Nature Hub

        By :- Amal Udawatta     This total lunar eclipse will be clearly visible from the Pacific Ocean, Australia, and western North America. The sky will be pitch black when the eclipse is complete, and the bright red moon against that dark background will be a stunning sight to the naked eye. On March 3, 2026, the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon will line up to form a "Total lunar eclipse." Unlike previous total lunar eclipses, the moon will appear dark red or copper instead of black. The phenomenon that causes this is called Rayleigh Scattering. This is when the Earth's atmosphere scatters the blue light from the sun, scattering only the red light back onto the moon. This process causes the moon to appear bright red, hence the name Blood Moon. The total lunar eclipse on April 3 will have a Saros number of 133. The penumbra will have a magnitude of 2.369, and the umbra will have a magnitude of 1.368. This lunar eclipse will be visible in all three form...

         From :- Star Walk          Edited by: Amal Udawatta Look for a large planetary alignment around February 28, 2026! In the evening, about an hour after sunset, six planets —  Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, and Mercury  — will align in the sky. Four of them (Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury) will be  easily visible to the naked eye . For Uranus and Neptune, get a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The  Moon , about 90% illuminated, will also be in the sky, appearing very close to Jupiter. This will create a particularly beautiful view. Nearby will be brilliant  Venus  (mag -3.9). It will make a close approach to Mercury on  February 27 , passing within  4°30 ′  from it. Venus will be in the neighboring constellation  Aquarius , also near the western horizon. It will be the brightest dot in that direction — and in the entire sky. Clench your hand into a f...

  From :- Sky & Telescope  By :- J. Kelly Beatty  Editted by :- Amal Udawatta Although the winter Milky Way near Orion is not as bright and distinct as the summer Milky Way, it likewise stretches north to south across the entire sky and is adorned with the most brilliant stars and countless deep-sky objects. Alireza Vafa   February is often the coldest month of the year for northerners, but the Sun is telling a different story. The December solstice came and went several weeks ago, and you can already notice that the days are getting longer, with earlier sunrises and later sunsets. The celestial geometry is changing too, as the Sun races northward among the stars by about 1° every 3 days. But the stars of winter are still firmly in control of the nighttime firmament. Note where the Sun sets and, once twilight envelops you, wheel around to the left until you’re looking in nearly the opposite direction. The night sky’s most dazzling star is Sirius, down near the so...

    Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank. From :- Sky & Telescope By :- J. Kelly Beatty Editted by :- Amal Udawatta Although the winter Milky Way near Orion is not as bright and distinct as the summer Milky Way, it likewise stretches north to south across the entire sky and is adorned with the most brilliant stars and countless deep-sky objects. Alireza Vafa In this month’s episode, go on a guided tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during February. First we’ll keep tabs on the Moon; say good-bye to Saturn; trace out the Winter Milky Way; and explore some lesser-known constellations near Orion. Note where the Sun sets and, once twilight envelops you, wheel around to the left until you’re looking in nearly the opposite direction. The night sky’s most dazzling star is Sirius, down near the southeastern horizon. Also known as the Dog Star, Sirius appears so bright partly because it is bright, outshining the Sun by 25 times, and partly because...

     From :- Space.Com  By :-  By  Keith Cooper  Editted by :_ Amal Udawatta An artist's impression of the galaxy cluster in the very early universe. Containing about 30 galaxies including three with supermassive black holes (depicted here with jets), the cluster is filled with an extraordinarily hot gas (illustrated here in red).   (Image credit: Lingxiao Yuan.) The galaxy cluster appears hotter and more mature than it should for its young age, challenging what we think we know about how these cities of galaxies form. A seemingly impossible cluster of more than 30 galaxies crammed into a volume just 500,000 light-years across has been found in the universe just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang  —  and with a temperature that breaks all the rules. The discovery, by astronomers using Chile's Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array ( ALMA ), of the  galaxy  cluster labeled SPT2349-56 challenges our understanding of how quickly gal...