Most of us know that we live in a galaxy known as the Milky Way. However, not many of us really know very much about our own galaxy. Here are 6 interesting and random facts about the Milky Way Galaxy that will help expand your knowledge about it.
Read the rest of this entry >>

Star Chart

We are heading into the heart of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere and the night sky is dominated by the constellation Orion.  We’ve talked about Orion in previous posts, so I thought I would concentrate on some of the lesser known constellations that can be seen during the month of January.  I’ve also included a handy star chart to guide you along the way. Read the rest of this entry >>

Before humans were sent into space, it was important for scientists to test the survivability of outer space without endangering human lives.  One of the ways this was done was by sending animals in place of humans.  While several different types of animals were used for this testing throughout the years, monkeys became one of the best types because of their similarities to humans.  Do you know the name of the first monkey in space?

Read the rest of this entry >>

Photo Credit: Candace 12-21-10

The 2010 Winter Solstice Total Lunar Eclipse is over and I’m sure we’re all recovering from a serious lack of sleep!   What a night!  The above photo was submitted by Candace who says she used a Canon Rebel T2i without a telephoto lens to capture the event.  As you can see, the moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow – or umbra – and is displaying the characteristic red-orange hue.  Thanks for the picture!

Read the rest of this entry >>

The Christmas Star is also known as the Star of Bethlehem.  It is a star that, in the Christian tradition, shown brightly for a short period of time and heralded the birth of Christ.  We like to stick to the science of the universe here at Outerspace Universe, so let’s explore what may have actually happened 2,000 years ago.   Read the rest of this entry >>