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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

A visitor to the inner solar system every 70 years or so Comet 13P/Olbers reached its most recent perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, on June 30 2024. Now on a return voyage to the distant Oort cloud the Halley-type comet is recorded here sweeping through northern summer night skies over historic Kunetice Castle, Czech Republic. Along with a broad dust tail, and brighter coma, this comet's long ion tail buffeted by storms and winds from the Sun, is revealed in the composite of tracked exposures for comet and sky, and fixed exposures for foreground landscape recorded on July 28. The comet is about 16 light-minutes beyond the castle and seen against faint background stars below the northern constellation Ursa Major. The hilltop castle dates to the 15th century, while Heinrich Olbers discovered the comet in 1815. Captured here low in northwestern skies just after sunset Comet Olbers, for now, offers skywatchers on planet Earth rewarding telescopic and binocular views. Comet 13P/Olbers next perihelion passage will be in 2094.

Photo by Petr Horálek

August stands at the center of decisive turning points in power, science, and global conflict. At Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce secured Scotland’s independence. The Battle of Bosworth Field ended the Wars of the Roses. France adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and Eunice Newton Foote recognized the greenhouse effect—an early insight into atmospheric science. Even Cologne Cathedral, centuries in the making, was finally completed.

Modern history adds its own defining moments in August. The discovery of gold in the Klondike sparked a rush to the Yukon. Allied forces liberated Paris from Nazi occupation. The atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The first satellite image of Earth offered a new perspective on the planet itself.

Across centuries, August reflects both upheaval and transformation—moments when nations shift direction and scientific breakthroughs reshape understanding.

Explore the full collection of Today in History events that occurred in August, or jump directly to a specific day—from August 1 through August 31—to see what happened on this day in history.

Explore the timeline to see how August’s defining events echo through history and into the present day.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What is creating these unusual spots? Light-colored spots on Martian rocks, each surrounded by a dark border, were discovered earlier this month by NASA's Perseverance Rover currently exploring Mars. Dubbed leopard spots because of their seemingly similarity to markings on famous Earth-bound predators, these curious patterns are being studied with the possibility they were created by ancient Martian life. The pictured spots measure only millimeters across and were discovered on a larger rock named Cheyava Falls. The exciting but unproven speculation is that long ago, microbes generated energy with chemical reactions that turned rock from red to white while leaving a dark ring, like some similarly appearing spots on Earth rocks. Although other non-biological explanations may ultimately prevail, speculation focusing on this potential biological origin is causing much intrigue. New Mirror: APOD is now available from Brazil in Portuguese

You were the best thing that had happened to me, in a long time.
How do I describe this without sending you running away?
You and only you have provided me with the support I
needed, during the worst time in my life. You care.

I know there is nothing I can say or do to help you during
this process. I do know, I value our friendship, more than
at any time in this short life.
I love you and wish you well, while continuing on my
journey to Perdition.

Snohomish, Skagit and Island County

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