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Washington, D.C.

U.S. Naval Observatory Library

A hoard of sky catalogs, astrophysical journals, even the works of Galileo and Copernicus.
Detail from a sixth-century B.C. water vessel in the Louvre shows soldiers fighting.
astronomy

Was the First Eclipse Prediction an Act of Genius, a Brilliant Mistake, or Dumb Luck?

It is hard to predict an eclipse when you think the world is flat.
Natasha Frost August 8, 2017
The newly discovered star (right) compared to the size of Saturn.
space exploration

Found: The Smallest Star Ever Observed

It's about as small as a star can be.
Erik Shilling July 12, 2017
The site is located at an elevation of over 3300 feet.
North Macedonia

Kokino Observatory

This 3,800-year-old site contains markers used to study the movement of the sun and moon and create a lunar calendar.
The edge of the universe, as depicted in a 19th century book.
astronomy

Medieval Scholars Believed in the Possibility of Parallel Universes

A 13th-century conflict between faith and science ultimately led to a surprising outcome: a medieval multiverse theory.
Sarah Laskow June 20, 2017
New view of the Crab Nebula.
science

The Crab Nebula Is Ready for Its Close-Up

Five telescopes were used to make a special new image, and only one of them is on Earth.
Samir S. Patel May 10, 2017
<em>The Meteor of August 18, 1783, as seen from the East Angle of the North Terrace, Windsor Castle</em>, by Paul Sandby.
meteorites

Do Meteors Hiss, Sizzle, and Pop?

This is a test of the meteor broadcasting network.
Samir S. Patel April 17, 2017
The surface of Enceladus.
nasa

Found: Evidence That a Saturnine Moon Could Support Life

NASA discovered some hydrogen.
Erik Shilling April 14, 2017
Bracewell Radio Sundial
Magdalena, New Mexico

Bracewell Radio Sundial

A one-of-a-kind sundial at the Very Large Array honors a radio astronomy pioneer, incorporating the original piers from his breakthrough radio telescope.
Monument atop the mound
Krakow, Poland

Kopiec Wandy (Wanda Mound)

An artificial hill and apparent calendric structure built in the Early Middle Ages immortalizes a legendary Polish princess.
To help preserve the meridian line—but also to draw more attention to it—the church has roped the line off from the feet of daily visitors. Just visible here, in a plaque in the marble floor, are the zodiac signs of Pisces and Scorpio. Both appear near the spring and autumn equinoxes, respectively.
churches

Why Catholics Built Secret Astronomical Features Into Churches to Help Save Souls

After centuries of war, Catholicism and science reconciled over meridian lines.
Geoff Manaugh November 15, 2016
Mausoleum with Statue
Canton, Ohio

McKinley Presidential Library & Museum

Mausoleums, astronomy, and animatronic dinosaurs at this memorial to an assassinated American president.
The total solar eclipse of 1999, in France.
astronomy

The Tiny Kentucky Town That Eclipse Fans Are Obsessing Over

Hotels are charging astronomical prices for a weekend next August.
Robbie Clark November 9, 2016
Stone Circles at Odry
Odry, Poland

The Stone Circles at Odry

Deep in a Polish forest, this collection of Iron Age megaliths still holds onto many of its ancient secrets.
Utrecht, Netherlands

Sonnenborgh Observatory

A historic observatory now an astronomy museum beautifully situated at the moat of the Middle Age city centre.
objects of intrigue

This Beautiful Art Nouveau Telescope Can Be Yours

Got a spare $125,000?
Ella Morton October 4, 2016
Grimy, smokey patch left behind after cleaning
New York, New York

Grand Central Ceiling Dark Patch

A dark patch of the ceiling at Grand Central Terminal which was not restored is still stained brown by tobacco.
Čolina Kapa Astronomical Observatory.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Čolina Kapa Astronomical Observatory

The haunting ruins of a military fortress turned astronomical observatory sit on a Sarajevo mountaintop.