Top 5 Largest Maria On The Moon
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,…
Articles by Mike R
Taurus
Located in the northern celestial hemisphere, Taurus, which is Latin for “the Bull”, is a constellations of the zodiac. Taurus is a large and prominent in the winter sky for observers in the Pacific Northwest. The history of the constellation…
Gemini
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…
Top 5 Smallest Maria On The Moon
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,…
What COVID Took: Astronomy Imaging With Friends
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,…
Hercules
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…
IDA Recognized US Dark Sky Places
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…
Top 5 Brightest Binary Star Systems In The Sky
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…
Open Source Astronomy Software You Can Contribute To
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…
Corvus
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…