Today most city skies are free of stars. About 80% of North Americans live under light-polluted skies, not dark enough to see the Milky Way. But a growing number of preserved dark sky places and an emerging astrotourism industry are helping to reclaim the starry nights.
NASA's mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Subscribe to the YouTube channel and watch the latest videos as NASA explores space and discovers Earth.
Check out Sky & Telescope's weekly observing update, Sky at a Glance, published every Friday. Keep up to date on the latest celestial events, and view the sky maps and observing tips.
NASA's Eyes is a way for you to learn about your home planet, our solar system, the universe beyond and the spacecraft exploring them. With applications for Mac and PC as well as apps for mobile devices there are many ways for you to follow along with NASA's scientists and engineers.
Space Engine is a free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets -- all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.