Astronomy
Articles on astronomy and exploration and observation of the solar system for astronomy students, teachers, and hobbyists.
Causes of Lunar Eclipses
Lunar eclipses … an astronomical incident and a splendid sight! Know all about the causes of Lunar eclipses.
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.
Interesting Facts About The Solar System
Here are some fascinating facts about the Solar System.
8 Phases of the Moon
I truly believe that the Moon is Earth’s beauty spot. Read on to know more about the phases of the moon along with some interesting facts…
Moon Phases Calendar
There are eight moon phases in the moon phases calendar.
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.
Archive of Wednesday’s Solar Eclipse Can Be Seen Online
Early Wednesday morning many Mediterranean countries were treated to a spectacular total solar eclipse. Most people in the world were unable to see the event, but if the eclipse wasn’t viewable in your area, you can watch an archived video of it online.
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.
Comets: Shrouded by mystery
A comet is a small body composed mostly of frozen ices but typically embedded with solids. Comets orbit the sun in highly elliptical orbits. The Oort cloud is a vast cloud of cometary bodies that extend billions of kilometers out from the sun. An insight into the world of comets and the secrets it hides.
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.
Pluto's Moon Charon
Pluto's moon Charon has been lying in the realms of the anonymous for a long time. But since it has been discovered, there have been many interesting findings about Pluto.
The comet cometh!
What are comets? What are they made of? And what would happen if one of them crashes into us?
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.
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.
Asteroids
Asteroids are small celestial bodies that orbit the sun. They are found mostly in the Asteroid Belt, located between planets Mars and Jupiter. It is thought that they are remnants that did not coalescence into planets. Asteroids range in dimension from the size of a baseball to nearly one third the size of the moon.
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.
Big Blasts or Tiny Tugs: How to Stop an Asteroid Catastrophe
Collision with Earth is seen as inevitable, but scientists are meeting to find solution.
Wanted: Man to Land on Killer Asteroid and Gently Nudge It From Path to Earth
It is the stuff of nightmares and, until now, Hollywood thrillers. A huge asteroid is on a catastrophic collision course with Earth and mankind is poised to go the way of the dinosaurs.
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.
Wanted: Small Asteroid for Use As Slingshot to Slay a Goliath
Scientists at the French space agency, CNES, have calculated how to capture an asteroid and manoeuvre it into a near-Earth orbit, from where it can be flung into the path of a larger asteroid that threatens to collide with Earth.
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.
Total eclipse of the sun expected in March
There is a solar eclipse expected this March 29th in Africa and the Mediterranean.
It's Called Apophis. It's 390m Wide. And It Could Hit Earth in 31 Years Time
· Scientists call for plans to change asteroid's path · Developing technology could take decades
Probe Returning to Earth After Asteroid Landing
The Japanese space probe Hayabusa began its journey home yesterday after becoming the first spacecraft to successfully land on an asteroid and collect samples.
At Large: One Miniature Japanese Hopping Robot
A Japanese mission to drop a hopping robot on top of a speeding asteroid has ended in failure.
Spaniards Go Goggle-eyed for Rare Solar Eclipse
Planetariums and opticians sold out of protective shaded glasses yesterday prior to today's annular eclipse, when the moon will pass across the sun, the first such eclipse in Spain since 1764.
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.
Comet Collision to Shine New Light on Stars
A space probe slammed into a comet millions of miles from earth this morning as part of an experiment to determine the origins of the solar system.
Probe Set for Comet Collision
The space probe Deep Impact is 'healthy and ready' for its collision tomorrow with comet Tempel 1.
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.
Antarctic Craters Reveal Asteroid Strike
Scientists using satellites have mapped huge craters under the Antarctic ice sheet caused by an asteroid as big as the one believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65m years ago. Professor Frans van der Hoeven, from Delft University in the Netherlands, told the conference that the...
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...
