Comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas): an image (21 Feb. 2020)
Discovered at the end of last year, comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas) could have a name you will hopefully remember: it could become bright enough in May to put a nice show up in the...
Author: Gianluca Masi
A fast radio burst repeating every 16.35 days: an image of the host galaxy of the Fast Radio Burst FRB 180916.J0158+65 – 16 Feb. 2020
Likely, you have heard of the repeating Fast Radio Burst FRB 180916.J0158+65, showing a likely periodicity of 16.35 days. We imaged the faint, host galaxy SDSS J015800.28+654253.0. Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are one of...
Near-Earth Asteroid 2020 CG2 very close encounter: an image (16 Feb. 2020)
One hour ago, the near-Earth asteroid 2020 CG2 had a safe, very close encounter with our planet, reaching a minimum distance from us of about 850.000 km, 2.3 times the average distance the Moon....
ESA’s Solar Orbiter (SolO) is on its way to the Sun, we imaged part of the Atlas V launch rocket, the Centaur upper stage – 12 Feb. 2020
The ESA’s Solar Orbiter (SolO) was launched with success a few days ago, starting its long journey of discovery of our Sun. Last night, we imaged part of its Atlas V launch rocket, the...
Il “Pallido Punto Blu” compie trent’anni: l’immagine più umana dell’era spaziale
Era il 14 febbraio del 1990, trent’anni fa, quando il Voyager 1 della Nasa, dalla distanza di 6 miliardi di km, riprese “Pale Blue Dot“, il “Pallido Punto Blu“, ovvero la Terra, una delle...
The Feb. 2020 Supermoon: online observation – 8 Feb. 2020
On the night between 8 and 9 Feb. 2020, we will have a Supermoon, the first of four in a row for this brand new year. Of course, the Virtual Telescope will show this...
International Space Station (ISS) races above Rome: a glimpse of space from the Eternal City
Every time the International Space Station (ISS) crosses the sky above Rome, it offers a wonderful sight. Here it was flying above the Great Synagogue, beside Orion and Taurus. You know: I love looking...
Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2020 AN3 close encounter: an image (16 Jan. 2020)
Earlier today, 17 Jan. 2020, the potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) 2020 AN3 had a safe close with our planet, reaching a minimum distance from us of 3 millions of km, 8 times the average...
Cosmic Hug: Venus meets the Pleiades, online event – 3 Apr. 2020
Next April, after 8 years, planet Venus will shine among the stars of the Pleiades, one of the most beautiful star clusters out there. It will be a true “Cosmic Hug”, a superb show...
10 Jan. 2020 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: images and podcast
While not total, the recent penumbral lunar eclipse was well worth a look and we captured some great images, while sharing it live via the Virtual Telescope Project. More than 200.000 viewers joined our...
2020 AV2, the first intervenusian asteroid ever discovered: an mage – 08 Jan. 2020
Among hundreds of thousands of known asteroids, only 21 ones are known/suspected to have an orbit entirely inside that of the Earth. The just discovered 2020 AV2 is the first one to move entirely...
Comet 289P/Blanpain: an image (23 Dec. 2019)
Late last December, we imaged the faint comet 289P/Blainpain, soon after its perihelion passage. Here we present our image. The image above comes from the average of three, 300-seconds exposures, unfiltered, remotely collected with...
10 Jan. 2020 penumbral lunar eclipse: online observation
Next 10 Jan 2020, the Moon will offer us a penumbral eclipse. While not total, it will be a nice natural show to see. At Virtual Telescope we will share it live, online, above...
The Geminid Meteor Shower 2019: online event – 14 Dec. 2019
*** Enter the LIVE event here ! *** *** Enter the LIVE event here ! *** Next 13/14 Dec. 2019, the spectacular Geminid meteor shower will be back with its show. The winter, cold...
