After wandering about as far from the Sun on the sky as Venus can get, the brilliant evening star is crossing paths with the sister stars of the Pleiades cluster. Look west after sunset and you can share the ongoing conjunction with skygazers around the world. Taken on April 2, this celestial group photo captures the view from Portal, Arizona, USA. Even bright naked-eye Pleiades stars prove to be much fainter than Venus though. Apparent in deeper telescopic images, the cluster’s dusty surroundings and familiar bluish reflection nebulae aren’t quite visible, while brighter Venus itself is almost overwhelming in the Read more »

NASA has awarded the Facility Assurance, Inspection, Monitoring and Occupational Safety (FAIMOS) II contract to Mission Technology of Cleveland to provide support services for the Safety and Mission Assurance Office (SMAO), as well as the Center Operations Directorate (COD) at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. from NASA https://ift.tt/2x00oJp via IFTTT

This remarkable spiral galaxy, known as NGC 4651, may look serene and peaceful as it swirls in the vast, silent emptiness of space, but don’t be fooled — it keeps a violent secret. via NASA https://ift.tt/2JxQd1s

There’s a traffic jam in Taurus lately. On April 1, this celestial frame from slightly hazy skies over Tapiobicske, Hungary recorded an impressive pile up toward the zodiacal constellation of the Bull and the Solar System’s ecliptic plane. Streaking right to left the International Space Station speeds across the bottom of the telescopic field of view. Wandering about as far from the Sun in planet Earth’s skies as it can get, inner planet Venus is bright and approaching much slower, overexposed at the right. Bystanding at the upper left are the sister stars of the Pleiades. No one has been Read more »

Three NASA astronauts will participate in a live media teleconference at 10:45 a.m. EDT Friday, April 10. from NASA https://ift.tt/2xHhNqo via IFTTT

Filled with more than 4,000 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo, a SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station Monday, April 6. from NASA https://ift.tt/3aEgAP3 via IFTTT

This 2010 image from the Herschel Space Observatory shows dust clouds associated with the Rosette Nebula, a stellar nursery about 5,000 light-years from Earth in the Monoceros, or Unicorn, constellation. via NASA https://ift.tt/3aOfQa0

Venus is currently the brilliant evening star. Shared around world, in tonight’s sky Venus will begin to wander across the face of the lovely Pleiades star cluster. This digital sky map illustrates the path of the inner planet as the beautiful conjunction evolves, showing its position on the sky over the next few days. The field of view shown is appropriate for binocular equipped skygazers but the star cluster and planet are easily seen with the naked-eye. As viewed from our fair planet, Venus passed in front of the stars of the Seven Sisters 8 years ago, and will again Read more »

More than 12,000 people have applied to join NASA’s next class of astronauts, demonstrating strong national interest to take part in America’s plans to explore the Moon and take humanity’s next giant leap – human missions to Mars. from NASA https://ift.tt/2X7iYtA via IFTTT

Appearing as strings of orange dots, the brightest sets of dots belong to asteroids Klotho and Lina. Both orbit out in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. via NASA https://ift.tt/3dOjZwA