National Geographic | THE COMPASS

National Geographic

THE COMPASS

This week, we explore space. Discover the world's best stargazing spots, witness the discovery of the most distant star ever seen through the Hubble Space Telescope, and uncover how cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid. Plus, top stories you may have missed.

Stars sprawl above the Church of the Good Shepherd in New Zealand’s Aoraki Mackenzie Reserve.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BABAK TAFRESHI

These are the world’s best stargazing spots

See nights as brilliant as nature intended at these 8 dark-sky destinations.

CHASE THE COSMIC MARVELS

By using the gravity of a large cluster of galaxies as a magnifying glass, the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted the most ancient star known.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA

Most distant star ever seen found in Hubble Space Telescope image

Spotted in a galaxy that existed just 900 million years after the big bang, the primordial star Earendel could offer a rare window into the early universe if confirmed by follow-up studies.

THE "MORNING STAR"

GOOD READS

1.

Bedbugs, ticks, and worms: A traveler’s guide to pests

2.

Do you want to eat more veggies in 2024? Read this.

3.

Harry Houdini’s unlikely last act? Taking on the occult

4.

Haunted Appalachia? These ancient mountains witnessed the birth of man and monster

The alleged dark shape of a bird in flight gave the Eagle Nebula its nickname.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA

The Giant Squid Nebula and more animals of the cosmos

As galaxies collide and new stars are born, spectacular shapes form in the universe—and many of them resemble Earthly creatures.

ESA’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft took this image of the sun in extreme ultraviolet on May 30, 2020. Images in this wavelength help reveal the sun's diaphanous upper atmosphere, or corona, which is a blistering one million degrees.

IMAGE BY SOLAR ORBITER/EUI TEAM/ ESA & NASA; CSL, IAS, MPS, PMOD/WRC, ROB, UCL/MSSL

Are you an eclipse enthusiast? What phenomenon is becoming more active, coinciding with a total solar eclipse?

A. Tornadoes
B. Solar storms
C. Earthquakes
D. Meteor showers

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

To see the total eclipse of 1937, an American expedition set up camp on barren Canton Island. The team’s presence, alongside a rival viewing party, provoked a tug-of-war for the Pacific island, which the Christian Science Monitor described as ideal “for somebody who doesn’t care about shade or drinking water, and who likes solitude.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD H. STEWART, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

The solar eclipse that sparked a WWII scandal

With war looming, the 1937 sky show transformed a remote island in the Pacific into a strategic pawn.

LONGEST TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN 1,238 YEARS

A man rides a donkey through the desert near the Great Pyramids of Giza. Modern technology is enabling scientists to peer inside these ancient Egyptian marvels—revealing hidden voids inside of them.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KENNETH GARRET, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTIONS

How cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid

Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. Here’s the technology that helped scientists find it—and what it may have been used for.

EXPLORE GIZA'S COSMIC SECRETS

For Antarctica’s emperor penguins, ‘there is no time left’ +

THE LAST OF THEIR KIND

Did ancient Romans love French bulldogs as much as we do? +

Reconstructing the face of a 700-year-old murder victim. +

UNSOLVED MYSTERY

WHAT WILL WE EXPLORE NEXT?

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