https://astronomerwilly.com/2025/12/25/how-i-got-into-nasa-sees-my-application-journey-to-detecting-exoplanets/2026-02-09T17:56:22+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/11/18/a-day-at-the-dc-air-and-space-museum-where-museum-starts-feeling-like-a-spaceport/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3732.jpgIMG_3732https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3729.jpgIMG_3729https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3726.jpgIMG_3726https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3725.jpgIMG_3725https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3724.jpgIMG_3724https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3720.jpgIMG_37202026-02-09T17:27:12+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/12/18/exoplanet-transits-detecting-planets-around-other-stars/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/screenshot-2026-01-27-at-10.37.42-am.pngScreenshot 2026-01-27 at 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10.38.02 AMhttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/holomon.jpgholomon2026-01-30T00:06:14+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/11/02/face-to-face-with-the-blackbird-at-udvar-hazy/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3653.jpgIMG_3653https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3656.jpgIMG_3656https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3661.jpgIMG_3661https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3657.jpgIMG_3657https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3664.jpgIMG_36642026-01-29T02:18:54+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/10/02/not-just-capsules-a-walk-through-the-air-and-space-museums-human-scale-spacecraft/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3641.jpgIMG_3641https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3640.jpgIMG_3640https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3638.jpgIMG_3638https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3634-1.jpgIMG_3634https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3634.jpgIMG_3634https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3633.jpgIMG_36332026-01-28T01:17:39+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/07/05/above-the-clouds-an-introduction-to-the-mauna-kea-observatories-and-how-they-came-to-be/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/img_3198.jpgIMG_3198https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3213.jpgIMG_3213https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3199.jpgIMG_3199https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3224.jpgIMG_3224https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3244.jpgIMG_3244https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3171.jpgIMG_3171https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3177.jpgIMG_3177https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3243.jpgIMG_32432026-01-27T22:07:36+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/08/05/what-the-mauna-kea-observatories-do-research-focus-across-the-summit/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3229.jpgIMG_3229https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/irtf.jpgirtfhttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3221-1.jpgIMG_3221https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3224-1.jpgIMG_3224https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3221.jpgIMG_3221https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3251.jpgIMG_3251https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3250.jpgIMG_3250https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3247.jpgIMG_3247https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3243-1.jpgIMG_3243https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3227.jpgIMG_32272026-01-27T22:02:29+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/09/21/meeting-discovery-seeing-a-space-shuttle-up-close-and-what-youre-looking-at-in-my-photos/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3648.jpgIMG_3648https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3642.jpgIMG_3642https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3646-1.jpgIMG_3646https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3646.jpgIMG_3646https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3637.jpgIMG_3637https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3631.jpgIMG_3631https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3628.jpgIMG_36282026-01-27T19:34:39+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/about/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/sees-logo-center-for-space-research.webpsees-logo-center-for-space-research2026-01-27T02:25:17+00:00weekly0.6https://astronomerwilly.com/2025/08/06/starting-and-leveling-up-in-astrophotography-from-a-bortle-5-suburb/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/pleiades.jpgpleiadeshttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3252.pngIMG_3252https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/polar-align-star-tracker-mount-step-06-f82486c.jpgpolar-align-star-tracker-mount-step-06-f82486chttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bortle.jpgHow light pollution affects the dark night skiesThis image illustrates the Bortle scale, which measures the impact of light pollution on the dark skies at a given location. It shows, from left to right, the increase in the number of stars and night-sky objects visible in excellent dark sky conditions compared with cities.  The illustration is a modification of an original photograph taken at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile, a place with excellent dark-sky conditions, perfect for astronomy.2026-01-27T01:42:55+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/07/29/jcmt-and-ukirt-two-very-different-infrared-eyes-on-mauna-kea/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wfcam.jpgwfcamhttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/scuba-2.jpgSCUBA 2Engineer in a white coat working on SCUBA2 pictured in the Crawford labs at the UK ATC, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ukirt.jpgukirthttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jcmt4.jpgM4011M-1402M4011M-14022026-01-26T00:41:57+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/07/27/keck-i-and-keck-ii-twin-giants-on-mauna-kea/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/tc2wajnbca9ekvuohgtqri.jpgTC2wajNBCa9eKVuohgtqRihttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/eht_saggitarius_a_black_hole.tif.jpgEHT_Saggitarius_A_black_hole.tifThis is the first image of Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. It’s the first direct visual evidence of the presence of this black hole. