constellations
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The Messier Marathon
Have you heard of the Messier Marathon? If you travel in astronomy circles, you’re bound to have heard of it around this time of the year. Every March and April, astronomers from across the northern hemisphere embark on a challenge:…
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The True Brightness of Stars
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and noticed that while relatively bright stars outline the constellations, there are numerous other stars that are almost too faint to see with the naked eye? If you ever noticed this,…
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Stars and Proper Motion
Recognize this constellation? Well, at the time stamp of about 2000 AD (CE), I think you will. It’s one of the most famous constellations in the night sky. Well, technically, it’s not a constellation at all. It’s an asterism — a…
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Stars: Naming and Brightness
Meet Pegasus, and the constellations surrounding it. As I said in my last post, constellations are just regions of space. Yes, they are named after mythical beasts and ancient queens, but for scientific purposes, all that matters are the regions…
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Pseudoscience: Astronomy vs. Astrology
I’m going to venture a guess that you’ve heard of astrology. As an astronomy enthusiast, I run into people who confuse astronomy with astrology all the time. They’re particularly prevalent at work (I don’t work among fellow astronomy geeks at…
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The Ecliptic
The ecliptic, as astronomers call it, is the apparent path of the sun against the background of the stars in the sky. It’s useful because it tells us how to find the planets in the sky. They can be hard to…
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Mapping the Sky
I need you guys to help me with something. Can you find a horse in this image of the night sky? Yeah, me neither. I’m lost. I see the Great Square of Pegasus because I know what to look for,…
