Tag archives for Astronomy
Dying Star Creates Fantasy-like Sculpture of Gas and Dust
In this detailed view from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the so-called Cat's Eye Nebula looks like the penetrating eye of the disembodied sorcerer Sauron from the film adaptation of "The…
Astronomy Section – Telescopes
Introduction A telescope is an optical instrument used to magnify and enhance the view of faraway objects, be they astronomical or terrestrial. Most telescopes fall into one of two main…
Astronomy Section – Radio Astronomy
It is surprising to many people that radio astronomy does not entail listening for to phone home. , (The search for extra terrestrial intelligence) is a relatively tiny portion of…
Astronomy Section – Meteors
A meteor, or a shooting star as they are more commonly known, is the streak of light produced when a meteoroid burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. It looks like…
Astronomy Section – Earth and Moon
The Earth is unique amongst the terrestrial planets in having a large satellite, the Moon, which, relative to the Earth, has the largest mass of any satellite - parent system…
Astronomy Section – Comets
Comets are nebulous celestial bodies orbiting the sun. A comet is characterised by a long, luminous tail, but only in the segment of the comet's orbit when it passes closest…
Astronomy Section – Asteroids
Introduction Although neglected scientifically and publicly for a long time, in the past ten years asteroids have been the subject of much interest and debate. This has caused by announcements…
Saturn gains a new ring and, maybe, two moons
Sometimes it pays to be looking in just the right place. Ask Carl Murray, Cassini imaging team member at Queen Mary, University of London. Murray was examining images taken June…
Hubble glimpses early galaxy formation
If the era when the first galaxies formed can be called the opening act in the universe's history, then the Hubble Space Telescope has given scientists a front-row seat. Astronomers…
Finding planets through a pinhole
Take two sheets of white paper. In the middle of one sheet, poke a hole with a pin. Hold the sheets about a foot apart, so the punctured sheet faces…
The Babylonian Theory of the Planets
The Babylonian Theory of the Planets by N. M. Swerdlow Reviewed by Stacy G. Langton One of the great discoveries of the nineteenth century was a discovery about the past…