... Sputnik: Traveling Companion . ... Despite the innocuous sounding name, the launch of the Earth's first "artificial moon", Sputnik 1, by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957 shocked the free world, setting in motion events which resulted in the creation of NASA and the race to the Moon. ... Part of a binary star system only 8 light-years away, it was known in modern times to have a small companion star, Sirius B. N81: Star Cradle in the SMC . ... Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300 . ... September Sky . ...