- 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.
Read the full article
- 27 July 2016
Some jobs require some very specialized uniforms. Firefighters wear thick clothing that protects them from the flames and heat of a burning building, while Scuba divers wear very tight, waterproof suits that keeps their skin from getting wet. But even these special suits can’t compare to the astronauts. Let’s explore the space suit.
Read the full article
- 25 July 2016
We may think we’ve learned all there is to know about our Moon. However, scientists have now discovered the area called, Mare Imbrium (a.k.a. Imbrium Sculpture) was most likely struck by an extremely large object. It was a big enough impact to leave a visible mark on the Moon’s surface.
Read the full article
- 22 July 2016
Everybody loves Saturn. This gas giant is the second largest planet in our solar system. But what do we really know about Saturn? We know it has many rings that circle around and around in a never-ending loop. But did you know Saturn is so light it could actually float in water? Or that this planet has A LOT of moons? Let’s take a spin around Saturn for a close-up look at all this awesome planet has to offer…It simply “rings” with amazing facts.
Read the full article
- 21 July 2016
Canis Major is derived from the Latin language and means “the greater dog,” representing the bigger dog following Orion. It can be found in the second quadrant of Southern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +60° and -90°. This constellation was also catalogued by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, in the 2nd century.
Read the full article
- 20 July 2016
Alpha Pegasi is also know as Marak or Marchab which means ‘the saddle of the horse’ in Arabic. It is the third brightest star in the constellation Pegasus and one of the four stars in the asterism ‘Great Square of Pegasus’. Alpha Pegasi is very hot and has expanded to almost five times the radius of the Sun.
Read the full article
- 19 July 2016
In case you missed the picture earlier this year, DSCOVR has snapped another amazing photo of the moon passing in front of the Earth. This only happens twice a year where the moon and Earth are in perfect sync, and DSCOVR snapped them both.
Read the full article
- 15 July 2016
When we look up into the night sky, we probably see lots of stars. But did you know all these twinkling orbs can be very different from one another? Let’s take a journey through the types of stars. It’s going to be amazing!
Read the full article
- 14 July 2016
Canes Venatici is derived from the Latin language and means “hunting dogs,” representing the hunting dogs of the herdsman in the Bootes constellation. It can be found in the third quadrant of the Northern hemisphere and is located specifically between latitudes of +90° and -40°. This constellation is also home to the famous Cor Caroli and La Superba stars.
Read the full article