Pic of the Week: The Moon from Kyiv

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Ildar Ibotullin’s “The Moon from Kyiv.” (Planetary Society)

This week’s image is from the Planetary Society’s magazine called The Planetary Report, which had a series of great photos in an article titled “The Year in Pictures.” This image is from 19-year-old student and amateur astrophotographer Ildar Ibatullin who lives in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is titled “The Moon from Kyiv.”

Here is the story behind the image taken from the website:

Ildar captured the photo in the midst of an air raid alert, an event that has become common in Kyiv since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Even as air raid sirens sounded throughout the city,” Ildar told The Planetary Society, “I was able to document the beauty above us, creating a powerful contrast between the realities of war on the ground and the unchanging celestial landscape. I believe it demonstrates how astronomy and astrophotography can provide moments of wonder and perspective even in the most challenging circumstances.”

You can see more of the Planetary Society’s images from 2025 in the online version of the magazine.

Also, if you are looking for a good summary of the space mission and related issues from 2025, you should check out the recent Planetary Radio podcast episode “Looking Back: Space Exploration in 2025.”

Pic of the Week: Moonrise Perfection over the Dolomites

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): “Moonrise Perfection over the Dolomites” by Fabian Dalpiaz. (Royal Observatory Greenwich)

This week’s image is one of the winning photographs in the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 contest. The photograph, ranked as highly commended under Skyscapes, was submitted by Fabian Dalpiaz and is titled “Moonrise Perfection over the Dolomites.” It was taken on November 15, 2024 in Santuario di Pietralba, Deutschnofen, South Tyrol, Italy.

Here is the notation attached to the photo:

This is a perfectly planned shot of the Full Moon rising above the rugged peaks of the Dolomites. With no clouds in sight and in flawless conditions, the golden light of sunset bathes the mountains, creating harmony between Earth and sky. All it takes is being in the right place at the right time and pressing the shutter button.

Pic of the Week: Capture the Dark 2025 Photo Contest

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): “Land of Ice” by Kavan Chay. (darksky.org/)

This week’s image is from the Capture the Dark 2025 contest sponsored by Dark Sky International. The third place winning photo is “Land of Ice” by Kavan Chay. The photo was taken in Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, New Zealand.

The 2025 contest had over 2,200 entries from over 22 countries. You can see the other winning images here.

Stay tuned for the 2026 contest, which has yet to be announced.

Pic of the Week: Virgo Galaxy Cluster

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Virgo galaxy cluster as captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. (NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)

This week’s image comes from the Planetary Society’s recent competition to find the best space exploration images. It shows the Virgo galaxy cluster, which was the winning entry. The image was released on June 23, 2025 by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory located in Chile.

The Virgo galaxy cluster is comprised of anywhere between 1,300 and 2,000 galaxies. What you can see in this image is an impressive array of galaxies, some of them intertwined. How many different worlds within this cluster may be peering back at us? Of course, the Virgo galaxy cluster is 65 million light-years away, so the image of the Milky Way appearing on their telescopes right now was from the time when dinosaurs still walked on the Earth.