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The crescent moon and Venus often make a pretty sight together in the sky. Phil Plait/flickr

Venus encounters the moon before dawn

Before sunrise this Friday, October 9, Venus will briefly hide behind the moon, as seen from central and eastern Australia. This rare event is known as a Lunar Occultation of Venus. For about an hour…
There are so many galaxies, you can write with them! writing.galaxyzoo.org/

Citizen scientists discover what’s out there

It’s National Science Week and this year the annual citizen science project run by ABC Science is astronomy-themed. No guesses for knowing that I’m excited about that! It’s also a nod to 2015 being the…
Good enough to eat - ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce grown under pink lights on the International Space Station. NASA

First ever bites of space-grown food

For the first time, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have enjoyed munching down on food they have grown themselves. That’s a really special achievement considering the three things…
The faint comet appears just below the moon, with the Parkes Radio Telescope in the foreground. The bright ‘star’ to the right of the moon is the planet Venus. Alex Cherney

The twilight comet: Comet PanSTARRS

Over the last few nights, bright Venus, Jupiter and the lovely crescent moon have been capturing people’s attention in the western sky. But hidden from view has been an interloper making a rare trip through…
Welcome to the family. Ben Gross/twitter

Welcome to the family, Pluto

What an amazing time for space exploration. The picture of the solar system from my childhood is now complete, as seen in this great family portrait produced by Ben Gross, a research fellow at the Chemical…
The last photo sent to Earth by New Horizons before its flyby, and arguably the ‘textbook’ photo of the planet for the next few decades. NASA

Live blog: New Horizons flyby of Pluto

Join Tanya Hill as she live blogs the New Horizons flyby of Pluto at 9.30pm AEST tonight.
All eyes on Venus and Jupiter - this image from Austria, June 15. H. Raab/flickr

The best planet duo of 2015 - Venus and Jupiter

They are the two brightest planets in the night sky – the cloud-covered world of Venus and the enormous gas giant Jupiter. Put them together and it’s a double delight. We are set for a stunning sight at…
Saturn appears as an extra ‘claw’ of Scorpius as they rise together in the east. Alex Cherney/MV

Saturn at opposition with Venus and Jupiter

Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye and this weekend brings it closest to Earth for 2015. Seen as a small star, with a steady light and a slightly yellow-tinge, the planet…
Then and now - Hubble’s beautiful pillars of creation. NASA, ESA, STScI, and J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

The pillars of creation - a glimpse into how stars are born

It’s the image that back in 1995 saved the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). It turned around five years of public mockery by demonstrating loud and clear that Hubble would live up to – and grow to exceed…
A well-timed shot of the Hubble Space Telescope and the space shuttle Atlantis in 2009, as they transited the sun together in just 0.8 seconds. NASA/Thierry Legault

You can see the Hubble Space Telescope in the sky above

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has now been in orbit for 25 years and this achievement has been a wonderful excuse to pour over the telescope’s beautiful imagery, to consider its valuable contribution…