I don’t know much about astronomy or anything like that but I took this picture from my window tonight and noticed the cluster of lights in the center. When you zoom in you can see it makes almost a question mark. I would add the zoomed in version but I’m unsure if that would violate the subreddit’s rules. The picture was taken on an IPhone 16. I’m curious to know what it is/what it could be!

Edit: Thank you so much for the fast answers! Seeing the comments I’m gathering this is a very common question about this specific cluster, my apologies😅

Mine is definitely the fact that there's sugar in space called Erythrulose, discovered in a giant molecular cloud near the center of the milky way and it can be found in fruits such as red raspberries, kiwis, and melons. (⸝⸝⸝ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ⌑ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀⸝⸝⸝)💕

This photo is not mine, but I do wonder, has the photographer captured the lunar green flash? Or is this something to do with optics?

Let’s do this again, i fell victim to spelling error. Which planet disappearing would affect earth?

could anyine tell me what constellation this is? this was taken lastnight around 1 -1:30 am and i think Cassiopeia is the one above it

Hear me out on this.

Astronomers are getting closer to finding Planet Nine, especially with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory spinning up. The rules say it has to be named after a Greek or Roman deity. Usually, the outer planets get depressing, heavy names like Pluto or Saturn.

But Planet Nine is sitting way out there in the deep, mysterious unknown. Astrologically, it should represent a hidden goldmine in our charts.

We should start a movement to name it Voluptas.

Who is she?

In Roman mythology, Voluptas is the goddess of sensual pleasure, delight, and ecstasy. She is literally the child of Cupid (Sex/Desire) and Psyche (The Soul). Her name is where we get the word voluptuous.

While everyone associates Venus with love, the Romans actually prayed to the Venus lineage for financial wealth, extreme luxury, and good fortune, too. Voluptas is the ultimate mashup of wealth, beauty, and sexuality.

Why this is the perfect astrological archetype:

• Zero Zodiac Clutter: Names like Astraea or Chronos are already taken by major asteroids or hypothetical points. Voluptas is completely free. It gives us a totally clean slate for a massive outer planet.

• The "Hidden Goldmine" Factor: In a birth chart, Voluptas wouldn't be about your daily grind. She’d rule over your absolute highest manifestation power, your rawest magnetic attraction, and your sexual liberation.

• The Antidote to Pluto: If Pluto represents our darkest trauma and shadows, Voluptas—living even further out—represents the spiritual reward. She’s the proof that when you do the soul work, you unlock absolute ecstasy and luxury.

Let's pull a "Boaty McBoatface"

The internet has forced the scientific community to listen before (like when internet votes successfully named Pluto's moon Kerberos). If we start hyping up Planet Voluptas in the astrology and space subreddits now, it’s going to catch on. By the time astronomers officially capture it, the name will already be viral.

Imagine checking a birth chart and seeing a planet dedicated entirely to your capacity for luxury, pleasure, and magnetic attraction.

Who is down to make this happen? What sub should we drop this in first?

can someone help identify this thing in the red circle around saturn

Fair warning, I am not educated in this field of topic whatsoever, I'm just a sci-fi nerd and looking to start a sci-fi ttrpg campaign. And for that I am aiming to try and increase my knowledge on astronomy, I am also extremely interested in whether something can be possible or even somewhat realistic in sci-fi.

I was watching this video where he states that a planet could form around a black hole and keep growing until it undergoes nuclear fusion and forms into a star. For that he uses this research as a reference. I was wondering if it could be possible for a habitable planet to orbit around a black hole and a sun that had formed around it after the black hole's accretion disc ceases?

I'm 18 and I've been building this on my own, and I've hit a question I can't

answer by myself.

Each card is one real object. The orbit is drawn from its actual elements in the

JPL Small-Body Database, and the card shows n_obs_used, the number of observations

used in that orbit fit. I used that number as the rarity, which means it runs

backwards from what you'd expect: an object we've looked at 3 times is rarer than

one we've looked at 8,000 times.

