Located in the northern celestial hemisphere, Gemini is a constellation of the zodiac and is 1 of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century AD astronomer Ptolemy. The name Gemini is Latin for twins, and it is associated with the twins Castor…
The lunar Maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth’s Moon, formed by ancient asteroid impacts on the far side on the Moon that triggered volcanic activity on the opposite, otherwise known as the near,…
As a famous proverb says, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” What does that have to do with amateur astronomy and COVID? Other than the obvious loss of life, supply chain issues,…
Named after Hercules, the constellation Hercules was 1 of 48 constellations listed by astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Hercules was the Roman mythological hero adapted from the Greek hero Heracles. It is the 5th-largest…
Curious about which places in the US are already applying to become a dark sky site? Have an idea for a new dark sky site and unsure if there’s already an active application? Looking to…
It is thought that over 50 percent of all Sun-like stars are in binary pairs, and astronomers think that maybe most stars are actually binary stars. That said, let’s take a look at some of…
Although there is a ton of astronomy software available on the market to use, there are some great open source software that is free to use and develop. This freedom to use and contribute to…
Located in the southern celestial hemisphere, Corvus is a small constellation with its name means “crow” in Latin. It is 1 of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, which depicts a raven, a bird associated with stories…
A meteor air burst is a type of air burst in which a meteor explodes after entering a planetary body’s atmosphere. When this happens, they are then called fireballs or bolides. There have been several famous events in history that are widely known. Chelyabinsk Event…
Here are 5 important websites for new astronomers, and astronomers of every level to know about and be able to navigate in one form or another. This doesn’t exclude our website, but these websites allow…