- 25 August 2016
Proxima Centauri is also known as Alpha Centauri C. and was discovered in 1915 by a Scottish-South African astronomer by the name of Robert Innes. This star is a red dwarf that forms a visual double with Alpha Centauri AB. Proxima Centauri has about 12.3 percent the mass of the Sun and may also experience sudden bursts of brightness. Recently the discovery of the potentially Earth-like planet Proxima b was announced.
Read the full article- 24 August 2016
We know all there is to know about the Apollo 11 moon landing. But do we really? A new movie debuting in january of 2017, is based on one woman, Katherine Johnson, whose mathematical mind played a huge role in the success of this mission. And she did it all in a time when African-American women and men were still fighting for their rights.
Read the full article- 19 August 2016
Altair is located approximately 16.8 light-years from the Earth in the constellation of Aquila. It is the 22nd constellation in size out of the eighty-eight and has two meteor showers (the June Aquilids and the Epsilon Aquilids ). Aquila also belongs to the Hercules family of constellations.
Read the full article- 18 August 2016
Cassiopeia is named after the Queen in Greek mythology who was very vain, arrogant and boastful. This constellation can be located in the first quadrant of the Northern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +90° and -20°. Cassiopeia was first catalogued in the 2nd century by, Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer.
Read the full article- 12 August 2016
Carina is derived from the Latin language and means “the keel (of a ship).” This constellation was once a part of a larger one called, Arvo Navis, which contained the constellations of Puppis (“the stern”) and Vela (“the sails”) before they were divided into their own constellations. Carina can be located in the second quadrant of the Southern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +20° and -90°.
Read the full article- 11 August 2016
Alpha Ursae Majoris has a traditional name, Dubhe, which is derived from Arabic (Dubb) meaning ‘the bear’. This star can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major and is located on the top tip of the Big Dipper’s bowl. It has four times the mass of the Sun and 16 times its diameter. It is also considered a spectroscopic binary.
Read the full article- 5 August 2016
Alpha Phoenicis is also called Ankaa which is derived from Arabic meaning ‘the phoenix’ and also sometimes as Nair al-Zaurak meaning ‘the bright star of the skiff’. It is the 85th brightest star in the night sky shining with 80 times the luminosity of the Sun. Petrus Plancius, a Dutch astronomer, was the first to catalogue this star in the 16th century.
Read the full article- 3 August 2016
Capricornus means “the goat” in Latin. It can be found in the fourth quadrant of the Southern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +60° and -90°. Like all the Zodiac signs, Capricorn was first catalogued in the 2nd century by Ptolemy, who was a Greek astronomer.
Read the full article- 29 July 2016
Alpha Persei is also called Mirfak and is considered the star marking ‘the elbow’ of the constellation Perseus. It is approximately 60 times the size of the Sun and has 7.3 solar masses. In fact, if Mirfak was situated where the Sun is from Earth, it would cover several thousand times more sky.
Read the full article- 28 July 2016
Canis Minor is derived from the Latin language and means “the lesser or smaller dog.” It represents the smaller dog following the hunter Orion. It can be found in the second quadrant of the Northern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +90° and -75°. Along with other constellations, Canis Minor was first catalogued in the 2nd century by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy.
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