Astronomy

Articles on astronomy and exploration and observation of the solar system for astronomy students, teachers, and hobbyists.
Articles

Astronomer Job Description
Astronomy is one of the most interesting fields to make a career and this can be justified when we go through the astronomer job description. This article has information about the duties of an astronomer, job description of an astronomer, astronomer education requirements and average salary of an astronomer.

Amazing Facts About the Universe
This article is a collection of amazing facts about the universe in increasing order of awesomeness. Universe we live in, is a beautifully awesome, enigmatic place, infinite in extent and full of mysteries! Read and stay awed!

Fun Facts About Astronomy
Did you know there are stars which are nearly 600,000 times as bright as the Sun? Or the sunspots on the surface of the Sun are 3000º C cooler than the other sun surface areas? Surprised! Then read on to know some more fun facts about astronomy...

Horsehead Nebula
As the name suggests, the Horsehead nebula appears to be in the shape of a horsehead, and is no doubt a masterpiece by the creator of the universe. Read on to know more about the nebular theory and the Horsehead Nebula.

Top Astronomy Discoveries of 2008
In 2008 astronomers made some fascinating discoveries thanks to bigger and better telescopes and an ever-increasing interest in the heavens.

Famous Astronomers
Here are some of the famous astronomers who have greatly contributed to the field of astronomy...

Astronomy for Beginners
Astronomy is an age old science and involves the exquisite study of celestial objects. Their placements and certain derived and calculated movements are part of a scientific study to understand the phenomena beyond the atmosphere that is home to us.

Tycho Brahe, Colorful Character and Extraordinary Astronomer
With his red hair, blue eyes, and gold nose, Tycho Brahe was certainly a colorful character. Yet he was also a just, humorous man and a dedicated, hard working, and accomplished astronomer.

Friday the 13th Might Be Pretty Frightening After All—in 2029
If scientists and astronomers have it calculated correctly, Friday, April 13, 2029, could be a very unlucky day for Earth if the asteroid Apophis continues on its path toward Earth.

American Dialect Society Chooses "Plutoed" as Word of the Year
Pluto may have been dealt a blow by astronomers last year, but it was given an honor as well.

Dark Matter Witnessed After Galactic Collision
A unique event in the heavens leads scientists to believe they have finally witnessed a physical manifestation of dark matter.

Cosmic Rays: - Detection and Composition
High-energy cosmic rays are samples of material from outside the solar system. The elemental and isotopic compositions of the cosmic rays constrain the models for element production in a variety of astrophysical sources. A brief insight into the fascinating world of cosmic rays.

Getting Into Black Holes
Black holes are the issue of very much interest, but still many questions are unanswered. Here are the some basic concepts about black holes tried to full fill like what is black hole? How it gets formed? Many scientists like Einstein, Galileo, Newton, Stefan hawking etc. has studied and tried their own theories. The most accepted theory is Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, satisfies the basic gravitational phenomenon about black holes.

Solar system’s twin found
Astronomers have found a planetary system similar to ours – a Jupiter-like world circling a Sun-like star in roughly the same orbit that Jupiter follows our Sun.

Where to Buy Cheap Telescope
Your child is currently interested in astronomy and he wants to have his own telescope.

How to Explore the Night Sky Without a Telescope
You don’t need a telescope to see a lot of wonderful things in the night sky. For example, five of the planets are often readily visible with the naked eye. There are lots of amazing things you can see and this guide will help you find them.

How to Make a Telescope - Tips and guidelines for beginners
This article won’t give you the complete steps to making your own telescope but it will help you help you figure out what kind of telescope making would be right for you and give you some tips on how to make one.

Types of Telescopes: Narrowing Your Focus when Choosing a Telescope
If you're looking for a telescope, you'll need to figure out what kind to get before anything else! This article outlines the major types of telescopes to help you narrow your "focus".

New Telescope May Help Unlock the Mysteries of Dark Energy
Dark Matter is the black portion of the sky. Though it looks to be empty, scientists actually believe it is filled with unseeable matter that may be responsicle for the creation of the universe. A new telescope being built have finally provide some insight into this dark and mysterious force.