Japan's Asteroid Mission Heralds a New Space Race
A Japanese rocket has blasted off on one of the most ambitious missions ever undertaken by space engineers. The tiny Muses-C probe will travel 400 million miles to return a piece of primordial rock left over from the solar system's creation five billion years ago.
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...
Total Eclipse Throws a Path of Darkness Across the Southern Hemisphere
A total solar eclipse extinguished the southern hemisphere's summer sunshine yesterday as the lunar shadow raced across the Atlantic ocean and southern Africa before vanishing over Australia. Astronomers and the curious occupied vantage points in several countries to observe the moon blot...
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.
New Planet-like Discovery Casts Doubt on Pluto's Status
Astronomers have discovered a planet-like object on the outskirts of the solar system, which means that there could be one planet fewer than was thought. This confusing conclusion, which emerged at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Birmingham, Alabama, was reached because...
Heavenly body bodes ill for Pluto
Astronomers have discovered a planet-like object on the outskirts of the solar system, which means that there could be one planet fewer than was thought.
Asteroid Hunter's Once in a Blue Moon Find
Throughout history stargazers, skywatchers, astrologers and priests have consoled themselves with just one moon. That is, until September 3, when Bill Yeung, a Canadian amateur asteroid hunter with a string of asteroids and comets to his name, discovered Earth's second moon.
Asteroid Could Mean End of Life As We Know It ... But It's 60,000 to One
Astronomers set a new date for the end of civilisation yesterday. Astronomers set a new date for the end of civilisation yesterday. They warned that a direct hit from a newly discovered asteroid called 2002 NT7 on February 1 2019, could cause continent wide destruction and severely alter the global climate.
Nasa dismisses asteroid collision claim
The chances of a recently discovered mile-wide asteroid, forecast to hurtle towards Earth, actually hitting the planet are "minimal", a Nasa scientist said today.
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...
Moon's mystery to be solved with lasers and mirrors
An American astronomer hopes to answer to within a millimetre a question first posed by the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie: how high the moon? Tom Murphy, of the University of Washington, will use a billion watt laser "bullet", a telescope at Apache Point, New Mexico, to measure the...
Here are some fascinating facts about the Solar System.
8 Phases of the Moon
I truly believe that the Moon is Earth’s beauty spot. Read on to know more about the phases of the moon along with some interesting facts…
Moon Phases Calendar
There are eight moon phases in the moon phases calendar.
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.
Archive of Wednesday’s Solar Eclipse Can Be Seen Online
Early Wednesday morning many Mediterranean countries were treated to a spectacular total solar eclipse. Most people in the world were unable to see the event, but if the eclipse wasn’t viewable in your area, you can watch an archived video of it online.
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.
Comets: Shrouded by mystery
A comet is a small body composed mostly of frozen ices but typically embedded with solids. Comets orbit the sun in highly elliptical orbits. The Oort cloud is a vast cloud of cometary bodies that extend billions of kilometers out from the sun. An insight into the world of comets and the secrets it hides.
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.
Pluto's Moon Charon
Pluto's moon Charon has been lying in the realms of the anonymous for a long time. But since it has been discovered, there have been many interesting findings about Pluto.
The comet cometh!
What are comets? What are they made of? And what would happen if one of them crashes into us?
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.
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.
Asteroids
Asteroids are small celestial bodies that orbit the sun. They are found mostly in the Asteroid Belt, located between planets Mars and Jupiter. It is thought that they are remnants that did not coalescence into planets. Asteroids range in dimension from the size of a baseball to nearly one third the size of the moon.
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.
Big Blasts or Tiny Tugs: How to Stop an Asteroid Catastrophe
Collision with Earth is seen as inevitable, but scientists are meeting to find solution.
Wanted: Man to Land on Killer Asteroid and Gently Nudge It From Path to Earth
It is the stuff of nightmares and, until now, Hollywood thrillers. A huge asteroid is on a catastrophic collision course with Earth and mankind is poised to go the way of the dinosaurs.
