Starship Asterisk*

An oversight has been corrected. On the main NASA APOD, the phrase "last August's" has now been changed to "2018 August's". We apologize for the error. - RJN

Thanks, everyone, for your anniversary greetings! And a special thanks to the Asterisk board operators and question answers, too!
- Robert Nemiroff for APOD

After perhaps more discussion between experts than ever before in APOD history, of which I was aware, the word "diffracting" has been changed to "scattering" on the main NASA APOD. I would not be surprised if this APOD image -- and perhaps similar images -- are referenced in futu...

Today's APOD has been corrected -- on the main NASA APOD page -- to say that the bright ring around Venus is caused by diffraction rather than atmospheric refraction. I apologize for the oversight. I thank Michel Duval for pointing this out over email. Papers of his about this effect can be found he...

I loved reading over these replies, great perspectives! But why are all of the contributing astronomers white? Thank you for your kind words about the debate. You raise a good point about diversity and inclusion. We tried to create a diverse base although we followed no formal criteria. We remain o...

An emailer pointed out that the title of the image incorrectly said "Milk Way". I have therefore added a "y" to make the name "Milky Way" on the main NASA APOD. I apologize for the typo. - RJN

Due to an email from a member of the video-creation team, the credit has now been changed on the main NASA APOD.

This topic will feature civil discussion of the 100th Anniversary Astronomical Debate: Life in the Universe. Please post here any civil thoughts, comments, questions, or reasonable opposing points of view involving that online debate. The URLs of the debate are https://apod.nasa.gov/debate/debate100...

geckzilla wrote: ↑Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:18 pm yup, I still think saturno2 is a weird AI/bot.

Seems plausible. But why?

Based on email from James Norris, a leading authority and author on the sailing stones, the last sentence of the APOD text on the main NASA site has now been updated to read "It turns out that in winter thin floating ice sheets form in a rare ephemeral lake, and light winds push ice sections th...

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/BdayTest.html
(Please ignore the rest of the text.)

Any more ideas?

Thanks! I'll try that and report back.

A volunteer is sought to make this page: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/what-did-hubble-see-on-your-birthday into an APOD. A very simple HTML type code, perhaps using the iframe command, is sought. The result would be a standard-looking APOD but with the picture replaced, at first, by an inter...

Due to an inaccuracy in the text, the line Surrounding the planet are imagined lines of constant magnetic field strength. has been changed to Surrounding the planet are imagined magnetic field lines. on the main NASA APOD. I thank an emailer for pointing this out. I have taught undergraduate E&M...

I misinterpreted how Judy Schmidt composed the image, thinking that she included X-ray emission mapped by Chandra. I now understand that the featured image does not include X-ray emission. Therefore, the explanation has now been updated on the main NASA APOD site to not mention X-rays. I apologize f...

Due to an email problem, the last intended line of this APOD's text was not originally included. This line is: With the simultaneous observations made by independent amateur astronomers across the globe, a group of astronomers were able to use their citizen-science images to narrow down the location...

Gimmeslack12 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 4:44 am Whatever the case, I'm a willing front end developer that is at your service.

Thanks! Your offer is appreciated. Things may move on this front this summer.

Here is a news story about this image/APOD:
https://www.novinky.cz/veda-skoly/clane ... i-40312366

Did you mean to say “an unusually red sunset”, not “...usually...”? Fixed. I could stare at that all day and not realize my mistake! Apologies. How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time? This one I should have caught. And I have driven through Arizona (south to north) and pas...

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2020 5:50 am Uh, Venus? How about Jupiter?

Yes, the planet is Jupiter. My bad. This has now been fixed on the main NASA APOD. Apologies. - RJN

Actually, now that you mention it, I am writing a book on some of this. I sure hope I can find a publisher who is as enthusiastic as you!

Dumb question: is this as basic as noting that, by creating a shadow by blocking a light close enough and moving the block fast enough, the resulting shadow, as it fans out over great distances, can move >light speed? If so, it’s literally child’s play, no? Hmm, but wait, you don’t need that comple...

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sat Jan 25, 2020 5:18 am Is a healthy collection of links to cats doing funny things a requirement of the position?

A sense of humor, including an ability to add comic relief to serious hypertext, would indeed be considered a plus.

Professional astronomers are sought for writing future Astronomy Pictures of the Day (APODs) on a volunteer basis. Specifically, it is expected that in the near future, some Wednesday APODs will be written by volunteers who have a deep knowledge in some or all areas of astronomy and astrophysics. Th...

Here is a link to a description of some former graduate students: http://www.phy.mtu.edu/nemiroff/FormerPhDStudents.html . More recently than described in that link from 2011, graduate students that have worked with me include Amir Shahmoradi (currently Asst. Prof at UT Arlington), Teresa Wilson (cu...