- 7 June 2016
For some of us it may have been a long time since we studied the Solar System in grade school. So here’s your chance to brush up on your cosmic IQ. Take our quiz to see where you rank among the “stars.”
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- 2 June 2016
Auriga is the 21st biggest constellation in size and covers 657 square degrees. It can be viewed in the first quadrant of the Northern hemisphere and lies specifically at latitudes between +90° and -40°. Like some of the other constellations, in the 2nd century Auriga was first catalogued by Ptolemy, who was a Greek astronomer.
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- 1 June 2016
Alpha Coronae Borealis is the brightest star of the seven that make up the semicircle of the “Northern Crown.” This is a binary star system with its companion star completing an orbit every 17.4 days. There could also be a planetary system in its orbit. In the 2nd century, Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, catalogued this star along with the 88 constellations.
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- 27 May 2016
NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We know the International Space station is orbiting around our planet, but unless it hits the news, we tend to forget about it…out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
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- 27 May 2016
Aries means “the ram” in Latin and represents the horn of this animal. It can be found in the first quadrant of the Northern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +90° and -60°. Aries is part of the Zodiac chart and like all the Zodiac signs, it was first catalogued in the 2nd century by Ptolemy, who was a Greek astronomer.
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- 26 May 2016
Alpha Ceti has a traditional name of Menkar which derived from Arabic meaning “the nostril” of the constellation of Cetus the whale. Alpha Ceti is a very old star which is approaching the end of its life. It will eventually burn through all its core elements to become a planetary nebula with a white dwarf remnant left behind.
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- 25 May 2016
Last night Mars put on a celestial show, beaming as crisp and clear as it will be until 2018. Missed the event? Don’t worry you can still view Mars in the night sky; it will be the second or third brightest depending on the night.
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- 20 May 2016
Alpha Cephei is also called Alderamin which translates from Arabic to English as “the right arm” referring to its placement in the constellation of Cepheus, “the King.” Due to its position in the night sky, in about 5,500 years it will be an exact pole star. This star is a fast-rotator completing an orbit every 12 hours!
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- 19 May 2016
Ara is somewhat triangular in shape and covers 237 square degrees in the third quadrant of the Southern hemisphere. It falls 63rd in size and can be viewed at latitudes between +25° and -90°. Ara represents the altar to the Greek gods and derives its name from the Latin language.
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- 17 May 2016
NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
World renowned French astrophysicist, Andre Brahic, one of the discoverers of Neptune’s rings, died in Paris Sunday (May 15th, 2016) at the age of 73, leaving behind a legacy of research and books.
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