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.
Wanted: Small Asteroid for Use As Slingshot to Slay a Goliath
Scientists at the French space agency, CNES, have calculated how to capture an asteroid and manoeuvre it into a near-Earth orbit, from where it can be flung into the path of a larger asteroid that threatens to collide with Earth.
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.
Total eclipse of the sun expected in March
There is a solar eclipse expected this March 29th in Africa and the Mediterranean.
It's Called Apophis. It's 390m Wide. And It Could Hit Earth in 31 Years Time
· Scientists call for plans to change asteroid's path · Developing technology could take decades
Probe Returning to Earth After Asteroid Landing
The Japanese space probe Hayabusa began its journey home yesterday after becoming the first spacecraft to successfully land on an asteroid and collect samples.
At Large: One Miniature Japanese Hopping Robot
A Japanese mission to drop a hopping robot on top of a speeding asteroid has ended in failure.
Spaniards Go Goggle-eyed for Rare Solar Eclipse
Planetariums and opticians sold out of protective shaded glasses yesterday prior to today's annular eclipse, when the moon will pass across the sun, the first such eclipse in Spain since 1764.
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.
Comet Collision to Shine New Light on Stars
A space probe slammed into a comet millions of miles from earth this morning as part of an experiment to determine the origins of the solar system.
Probe Set for Comet Collision
The space probe Deep Impact is 'healthy and ready' for its collision tomorrow with comet Tempel 1.
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.
Antarctic Craters Reveal Asteroid Strike
Scientists using satellites have mapped huge craters under the Antarctic ice sheet caused by an asteroid as big as the one believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65m years ago. Professor Frans van der Hoeven, from Delft University in the Netherlands, told the conference that the...
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...
Japan's Asteroid Mission Heralds a New Space Race
A Japanese rocket has blasted off on one of the most ambitious missions ever undertaken by space engineers. The tiny Muses-C probe will travel 400 million miles to return a piece of primordial rock left over from the solar system's creation five billion years ago.
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...
Total Eclipse Throws a Path of Darkness Across the Southern Hemisphere
A total solar eclipse extinguished the southern hemisphere's summer sunshine yesterday as the lunar shadow raced across the Atlantic ocean and southern Africa before vanishing over Australia. Astronomers and the curious occupied vantage points in several countries to observe the moon blot...
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.
New Planet-like Discovery Casts Doubt on Pluto's Status
Astronomers have discovered a planet-like object on the outskirts of the solar system, which means that there could be one planet fewer than was thought. This confusing conclusion, which emerged at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Birmingham, Alabama, was reached because...
Heavenly body bodes ill for Pluto
Astronomers have discovered a planet-like object on the outskirts of the solar system, which means that there could be one planet fewer than was thought.
Asteroid Hunter's Once in a Blue Moon Find
Throughout history stargazers, skywatchers, astrologers and priests have consoled themselves with just one moon. That is, until September 3, when Bill Yeung, a Canadian amateur asteroid hunter with a string of asteroids and comets to his name, discovered Earth's second moon.
Asteroid Could Mean End of Life As We Know It ... But It's 60,000 to One
Astronomers set a new date for the end of civilisation yesterday. Astronomers set a new date for the end of civilisation yesterday. They warned that a direct hit from a newly discovered asteroid called 2002 NT7 on February 1 2019, could cause continent wide destruction and severely alter the global climate.
Nasa dismisses asteroid collision claim
The chances of a recently discovered mile-wide asteroid, forecast to hurtle towards Earth, actually hitting the planet are "minimal", a Nasa scientist said today.
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...
Moon's mystery to be solved with lasers and mirrors
An American astronomer hopes to answer to within a millimetre a question first posed by the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie: how high the moon? Tom Murphy, of the University of Washington, will use a billion watt laser "bullet", a telescope at Apache Point, New Mexico, to measure the...