I’ve seen some pretty wonderful interactive programs that allow you and your family to explore the vast regions of the universe, but nothing nearly as enthralling as Universe Sandbox. In a nutshell, it is an interactive program that allows you to explore our solar system, galaxies and the universe. It ...

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), aka Galileo, had this crazy idea that perhaps the earth was not at the center of the solar system or for that matter, the center of the universe. In his day, most philosophers and astronomers believed in the geocentric view: that the Earth was at the center. Same ...

The PHDComics site has a particularly good video up on the subject of dark matter.  The video is done in a style similar to the wonderful RSA Animate video series in that a fascinating talk by experts is illustrated with hand-drawn illustrations that emphasize the content of the discussion. The video ...

The PHDComics site has a particularly good video up on the subject of dark matter.  The video is done in a style similar to the wonderful RSA Animate video series in that a fascinating talk by experts is illustrated with hand-drawn illustrations that emphasize the content of the discussion. The video ...

It’s a happy coincidence that I can tell you at the same time about a fun book that helps make learning about astronomy more accessible to kids, and about an excellent annual opportunity to do some hands-on astronomy. You see, my family has had the opportunity to review The Klutz ...

The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center on the Big Island of Hawai‘i blends past and present with a focus on the night sky. Part of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the center is a kid-friendly, hands-on sort of place where families can roam through various exhibit areas or enjoy a show ...

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) space probe successfully entered into orbit around Mercury on March 17, 2011, and sent back the first images early this morning. This is the first time a space probe has been placed in orbit around the innermost planet of our ...

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by photographs of outer space. Whether it is the glowing moon hanging in the night sky, the banded clouds of Jupiter or multicolored nebulae light years from Earth, these kinds of pictures have a consistent ability to thrill me. ...

Here’s a little quiz. How many pieces of technology built in 1977 can you think of that are still going strong today? How many with absolutely no repairs or maintenance? Now, how many can you think of that have traveled 17.4 billion kilometers (10.8 billion miles) in that time? There’s only one ...

There is no end to the beautiful images of the universe that are available on the internet. Phil Plait regularly graces us with his favorites with some explanation as to what they mean. But where do these images come from? Many (most?) come from the Hubble Space Telescope. To learn a ...