Through all eras, the wonders and magic of the Nightsky and Universe has intrigued people,
and the more we learn about it, the more we find out there still is to learn...

It might take mankind thousands and thousandsof years to understand
what really is happening and how it all is constructed - if ever.
No wonder it all was connected to religion, myth  and supersticion in all cultures through time..

Even today we know that we have only seen and understood a small fraction of this magnificent Universe !

There is a theory which states, that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why
it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this  has already happened.     

Sky View Cafe
Examine your nightsky and see here what it is you see in reality.

Computer Observatory

If you would like an amazing observatory to instalkl on your own computer - read on...
Stellarium is free software which renders realistic skies in real time with openGL.

It is available for Linux/Unix, Windows and MacOSX.

With Stellarium, you really see what you can see with your eyes, binoculars or a small telescope.


Download this great software for FREE here: Stellarium

About the Moon

The Moon has always held the power to mystify people.
The full moon has been linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents,  birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among other things. Some people even buy and sell stocks according to phases of the moon.
Here I will restrain myself to give you an explaination of  the phenomenon of the moon phases.

The earth's one natural satellite, the moon, is more than one quarter the size of earth itself (3456-Km diameter), making the earth-moon system virtually a double-planet. Because of its smaller size, the moon's gravity is one-sixth of the earth's gravity, as we saw demonstrated by the gigantic leaps of the Apollo astronauts.

When the moon appears smaller than a quarter, we call it a crescent.
When the moon appears larger than a quarter, we call it gibbous.
When the moon is getting bigger (phases New to Full) it is waxing.
When it is getting smaller (phases Full to New), it is waning.
For example, if today the moon were a waxing crescent, then tomorrow the crescent shape would continue to grow larger, approaching first quarter. After first quarter, the Moon would be a waxing gibbous, and continue growing until it reached full. The moon would then begin to shrink, becoming first a waning gibbous and eventually reaching third quarter. Following third quarter, it becomes a waning crescent, and continues to shrink until it becomes invisible at new moon. A helpful way to remember whether the moon is waxing or waning is the following: A crescent moon that looks like a "C" is shrinking (C for collapsing). If it looks like a "D", then it is growing.
Another way to think of it is that the moon always grows or shrinks from right to left.

The applet below will show you all this in true time, meaning the image of the moon to the left is how the moon currently looks, using your computers time to operate, and the smaller images in the right panel shows the coming events and their dates.