Sky Candy: Uplifting, Upbeat, Up there

Probably a little overexposed, but it shore is purty.

..... with evening star pic.twitter.com/vslq9YOUPR

— .... (@hadafielman) June 26, 2025

I think Carl Sagan was the first one to say this. In any case, remember that much of you was once a star.

We’re made of star stuff!

In just 90 seconds, @NASAGoddard's Dr. Brian Williams can tell you where different elements that make up our bodies — and everything around us — are produced in the universe. Learn more from @NASA Experts: https://t.co/dSAnb3534V pic.twitter.com/08WJuyD5Ef

— NASA Universe (@NASAUniverse) June 27, 2025

"Where are the middle-sized black holes" has been a puzzle for some time. Maybe here?

Astronomers detect a new class of black holes

1. Astronomers have identified a mid‑sized (intermediate‑mass) black hole at the heart of Omega Centauri, a star cluster believed to be the remnant core of a small galaxy devoured by the Milky Way .
2. This black hole is estimated… pic.twitter.com/VP6IKgLRrX

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) June 27, 2025

Keep looking up.

The circled text gets cut off in the side-by-side pic.twitter.com/Vo12KCHK1q

— Vincent Ledvina (@Vincent_Ledvina) June 27, 2025

Things are looking up elsewhere too.

Young Galaxy Similar to Milky Way Discovered

Astronomers have identified a young galaxy called Firefly Sparkle that is actively forming stars and has a mass and structure similar to the Milky Way. It is located about 12 billion light-years from Earth and is actively forming,… pic.twitter.com/1Hb82ZLQBQ

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) June 27, 2025

Definitely keep looking up. The last bits of this hit a house near one of the PJ editors' house.

Blazing daylight fireball reported over U.S. Southeast! https://t.co/qZEmNYKZGZ

— Astronomía Facil (@AstronomiaFacil) June 27, 2025

I'm not going to say it again, you get the idea.

‼️✨ Airglow Waves Over the Atacama Desert in Chile near the Pacific Ocean ! It features red airglow waves, an atmospheric phenomenon resulting from molecular recombination in the upper atmosphere. Have you seen anything like that ? pic.twitter.com/xoeM4oi7GY

— Yuri Beletsky (@YBeletsky) June 27, 2025

A lot of people don't remember this anymore, but this was after an emergency re-entry in the Pacific.

Sun's out, shades on. ☀️🕶

It's #NationalSunglassesDay, so you know the drill. Time to share this truly iconic photo of Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott after splashdown of the Gemini VIII mission pic.twitter.com/98sfNEcd7F

— National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace) June 27, 2025

Gemini VIII Emergency Re-Entry: A Close Call in Space On March 16, 1966, Gemini VIII, crewed by Neil Armstrong and David Scott, faced a harrowing emergency during its mission. The objective was to perform the first-ever docking with an Agena target vehicle, a critical step for Apollo’s lunar ambitions. The docking succeeded, but shortly after, a stuck thruster in the spacecraft’s Orbital Attitude and Maneuvering System (OAMS) sent Gemini VIII into a violent, uncontrollable spin—reaching nearly one revolution per second. Armstrong, with remarkable calm, deactivated the OAMS and used the Reentry Control System (RCS) to stabilize the spacecraft, expending 75% of the re-entry fuel in the process. With no fuel for further maneuvers, Mission Control ordered an immediate re-entry. Gemini VIII splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, about 500 miles east of Okinawa, and the crew was recovered by the USS Leonard F. Mason. This heart-pounding incident showcased Armstrong’s piloting skill and NASA’s ability to manage crises, paving the way for future missions.

Galaxies are always cool.

Using Hubble, researchers will study hundreds of galaxies that (like UGC 11397, pictured here) harbor a supermassive black hole that is gaining mass.

Hubble observations will help scientists weigh nearby supermassive black holes, understand how black holes grew early in the… pic.twitter.com/YjEV7uSXcN

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) June 27, 2025

Getting astronomy out of visible light along is doing amazing things.

This image reveals a gorgeous dense region near the Milky Way's centre, previously hidden by dust.

Astronomers have discovered over 100,000 solar masses of young stars there

(Credit: ESO/Nogueras-Lara et al.) pic.twitter.com/c6fsO4M4oQ

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) June 27, 2025

So that's it for this Friday. As always, I love getting comments.  Don't forget daily space, sky candy, and space science at my Substack The Stars Our Destination. And come back next week!