The galaxy NGC 4981 in this ESO image is about 75 million light-years away. Two supernova explosions have been observed in this galaxy, one in 1968 and one in 2007.

Today, APRIL 22, 2026 is EARTH DAY.

The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, in this Hubble image, is an emission nebula located about 8,000 light-years away.

Today April 21.#OTD in 2013 Shakuntala Devi, the "human computer" passed away. In 1980, she multiplied two 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds (included the time to recite the solution). 7,686,369,774,870 and 2,465,099,745,779. The answer was 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730.

The spiral galaxy NGC 1309 shines in this Hubble image. NGC 1309 is situated about 100 million light-years away from Earth.

Today is April 19. On this date in 1882 Charles Darwin died. His scientific theory of evolution by natural selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies.

This ESO infrared view reveals the stellar nursery known as NGC 6357, or the Lobster Nebula.

Today April 18. On this date in 1955 Albert Einstein passed away. Developed the Special and General theories of Relativity and won Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Is generally considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

This Hubble image depicts the cosmic tangle that is MCG+05-31-045, a pair of interacting galaxies located about 390 million light-years away and a part of the so-called Coma galaxy cluster.

Today is April 17. On this date in 1790 Benjamin Franklin passed away. One of the foremost of the Founding Fathers. Made important contributions to science, especially in the understanding of electricity, and is remembered for the wit, wisdom, and elegance of his writing.

Is God a Mathematician?: How Mathematics Explains the Universe From ancient times to the present scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline as mathematics, which appears to have been a product of human thought, could so ...

TODAY! (Thursday, April 16), at 6:30PM ET, I'll be giving a virtual (Zoom) talk at the Smithsonian Associates on: "Is God A Mathematician?" For registration: smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/pr...

Today April 16. On this date in 1958 scientist Rosalind Franklin died. Best known for her contributions to the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA. Also contributed new insight on the structure of viruses, helping to lay the foundation for the field of structural virology.

This beautiful Hubble image shows Sh 2-106, a compact star forming region.

Today April 15. On this date in 1707 Leonhard Euler was born. One of the founders of pure mathematics. Not only made decisive and formative contributions to geometry, calculus, mechanics, and number theory but also developed methods for solving problems in observational astronomy.

This ESO image shows a rare case of a triple merger of galaxies. This system, which astronomers have dubbed 'The Bird' - although it also bears resemblance with a cosmic "Tinker Bell" - is composed of two massive spiral galaxies and a third irregular galaxy.

Today April 14, World Quantum Day. Celebrated on this date, a reference to 4.14, the rounded 1st digits of Planck’s constant: 0.000 000 000 000 004 1356677 electron volt second, a product of energy and time that is the fundamental constant governing quantum physics.

A fantastic Webb image of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), a massive, local star-forming region. The nebula is about 3,000 light-years away.

Today is April 13. On this date in 1905 physicist Bruno Rossi was born. He discovered the first non-solar source of X-rays (Scorpius X-1), and was a pioneer in both X-ray astronomy and space plasma physics.

An ESO image of NGC 4945, a spiral galaxy seen edge-on. NGC 4945 has a brighter center that likely harbors a supermassive black hole. This galaxy is about 13 million light-years away from Earth.

Today is April 12. On this date in 1748 botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu was born. He developed the principles that served as the foundation of a natural system of plant classification.

This Hubble image shows a small section of the Veil Nebula. This section of the outer shell of the famous supernova remnant is in a region known as NGC 6960 or — more colloquially — the "Witch’s Broom Nebula."

Today is April 11. On this date in 1987 chemist and writer Primo Levi died. Known especially for his restrained and moving autobiographical account of and reflections on survival in the Nazi concentration camps.

This is a reminder that on THURSDAY, APRIL 16, at 6:30PM ET, I will be giving a virtual (Zoom) talk for the Smithsonian Associates (@SmithsonianSA) on : IS GOD A MATHEMATICIAN? :How Mathematics Explains the Universe. For registration: smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/pr...

A great ESO image of the large spiral galaxy NGC 1232, which is about 60 million light-years away.

Today is April 10. On this date in 1927 biochemist Marshall Nirenberg was born. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for "breaking the genetic code" and describing how it operates in protein synthesis.

This Hubble image features the giant nebula NGC 2014 and its neighbor NGC 2020 which together form part of a vast star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Today is April 9. On this date in 1626 philosopher Francis Bacon passed away. He argued for the importance of natural philosophy, guided by the scientific method, and his works remained influential throughout the Scientific Revolution.

Robert's Quartet in this ESO image is a family of four very different galaxies, located at a distance of about 160 million light-years. Its members are NGC 87, NGC 88, NGC 89 and NGC 92.

Today April 8. On this date in 2024 physicist Peter Higgs passed away. He was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for Physics for proposing the existence of the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that carries a field that endows all elementary particles with mass through interactions with them.

A gorgeous Hubble image of a part of the Veil Nebula. This nebula is the remnant of a star roughly 20 times as massive as the Sun that exploded about 10,000 years ago. It is about 2,400 light-years away.