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an array which linked together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope. The telescope is named after the event horizon, the boundary of the black hole beyond which no light can escape.   Although we cannot see the event horizon itself, because it cannot emit light, glowing gas orbiting around the black hole reveals a telltale signature: a dark central region (called a shadow) surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. The new view captures light bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole, which is four million times more massive than our Sun. The image of the Sgr A* black hole is an average of the different images the EHT Collaboration has extracted from its 2017 observations.  In addition to other facilities, the EHT network of radio observatories that made this image possible includes the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) in the Atacama Desert in Chile, co-owned and co-operated by ESO is a partner on behalf of its member states in Europe.https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_3225.jpgIMG_3225https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/k2mirror_lh.jpg#750h Keck II Mirror#750h KECK II MIRROR © 2007 Laurie Hatch / image and text Keck Observatory 2007 Jan 29 The twin Keck 10-meter mirrors are foremost among the world’s optical telescopes. Each is comprised of 36 hexagonal mirror segments placed edge-to-edge to form a continuous light-collecting surface of 76 square meters. This provides unprecedented sensitivity for observing celestial objects near and far. Shown here is a bird’s-eye view, close to the Keck II 1.4-meter secondary mirror housing at the top of the telescope and looking far down onto the primary mirror—a distance of nearly 30 meters. The dome above is open and tropical blue daylight is reflected in the mirror. Note the technician’s tiny reflection in the lowermost 1.8-meter hexagonal segment and compare it to the gargantuan reflector. Nikon D2x, Nikkor 18-200 DX f/4.0 zoom lens ISO digital: 100 / f/16 Exposure: 3 seconds A View from Mauna Kea l Sacred Mountain of Hawai`i Mauna Kea holds profound religious and cultural significance for Native Hawaiians. It embodies their divine ancestral origins and connection to Creation. At 13,796 feet / 4,205 meters in elevation on the Island of Hawai`i, it last erupted about 4400 years ago. The now-dormant volcano is only 120 feet higher than its active neighbor Mauna Loa 27 miles to the south. Seen from below and framed by palm trees and azure waters, the snow-cloaked summit of Mauna Kea inspires awe and veneration—its Hawaiian name means “White Mountain”. The star-filled sky above offers unsurpassed clarity for some of the world’s most advanced telescopes as they unravel mysteries of the universe. Upon its flanks are hallowed Hawaiian sites, ancient paths, rare plants and animals, and a unique and fragile ecosystem. Please walk gently and respectfully on Mauna O Wakea, the Sacred Mountain of Hawai`i. For more information: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/ http://www.keckobservatory.org/ `Imiloa: Astronomy Center of Hawai`i lh@lauriehatch.com www.lauriehatch.comhttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/keck.webpKeck2026-01-26T00:36:19+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/06/26/vera-rubin-telescope-in-chile/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/image.jpegimage2026-01-24T19:22:01+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/05/27/best-dark-sky-sites-within-2-hours-of-san-francisco/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sierra-night-sky-wb.jpeg.webpSIERRA Night Sky WB.jpeghttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/screenshot-2025-05-27-at-2.14.36e280afpm.pngScreenshot 2025-05-27 at 2.14.36 PM2025-05-27T23:16:56+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/05/25/astro-photography/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/saturn_and_its_moons_at_opposition.jpgThe moons of SaturnThis composite image, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on 6 June 2018, shows the ringed planet Saturn with six of its 62 known moons. From left to right, the moons visible in this image are Dione, Enceladus, Tethys, Janus, Epimetheus, and Mimas. The moons seen here are all icy and cratered. Enceladus is considered a candidate for the existence of primitive life because it is outgassing water vapour from a subsurface ocean. Based on data from the Cassini mission to Saturn, scientists hypothesise that a small, wayward moon like one of these disintegrated 200 million years ago to form Saturn’s ring system. The image is a composite because the moons move during the Saturn exposures, and individual frames must be realigned to make a colour portrait.https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/iphone.jpegiphone2025-05-26T00:56:04+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/05/25/my-telescope/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/tele-1.jpgVersion 1.0.0Version 1.0.02025-05-26T00:47:54+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/05/01/nasa-sees-internship/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/a9c49e_69ec4c88db34449f8a61ca3641c0aef0mv2.jpga9c49e_69ec4c88db34449f8a61ca3641c0aef0~mv2https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/screenshot2024-06-27at102029am.webpScreenshot2024-06-27at102029AMhttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/screenshot-2025-04-30-164405.pngScreenshot 2025-04-30 164405https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/image.jpegimage2025-05-02T03:27:56+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/04/27/first-post/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/img_2162.jpgIMG_2162https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/img_2159.jpgIMG_21592025-04-28T02:01:28+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.com/2025/04/27/night-time-visitor/https://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/driveway-3-5-2025-1.26.12am-pst-1.jpegDriveway 3-5-2025, 1.26.12am PSThttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/driveway-3-5-2025-1.26.12am-pst.jpegDriveway 3-5-2025, 1.26.12am PSThttps://astronomerwilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/b6b3d-dota.pngPlaceholder Image2025-04-28T02:00:31+00:00monthlyhttps://astronomerwilly.comdaily1.02026-02-09T17:56:22+00:00