- 6 May 2016
On Monday May 9th, Mercury will make its rare transit across the face of the Sun. This celestial event is a must-see and if you miss it, you’re out-of-luck until November of 2019.
Read the full article- 6 May 2016
Aquarius gets its name from Latin which means, water-bearer or cup-bearer and its Latin symbol also represents water. Aquarius was first catalogued in the 19th century by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy. This unique constellation is the 10th largest and also represents a zodiac sign.
Read the full article- 4 May 2016
Alpha Centauri A is part of a two-star system located in the Centaurus constellation. This star is similar to the Sun, except it is 23 percent larger and has 151.9 times its brightness, making it the fourth most luminous in the night sky. It also spins a bit faster than our Sun completing an orbit every 22 days.
Read the full article- 3 May 2016
May is already here and that means there’s some very special things going on in space. So grab those telescopes and let’s take a look at our guide to all things astronomy this May 2016.
Read the full article- 29 April 2016
Apus is another relatively small constellation covering only 206 square degrees in the third quadrant of the Southern hemisphere. It can be viewed at latitudes between +5° and -90°. Apus represents the bird of paradise and actually gets its name from the Greek word, apous which means ‘footless’ (these birds were once believed to have no feet).
Read the full article- 28 April 2016
Hamal is Arabic for “head of the ram” and is also called Alpha Arietis. It’s approximately 15 times the diameter of the Sun but burns cooler than the Sun which is why it has an orangish hue to it. In additional, in 2011 Hamal was discovered to have a planet about 1.8 times the size of Jupiter in its orbit.
Read the full article- 22 April 2016
The last woman that we are featuring in our three-part series is one that literally changed the way we view the stars (and beyond). Nancy Grace Roman is the “mother” of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Read the full article- 21 April 2016
Alpha Andromedae is a binary star that shines the brightest in the constellation of Andromeda and is 200 times more luminous than the Sun. Before the 1930’s this star was once a part of the constellation Pegasus and was actually considered the fourth brightest star there. Its Arabic name literally translates to “the Navel of the Horse.”
Read the full article- 19 April 2016
Antlia is a very small constellation and is 62nd in size. It was created and listed (along with 13 other constellations) in the 18th century by Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, who was a French astronomer. It can only be viewed in the Southern hemisphere and is located between latitudes of +45° and -90°. This fascinating grouping of stars neighbor the constellations of Centaurus, Hydra, Pyxis and Vela.
Read the full article- 18 April 2016
In our second part of our three-part series, we take a look at Annie Jump Cannon, a pioneering woman who was responsible for cataloging thousands of stars.
Read the full article
