... Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two celestial wonders easily visible for southern hemisphere skygazers are known as the Clouds of Magellan. The Bubble Nebula . ... The robotic spacecraft MESSENGER found out as it looked toward the Earth during its closest approach to the Sun about three months ago. ... The Annotated Galactic Center . ... The stars are not alone. ...