APOD: 2026 September 8 – Hubble: Decagon Around Saturn’s South Pole

NeRD

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 8 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Hubble: Decagon Around Saturn’s South Pole Explanation: Why are Saturn’s poles geometric? Saturn’s North Pole has been known to be surrounded by a hexagonal (6 sides) cloud since discovery in 1987 in data taken by NASA’s Voyager spacecrafts, which quickly flew past the ringed world in…

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The Otherworldly Geology of Vasquez Rocks

NeRD

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory The Otherworldly Geology of… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search   false color natural color NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison false colornatural color NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison…

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APOD: 2026 September 7 – The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 7 – The… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070 (an official designation) is divided from the larger North America Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The deep featured picture from Utah, USA incorporates 25…

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A Bright Spot at Mount Michael

NeRD

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory A Bright Spot at Mount Michael Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search   Mount Michael on Saunders Island, seen in this image acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 on…

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Feel the Force with these 10 out-of-this-world Lego Star Wars starships

NeRD

Star Wars’ starships are almost as memorable the saga’s character and thanks to Lego’s Star Wars range, you can build your own replicas of these iconic craft. We’ve rounded up the very best, from a palm-sized version of Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter to a massive, table-hogging Star Wars Clone Wars-era Venator Star Destroyer. While several of these sets are display pieces, we’ve included some play-friendly models, such as this mid-sized Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon that can be swooshed around your living room and this Lego Star Wars Imperial Star…

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Venus is disappearing from the evening sky — here’s how to see it while you can

NeRD

Soon, the sky’s most glamorous evening performer will take its leave. Since late March, Venus has been the unmistakable “Evening Star,” gleaming shortly after sunset and stealing attention from nearly everything else in the twilight. In June, it helped stage a striking three-planet lineup after sundown, outshining both Jupiter and Mercury. Now the curtain is beginning to fall: Venus is sinking night by night and will trade its evening role for a morning one before October is over. A familiar dance around the sun Venus moves to a remarkably regular…

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This Lego Star Wars UCS AT-ST set is cheaper than ever — I’ll always love this chicken walker

NeRD

You can keep your space camels, the AT-ST is Star Wars’ coolest land vehicle, and now this Lego Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series AT-ST is $39 off at Amazon, the cheapest this set has ever been. Save $39 on this Lego Star Wars UCS AT-ST at Amazon. Like the rest of Lego’s Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series, this Lego Star Wars AT-ST is a seriously detailed model. It has some interactive features, including rotating guns and an opening hatch, but at 14.5 inches tall, this is very much a display…

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APOD: 2026 September 5 – Chasing the Moon’s Shadow

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 5 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Chasing the Moon’s Shadow Explanation: Chasing the shadow of a New Moon, NASA’s WB-57F high altitude research aircraft took to the skies off the coast of Iceland on August 12 to observe a total solar eclipse. At 50,000…

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Scientists detect signals of hydrogen from billions of years ago. Could this help us map out the universe?

NeRD

Astronomers have used the MeerKAT radio telescope to detect hydrogen gas billions of light-years away from us — from a period when the cosmos was billions of years younger than its current age of 13.8 billion years. The research may provide astronomers with a new way of mapping the large-scale structure of the universe. The technique would rely on charting out where hydrogen, the universe’s lightest and most abundant element, is located across the cosmos. It’s known as hydrogen intensity mapping. Neutral hydrogen emits a faint radio signal that astronomers…

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NASA Ames Fire Department Aircraft Firefighting Training

NeRD

The fire department at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will perform training on the Moffett Federal Airfield beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 11. The training will involve the use of a propane-fueled aircraft fire simulator and be conducted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PDT. Because the aircraft simulator is fueled by propane, very little smoke should be produced during the controlled training fires. However, flames may be visible to drivers on U.S. Highway 101. The training is intended to prepare Ames’ first responders to…

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