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Stars, Meteors, and a Comet in Taurus This was an unusual night to look in the direction of the Bull. The constellation Taurus is always well known for hosting two bright star clusters -- the Pleaides , visible on the right, and the comparatively diffuse Hyades , visible on the left. This night last month, however, was atypically the peak of the Geminid meteor shower , and so several meteors were caught shooting through the constellation with parallel trails . More unusually still, Comet Wirtanen was drifting through the constellation, here appearing near the image bottom surrounded by a greenish coma. The comet was near its brightest as it sped past the Earth. The orange star on the upper left is Aldebaran , considered to be the eye of the Bull. Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus and the 15th brightest star in the sky. The featured image is a combination of nearly 800 exposur...

To celebrate Games Done Quick 2019 , Devolver Digital are discounting a number of games that will be played over the next week. Check out Devolver Digital Done Quick for what's on sale! Offer ends January 13th at 10pm PST. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://bit.ly/2C6hzaV"

DIY For photos you'll actually want to post on social media. Your smartphone and its accessories offer a number of ways to improve your photos—particularly the ones of you. Here are eight tricks for taking better selfies. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2FatwjC"

A Laser Strike at the Galactic Center Why are these people shooting a powerful laser into the center of our Galaxy? Fortunately, this is not meant to be the first step in a Galactic war . Rather, astronomers at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) site in Chile are trying to measure the distortions of Earth's ever changing atmosphere . Constant imaging of high-altitude atoms excited by the laser -- which appear like an artificial star -- allow astronomers to instantly measure atmospheric blurring . This information is fed back to a VLT telescope mirror which is then slightly deformed to minimize this blurring. In this case , a VLT was observing our Galaxy's center , and so Earth's atmospheric blurring in that direction was needed. As for inter-galaxy warfare, when viewed from our Galaxy's center , no casualties are expected. In fact, the light from this powerful laser ...

Today's Deal: Save 75% on Planetary Annihilation: TITANS !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://bit.ly/2Ttbmg0"

DIY Create your own audio. Your phone chirps all the time. Why not customize those noises? Here's how to create your own smartphone ringtones and notifications. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2FadhD3"

Yutu 2 on the Farside On January 3 , the Chinese Chang'e-4 spacecraft made the first successful landing on the Moon's farside . Taken by a camera on board the lander, this image is from the landing site inside Von Karman crater. It shows the desksized, six-wheeled Yutu 2 (Jade Rabbit 2) rover as it rolled down lander ramps and across the surface near local sunrise and the start of the two week long lunar day. Ripe for exploration, Von Karman crater itself is 186 kilometers in diameter. It lies within the Moon's old and deep South Pole-Aitken impact basin with some of the most ancient and least understood lunar terrains. To bridge communications from the normally hidden hemisphere of the Moon, China launched a relay satellite, Queqiao , in May of 2018 in to an orbit beyond the lunar farside. January 05, 2019 via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2QlqLgA ...

Nexus Media News Sea levels are rising, but it's happening unevenly. Some coastal regions are more at risk of flooding than others. That's because sea waters are rising unevenly. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2Qq3ytw"

Technology Limited apps are often better apps. Less is more when it comes to apps. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2LQRvou"

Science How humans invented zero—and why some tried desperately to do without it. Life without zero is unimaginable. But the concept is only 1,500 years old. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2sb0iIP"

Health It's unclear how much information is helpful, and how much is hurtful. In the age of readily available genetic testing, there are a lot of questions about how—or if—an in-depth test might help or hurt the health of a baby… via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2GU5IlD"

Today's Deal: Save 80% on Redout: Enhanced Edition and its DLCs!* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Sunday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://bit.ly/2SBkOOz"

Technology Autonomous cars seem futuristic, but they’re already on the streets. A roundup of what's going on, and where, in the world of autonomous vehicles. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2VusqnP"

Gadgets The best offerings, both handheld and motor-powered. Seven tools to assist in clearing snow after a snow day, from handheld tools to motored machines. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2EXXOCU"

Animals Giddy up! This week, heavy rains and flooding in Australia flushed a small army of cane toads out of their burrows. In an attempt to escape rising waters, 10 of those toads… via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2F8CE8h"

DIY Avoid detangling duty next year. If you simply toss your holiday decorations in a closet, you’ll have to detangle them next Christmas. Here’s how to pack them neatly and simplify setup for next year. via Popular Science "http://bit.ly/2CPnwKK"