Astronomy Picture of the Day

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Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. This is the source for my computer's desktop, which changes every day.

James Webb Space Telescope

Where Is Webb?

NASA/Webb
WhereIsWebb' shows the status of Webb on its journey to L2 orbit. The page constantly updates as Webb travels, deploys, and cools to operating temperature. The most recently completed deployment step for Webb is displayed along a timeline that also indicates the major deployment phases. Note that the timing, duration and/or order of deployment phases and steps may change. This page shows the default/nominal timing and order. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called Webb or JWST) is a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. Webb will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.

LightSail 2 Mission Control

See the latest data from The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft, and find out when it will be passing over your location.

Live Real Time Satellite Tracking & Prediction

Select any satellite orbiting the Earth and check where it is located now.

National Centers for Environmental Information

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National temperature and precipitation maps

Official U.S. Time

National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Periodic Table

Dynamic periodic table—pure JavaScript. The table has many capabilities including element details, history time slider, state of matter slider, isotopes, and more.

USGS Earthquake tracking

The USGS and its partners monitor and report earthquakes, assess earthquake impacts and hazards, and perform research into the causes and effects of earthquakes.

Zooniverse

The Zooniverse enables everyone to take part in real cutting edge research in many fields across the sciences, humanities, and more. The Zooniverse creates opportunities for you to unlock answers and contribute to real discoveries.