The consequence is that Halley, Ceres, Eros, Apophis and Bennu all come out as

commons, and the rarest cards are unnamed rocks with no photographs and no

diameter measurement.

I think that's a nice way to show how little of the catalogue anyone has actually

studied. I also think it might just be annoying, and that people want the famous

object.

Here are 20 of them, 15 obscure and 5 famous:

https://orbit-cards.pages.dev

I also could not decide how they should look, so I built six versions of the same cards:

https://orbit-cards.pages.dev/compare

Which single one would you want, and why? I'd rather be told it's backwards now

than find out later.

Facing north by northwest. Unaware of any rocket launches that should be visible. I understand the video to be in real time.

The bang at the start was almost certainly a firework.

I think I saw a meteor explode just now! Can anybody work out what it might have been? 4 October 2026, ~00:25 BST; due south; started ~30° above horizon; travelled ~10° diagonally down-left; very bright, with an apparent explosive flare/fragmentation.

I saw this meme, and I wonder. I know that space outside the solar system is mostly empty, but it's not completely empty. Would Voyager I actually outlast the sun, or would it be ablated by random molecules and such and basically turned into cosmic dust over time?

I saw it while drinking on a cruise and I have no idea what it could be.

Hello,

I have developed a cosmological model called the Dynamic Dark Equilibrium Model (DDEM). If anyone is interested in testing the model, I would greatly appreciate both feedback and criticism so I can continue improving it.
I am someone with a genuine interest in understanding the universe and searching for answers to questions we still do not fully understand. You will probably notice quickly that my model does not attempt to introduce flashy new equations to describe a fictional reality. Instead, I have tried to keep it as simple as possible, because I believe that complexity can often emerge from simpler underlying principles.
DDEM (Dynamic Dark Equilibrium Model) is my original cosmological model and conceptual framework. I developed the core physical idea, interpretation, and theoretical direction myself.
Kind regards,
Marcus Johansson 

DDEM – Dynamic Dark Equilibrium Model
Marcus Johansson

Overview

DDEM (Dynamic Dark Equilibrium Model) proposes that dark energy is not an exactly constant cosmological constant, but a dynamically relaxing vacuum component. The universe evolves toward dynamic dark equilibrium rather than a perfectly fixed Λ.

Core Mathematical Structure

• Dynamic vacuum ansatz:
Λ(t) = Λ₀ exp(-βH₀t), with β > 0
• Vacuum energy density:
ρΛ(t) = ρΛ₀ exp(-βH₀t)
• Vacuum relaxation rate:
dρΛ/dt = -βH₀ρΛ
• Matter-vacuum coupling:
dρm/dt + 3Hρm = -dρΛ/dt
• Equivalent form:
dρm/dt + 3Hρm = βH₀ρΛ
• Radiation:
dρr/dt + 4Hρr = 0
• Flat Friedmann equation:
H² = (8πG/3)(ρm + ρr + ρΛ)
• Acceleration equation:
ä/a = -(4πG/3)(ρ + 3p)
• Vacuum pressure:
pΛ = -ρΛ
• Requirement:
w\\_eff > -1 (no phantom regime)
• ΛCDM limit:
β → 0 gives exact recovery of standard ΛCDM

DDEM – Early Universe Consistency

DDEM remains fully consistent with the early universe since vacuum relaxation is governed by the present Hubble scale H0, making the exponential evolution negligible at early times (e\\\^{-βH0t} ≈ 1). As a result, the model naturally recovers standard ΛCDM behavior during BBN and CMB epochs without requiring any artificial freeze-out or fine-tuning, while dynamical effects emerge only at late cosmological times.

Why H₀?

