Carte et denominations grecques. La figure celeste du Scorpion est connue depuis la plus haute antiquite. Elle represente l'animal en entier, avec son dard et ses pinces. Le scorpion apparait trcs bas sur l'horizon sud en Europe au debut de l'ete.

Photomontage constellation du Cygne/carte. La constellation du Cygne culmine au zenih en Europe durant les nuits d'ete. Traversee par la Voie Lactee, c'est une des belles constellation du ciel boreal. On distingue en haut r gauche l'etoile Deneb et la nebuleuse North America ( NGC 7000 ), et prcs du bord gauche de l'image les restes de supernova appelees "dentelles du Cygne". Cette image a ete realisee au moyen d'un objectif de 50 mm.

Artwork of Earth against a starry background as seen from just above the surface of the moon.

The Milky Way in constellation Scorpius and Sagittarius as seen from the heart of African Sahara in the Tassili National park, a World Heritage site in Southern Algeria. The Constellation figures have been illustrated into the image.

Man viewing constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius through his telescope. Constellation figures have been illustrated into the image.

Yellow supernova exploding in outer space

Milankovitch cycles are the collective effect of changes in the Earth's movements upon its climate, named after Serbian civil engineer and mathematician Milutin Milankovic. The eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession of the Earth's orbit vary in several patterns, resulting in 100,000-year ice age cycles of the Quaternary glaciation over the last few million years. The Earth's axis completes one full cycle of precession approximately every 26,000 years. At the same time, the elliptical orbit rotates, more slowly, leading to a 21,000-year cycle between the seasons and the orbit. In addition, the angle between Earth's rotational axis and the normal to the plane of its orbit moves from 22.1 degrees to 24.5 degrees and back again on a 41,000-year cycle. Currently, this angle is 23.44 degrees and is decreasing.

Showing the circumstances for a solar and lunar eclipse. The top illustration demonstrates the needed circumstances for a solar eclipse, and the bottom for a lunar eclipse.

Artwork showing a supernova as viewed from the moon.

Artwork showing the asteroid Ida against a background of stars and Comet Hale-Bopp.

Asteroid impact.

Fantasy image of asteroid moving towards Earth.

Conceptual image of the Big Bang theory.

The giant planet, 51 Pegasus, bakes under the heat of its parent star. Lightning flashes in its atmosphere and auroral displays shimmer over the polar regions, a possibility if it has a magnetic field. Any moons, such as the captured asteroid in the foreground, would glow red hot from the temperatures of nearly 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Photo illustration of Galaxy spiral based on Messier 83 (M83).

Nebula with planets forming.

Orion nebula and planets.

Nebula interior with planets.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacting Jupiter.

PHOTO: EAST NEWS/BSIP Le mirage gravitationnel. Repr??sentation du mirage gravitationnel. Ou comment expliquer que l'image d'une galaxie observ??e de la terre est d??form??e par un amas de galaxies situ?? entre les deux.