Crab Nebula, Zoomed In.

Crab Nebula, zoomed in.

Mile wide potentially hazardous asteroid to whizz past Earth tonight. Asteroid 1997 BQ — first identified in January of 1997, is hurtling towards us at an approximate speed of 13.3 km per second and will "closely approach" our planet on the evening of 21st May 2020. According to NASA estimates it will be a safe flyby with the asteroid passing within 3.8 miles of Earth, that's about 16 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

Source: NASA

Mars, snapped by Hubble 2018

Our sun is entering into a sleepy state of inactivity— a recurring phenomenon known as Solar Minimum.

A period of minimal solar activity, during which the surface solar movement diminishes, resulting in a trough in solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CME) activities. Though it is a period of (relative) calm for the otherwise seething ball of energy, it doesn't hold any consequence(s) for us, as Earthlings. Sun, as we know it, will remain the same.

Majestic Godzilla galaxy or UGC 2885, 2.5 million times wider than our home galaxy Milky Way, with one trillion stars in its crib, captured by Hubble

Source : NASA&Hubble

Galaxy Wars: M81 and M82 

These two galaxies are far far away, 12 million light-years distant toward the northern constellation of the Great Bear. On the left, with grand spiral arms and bright yellow core is spiral galaxy M81, some 100,000 light-years across. On the right marked by red gas and dust clouds, is irregular galaxy M82. The pair have been locked in gravitational combat for a billion years. Their last go-round lasted about 100 million years and likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in the richness of M81's spiral arms. M82 was left with violent star forming regions and colliding gas clouds so energetic the galaxy glows in X-rays. In the next few billion years, their continuing gravitational encounters will result in a merger, and a single galaxy will remain.

Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Torsten Grossmann