Photography: "Transit of Venus"

The Venus transit, taken with a Canon Rebel EOS T1i, with an ND400 filter and f/22 aperture.

Before the transit

First sighting of Venus!

The Transit of Venus

Today, we will have the opportunity to experience something that truly deserves the over-used phrase "once in a lifetime."  Venus will be passing directly between Earth and the sun and will be visible with the correct equipment.  The next time this particular phenomenon will occur will be in 2117 - 105 years in the future.  Even with all the advancements in modern medicine, it's unlikely that anyone will be around long enough to see this event twice.

Hapless Star Devoured by Black Hole

Black holes: infinitely deep pits from which nothing can escape. They’ve captured the imaginations of scientists, writers, and the general population, and are commonly found in science fiction, pop culture, and common vernacular. But despite our interest in black holes, we actually know very little about them.

This year has been awash with tales of black holes devouring other cosmic entities. In February, NASA reported that the supermassive black hole at the center of our very own galaxy was “snacking” on asteroids. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have detected a supermassive black hole approximately two billion light years from us that recently swallowed an entire star.