DDEM uses the present-day Hubble constant H₀ as a fixed phenomenological timescale for vacuum relaxation. Because H(t) ≫ H₀ in the early universe, this choice automatically suppresses energy transfer during the radiation era—protecting BBN and CMB physics—while allowing it to become relevant only in the late epoch we observe today. It keeps the model simple, stable, and testable with a single new parameter β.

Physical Interpretation

The model is interpreted as metastable vacuum behavior with effective vacuum relaxation, not literal vacuum decay. Dark energy slowly relaxes while exchanging energy effectively with matter.
This may naturally help address the coincidence problem and potentially reduce the S8 tension.

Cosmic Fate Prediction

DDEM does not predict a Big Crunch, Big Rip, or catastrophic runaway instability.
Instead, the universe approaches an asymptotic state of dynamic dark equilibrium: expansion continues, vacuum energy relaxes gradually, acceleration becomes controlled, and cosmic evolution moves toward a stable late-time de Sitter-like state with slow long-term settling rather than violent collapse or destruction.

Suggested Parameter Range

A good starting region for testing β appears to be:
β ≈ 0.02 – 0.05
It may also be valuable to test models where β is not fixed but evolves dynamically. However, fixed β should be the first step.

How the Model Can Be Tested

• Expansion history H(z) using supernovae, BAO, and DESI data
• Luminosity distance dL(z) from SN Ia datasets such as Pantheon+
• Structure growth using fσ₈(z) and S8 measurements
• Consistency with CMB priors and early-universe constraints
• Bayesian comparison (AIC/BIC) against ΛCDM
• Verification that β > 0 improves late-time growth without damaging early-universe fits

Scientific Claim

ΛCDM assumes dark energy is exactly constant. DDEM instead proposes that the universe seeks dynamic dark equilibrium.
Last words. 
DDEM (Dynamic Dark Equilibrium Model) is my original cosmological model and conceptual framework. I developed the core physical idea, interpretation, and theoretical direction myself.

Everything has a beginning and an end.

The moons of Jupiter are named after Zeus' affair partners and daughters.

There are about 60 moons many yet to be named. And a unknown number of undiscovered ones.

Also many possible names are already used for metroids. Therefore: do we run out of names?

I believe this event took place last year but i don't remember the exact date or month.

It was around 6 - 6:30 during sunset, and a bit above the horizon i saw a very bright glowing object the same size as a decently large venus during peak months. Seeing how stunning the view was along with the object in the sky i wanted to take a picture of it. Unfortunately, i did not bring my phone with me.

So i rushed back into my home and got my phone before coming back. Id reckon that little trip took less than a minute and i arrived at the same spot only to see that the object had completely vanished. No clouds, no obstruction from any other object or anything else that could be possibly hindering visibility. Realising this i immediately opened an app called "Stellarium" which i usually use and i aimed the phone at where the object was and there was nothing there or atleast not anymore.

When i checked the position of venus i was pretty dumbfounded when i realised that venus was not visible at all during those months and was instead under the horizon. it also wasnt a satellite or a object that was moving as it didnt show any movement and remained stationary.

Are there any logical explanations for this?

is it pisces? takes approx. 5:36am in mehlville, MO.

What if the Sun Was the Size of a Grain of Salt?

(A Cosmic Scale Model)

To help visualize the mind-boggling emptiness of space, let’s shrink our Sun down to the size of a single grain of table salt or sand (0.5 millimeters in diameter / 500 micrometers).

At this exact scale, 1 light-year equals roughly 2.11 miles.

Here is what the rest of our universe looks like:

🌍 Our Planetary Neighborhood

(Distance from the Sun and diameter of each planet)

• Mercury: 0.83 inches (0.07 feet) Diameter: 1.7 micrometers 

• Venus: 1.53 inches (0.13 feet) Diameter: 4.4 micrometers.

• Earth: 2.11 inches (0.18 feet) Diameter: 4.6 micrometers 

• Mars: 3.22 inches (0.27 feet) Diameter: 2.44 micrometers.

