Patricia Daukantas, Science Writer/Editor

06/23/2025

And ... my feature article on the observatory, which has the world's largest digital camera (requiring some superb optics, of course). I'll put the link in the comments.

But, really, go and check out the "first look" if you haven't already!

06/23/2025

This fantastic event will be starting in less than half an hour! Grab your coffee or tea and settle down in front of the computer for an awesome view of outer space!

I'm particularly interested in this first look because I wrote a feature article on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory for OPN. I will make a separate post about that article on this page.

04/28/2025

Dang, this visual image of the Rosette Nebula is just gorgeous!

Star formation is not truly a beginning, but is instead a phase in an ongoing recycling process in which gravity shapes new stars from the gas and dust expelled by old stars.

Forming stars are hidden inside thick cocoons of dust, emitting light in several wavelengths that pass through the dust clouds and can be detected by different telescopes.

Slide through the different wavelengths to see stars forming in the Rosette Nebula: https://viewspace.org/interactives/unveiling_invisible_universe/star_formation/rosette_nebula

04/28/2025

02/13/2025

My latest for Optics & Photonics News.

Research News Lasers Aid the Search for Dark Matter Patricia Daukantas New work brings researchers closer to understanding dark matter. [Image: Witthaya Prasongsin/ Getty Images] For half a century or more, astronomers have searched the universe for clues to the nature of dark matter: a hypothetical...

02/12/2025

By the way, I apologize for not updating this page more frequently. My longtime partner passed away unexpectedly on Christmas Day. Obviously, his death has had quite an impact on my day-to-day life.

02/12/2025

12/16/2024

Most of these projects are partnerships between industry and academia.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has launched six pilot projects to bridge scientific gaps between current quantum technological capabilities and those…

12/16/2024

Mission Update: Lucy's second Earth Gravity Assist was a success! With Earth in the rearview mirror for now, the spacecraft is headed towards main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson (April 2025) and then beyond to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids in 2027. Go Lucy!
https://blogs.nasa.gov/lucy/2024/12/10/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-for-second-earth-gravity-assist/

12/16/2024

12/13/2024

A beautifully illustrated (and accessible) essay on the harm done by light pollution and the ways we can mitigate the harm.

Light pollution is bad for our health and the environment. But turning off a few switches can help.

11/27/2024

Latest moon count.

(Another peek at the just-published “Merlin’s Tour of the Universe”)

https://neildegrassetyson.com/books/merlins-tour-of-the-universe-revised/