A Guide to Buying a Dobsonian Telescope
Dobsonian telescopes have revolutionized amateur astronomy by making large and powerful telescopes available at very reasonable costs. If you are considering buying one this guide will help you make the choice that is right for you.

Should you buy a Reflector or a Refractor Telescope?
This article takes a look at the two main types of telescopes and explains the benefits of each. It will help you purchase a telescope that is right for your needs, budget, and wants.

How Galileo’s Telescope Changed Astronomy
Galileo challenged conventional views of the universe by observing by observing objects in the sky then applying the laws of mathematics and logic to what he saw. He turned the telescope into an important tool of understanding the universe we live in.

Astronomers May Be on Brink of Finding Habitable 'second Earth'
Astronomers may be on the brink of discovering a second Earth-like planet, a find that would add fresh impetus to the search for extraterrestrial life, according to a leading science journal.

British Search for Brown Dwarfs
In the heart of Oxfordshire, plans are being readied to ship the final and most crucial parts of another telescope, an all-British project, to the rocky, high-altitude desert in northern Chile.

American Astronomers Claim That Black Holes May Not Exist
They swallow everything that comes their way and exercise the world's finest minds, but the portrayal of black holes as awe-inspiring celestial menaces may be woefully inaccurate, a team of scientists claim. Indeed, they might not exist at all.

Herman - An Unfinished Life - Life And Times Of Herman De Carinthia (1110 - Ca 1154) - Part Two - The Book Of Damascus And Andalus
Author of several works, philosopher, astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, translator, Herman de Carinthia was one of the most distinguished scholars of his time. A man for whom borders did not exit.

Herman - An Unfinished Life - Life And Times Of Herman De Carinthia (1110 - Ca 1154) Part One
Author of several works, philosopher, astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, translator, Herman de Carinthia was one of the most distinguished scholars of his time. A man for whom borders did not exit.

Telescopes - Principle of operation and factors that affect its properties
How does a telescope work and how do they work? This article addresses these questions and provides a link for further resources.

The Little Rock Causing a Galactic Storm
Astronomers have found a new world orbiting the Sun. The giant lump of rock and ice is larger than the planet Pluto and is now the farthest known object in the solar system.

Astronomer's Three-star Find
An astronomer has identified a planet with three suns far away in the galaxy - the first of a class dubbed "Tatooine planets" after the home of Luke Skywalker, the young hero of the Star Wars films.

Europe Leads Space Race to Hunt Down Et
Work begins on flotilla of floating mirrors to detect life on far distant planets. It is a view that astronomers would die for: a shimmering, blue, alien world with oceans and continents and vegetation changing colour with seasons.

Cosmic Dust Culprit Unmasked
British astronomers have solved one of the darker riddles of the universe - the culprit behind the gargantuan clouds of cosmic dust. There are around 100 billion galaxies each containing an estimated 100 billion stars in the visible universe. Puzzlingly, almost half of all the visible...

Scientists Fine-tune Hunt for Et
Radio astronomers are to focus on 150 locations in space next week in the search for ET. They have narrowed the hunt for extraterrestrial civilisations to a selection of star systems, thanks to the world's biggest computing exercise. Seti@home is a screensaver package which has been...

Orbit measurements prove black hole theory
Humankind may never see what lies at the dark heart of our home galaxy, but now, at last, we have the measure of the heart's companion. Astronomers have found the first firm evidence that a gigantic black hole, with a mass equal to several million suns, lies at the centre of the Milky Way.

A World is Born in a Wink
Astronomers are overjoyed as telescopes confirm their theories of how stars can produce solar systems - and planets that might support life elsewhere in the universe.

Light pollution law helps Czechs reclaim the stars
Taking a dim view of the light that shines on their country, astronomers in the Czech Republic have succeeded in pushing through parliament the world's first countrywide law to reduce light pollution.

Alien Scientists 'know of Life on Earth'
Alien astronomers on other planets almost certainly have Earth listed as a world teeming with life, a leading scientist claimed today. Earth observers are probably no more than 20 years away from identifying distant planets on which life exists, and it is likely that putative space...