits NASA JPL

** What to see in the night sky: June 2025 | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the sky this month.

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – June 2025 | Sky & Telescope Youtube

Let’s go on a 13-minute tour of “what’s up” in the June nighttime sky. This month we’ll celebrate the Sun’s solstice; follow the Moon through all its phases and close encounters; track down a couple of faint constellations; and shine a spotlight on the star Arcturus. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour episode.

See also

** The Night Sky | June 2025 | The Northern Lights | Aurora Borealis | Late Night Astronomy

Let’s explore the wonders of the Night Sky for June of 2025!

…

Timestamps:
0:00 The Northern Lights
1:28 The Moon
3:05 The Planets
4:10 Deep Sky Objects

** What’s in the Sky this Month | June 2025 | High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in June!

…

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:32 – Mars, Regulus, and Moon Conjuction
01:29 – The Hercules Cluster
02:19 – The Spindle Galaxy
03:01 – Graffias
03:36 – The Beehive Cluster
03:58 – Nearest Neighbors
05:10 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook June 2025| Peter Detterline

What is happening looking skyward in the month of June 2025.

** See also:

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron
70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
Ideal Telescope for Beginners
BONUS Astronomy Software Package

—- Books —

Stellaris: People of the Stars

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for May 2025

Check out the night sky this month, May 2025. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: May 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in May 2025?

Find a pair of planets in the sky both in the evenings and mornings, have a look for the Eta Aquarid meteors, and join the watch for the brief and brilliant appearance of a “new star” – an anticipated nova explosion in the Corona Borealis constellation.

0:00 Intro
0:12 May planet viewing
1:03 Eta Aquarid meteor shower
1:48 Waiting for a nova
3:49 May Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.

“Sky chart showing constellation Corona Borealis with the location where nova “T CrB” is predicted to appear. The view depicts the constellation with the nova occurring, indicated by an arrow.” Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

** What to see in the night sky: May 2025 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Venus as a morning star, Mars meets the Beehive Cluster, Regulus is visible in the daytime… There’s plenty to see in the sky throughout May 2025, including the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, the Plough, clair-obscur effects on the Moon and deep-sky objects. Astronomers Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal some of the best things you can see this month.

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – May 2025 – Sky & Telescope Youtube

This month we’ll look for tiny bits of Halley’s Comet; track down four planets; take stock of bright stars in the late-spring sky; and use the constellation Leo to learn what astronomers call all the stars that don’t have names. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour episode.

See also

** What’s in the Sky this Month | May 2025 – High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in May!

Read the full May 2025 Newsletter: https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

…

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:31 – The Beehive Cluster & Mars
01:28 – The Sombrero Galaxy
02:06 – The Black Eye Galaxy
02:54 – Messier 3
03:26 – Algorab
04:12 – Nearest Neighbors
05:18 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook May 2025– Peter Detterline

** See also:

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron
70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
Ideal Telescope for Beginners
BONUS Astronomy Software Package

—- Books —

Stellaris: People of the Stars