Today's frame from the dark sky.
Each day NASA publishes an image of the cosmos with a few lines of context. The latest one will live here in a moment.
Visit APODWhat is this place?
A small hub of astronomy tools and live-sky resources I find myself opening over and over. Pick a tile, a new tab opens, you fall down a rabbit hole. The site is personal but the door's open — I tried to make it the kind of place where the occasional passer-by could have a bench to sit on, out of the rain and the weather, and something interesting to read that might pique an interest.
Live Sky & Tracking
04Satellite passes, ISS sightings, and visibility forecasts tailored to your location. The classic.
heavens-above.com In-The-SkyA friendly almanac of what's up tonight: planets, conjunctions, meteor showers, and observing tips.
in-the-sky.org ISS Live StreamNASA's live high-definition feed from cameras mounted outside the International Space Station.
youtube.com / NASA SpaceWeatherLiveSolar flares, geomagnetic storms, and aurora forecasts in near-real-time. Worth bookmarking.
spaceweatherlive.com Spot The StationNASA's official ISS pass predictor. Type your city, get a list of when the station will be visible overhead — bright, fast, and unmistakable.
spotthestation.nasa.gov Next SpaceflightEvery upcoming rocket launch, with countdowns, mission details, and live stream links. Knowing one is going up tonight changes how you look at the sky.
nextspaceflight.comVoices Worth Following
Featured here because their work is genuinely good. I'm not affiliated with these creators in any way; all videos and content belong to them.
Interactive Universes
05Browser-based 3D tours of the solar system, exoplanets, and active spacecraft missions.
eyes.nasa.govA planetarium in your browser. Set a time, set a place, see the sky exactly as it appears. Prefer the full desktop app? Get it here.
stellarium-web.orgA procedural universe simulator. Travel anywhere — every star, every planet, to scale.
spaceengine.org WorldWide TelescopeAstronomy data visualization from the AAS — guided tours and full-sky imagery in one viewer.
worldwidetelescope.org Solar System ScopeBeautiful, browser-friendly model of the solar system with realistic orbital motion.
solarsystemscope.comSky Atlases & Charts
02Interactive sky atlas from CDS Strasbourg — multi-wavelength imagery and catalog overlays.
aladin.cds.unistra.fr KStarsFree desktop planetarium from KDE. Detailed sky charts plus telescope and equipment control.
kstars.kde.org APOD ArchiveEvery Astronomy Picture of the Day going back to June 16, 1995. Three decades of cosmic wonder, one image and one explanation per day. Bottomless rabbit hole.
apod.nasa.govData & Ephemerides
03High-precision ephemerides for solar system bodies. The serious tool, with a wonderfully retro interface.
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov AsterankDatabase of asteroid composition, mass, and orbital data — sortable by hypothetical mining value.
asterank.com CelestrakThe canonical source for satellite orbital elements (TLEs). If it's in orbit, it's catalogued here.
celestrak.orgSurface Exploration
02Visuals Worth Remembering
With Gratitude
This site exists because of work other people did first. Some of it is paid (a server, a service); most of it is freely given to anyone who shows up willing to learn. These are the names I want to keep visible.