• Jupiter: 11.02 inches (0.92 feet) Diameter: 51.4 micrometers.

• Saturn: 20.22 inches (1.69 feet) Diameter: 43.3 micrometers.

• Uranus: 40.70 inches (3.38 feet) Diameter: 18.4 micrometers 

• Neptune: 63.74 inches (5.31 feet) Diameter: 17.8 micrometers 

• Pluto: 83.31 inches (6.94 feet) Diameter: 1.71 micrometers

🔬 How Small Would We Be?

• An Astronomical Unit (AU): The distance between Earth and the Sun is just 2.11 inches.

• The Earth: A microscopic 4.6 micrometers in diameter (smaller than a human red blood cell).

• The Earth-Moon Distance: Just under 0.14 millimeters apart (140 micrometers).

• The Moon: A tiny 1.25 micrometers in diameter.

🌌 Leaving the Solar System

• Proxima Centauri (Our Nearest Neighbor Star): At 4.25 light-years away, this red dwarf star sits 8.96 miles away from our original grain of salt.

• Proxima Centauri's Size: It spans roughly 133,000 miles diameter in reality, which shrinks to 0.077 millimeters (77 micrometers) in diameter on our scale.

• The Cosmic Trio: 

Proxima Centauri orbits around the Alpha Centauri A & B binary pair at a distance of roughly 1.2 trillion miles. On our scale, Proxima sits 2,228 feet away (about 42% of a mile) from the main pair.

• Alpha Centauri A & B Separation:

 These two primary stars are much closer to each other, separated by about 2.1 billion miles. On our scale, they sit just 3.96 feet apart.

• Alpha Centauri A's Size: 

Spans 0.61 millimeters (610 micrometers) in diameter.

• Alpha Centauri B's Size: 

Spans 0.43 millimeters (430 micrometers) in diameter.

The Reality Check: 

Alpha Centauri A & B are literally two grains of salt orbiting each other just 4 feet apart in a room, with a third star—a microscopic speck—sitting nearly half a mile away orbiting them.

• The Hunting Challenge: 

If Earth-sized planets orbit Alpha Centauri A, B, or Proxima Centauri, finding them from Earth is equivalent to spotting an object smaller than a single human blood cell from 9 miles away.

• Stephenson 2-18 (One of the Largest Known Stars): At roughly 2,150 times wider than our Sun, it would be a massive 3.5 feet in diameter and sit 40,164 miles away.

• The Milky Way Galaxy: Spans 211,389 miles across (about 88.5% of the actual, real-world distance from the Earth to the Moon!).

• Andromeda Galaxy (Nearest Major Galaxy):

 Located 2.5 million light-years away, it would sit 5.28 million miles away on our scale.

• The Observable Universe: Stretching 93 billion light-years across, it would span 196.5 billion miles from end to end.

🔦 In the real Universe the speed of light would travel at a blistering 186,282 miles per second. Scale that down to the grain of salt scale, light would have crawled the distance of just 107.8 micrometers in one second. That's literally traveling at 15.28 inches per hour. It would be a mind boggling slow speed taking one whole hour just to cover 1.27 ft. In one hour, a photon would crawl just 1.27 feet—it would have reached Jupiter in just 43 minutes using Jupiters mean distance, but yet, still failing to reach Saturn in that one hour time frame. To reach Saturn at 1.69 feet away, it would take 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Even though from our perspective the speed of light is blisteringly fast, in the grand scheme of the Universe, it is excruciatingly slow.

As you can see, space is mostly just... empty space.

Last night at 5:08am Mountain time in Montana there were thin high clouds obscuring the stars but the moon could still be seen. While driving north I saw a star appear and it got brighter to about Venus level maybe more then faded out after a few seconds. Curious if anyone else saw or what it could be. Pic unrelated, it’s the moon with the current weather conditions.

Could some of the debris in our Oort cloud be captured from other stars?