Articles by Mike R

Sculptor

Sculptor

Located in the southern sky, Sculptor is a small and faint constellation, which represents a sculptor. The constellation was introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century with the original name of Apparatus Sculptoris. Apparatus Sculptoris translates to…


Spruce Goose

Spruce Goose: Taking Flight In 1947

As part of the 75 year anniversary of the flight of the Spruce Goose, we are taking a look at the Spruce Goose in a 3 part series. This is the third and final article…


Draco

Draco

Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88…


Corona Australis

Corona Australis

Located in the southern hemisphere, Corona Australis is a constellation that translates to “southern crown” from Latin. The constellation is the southern counterpart of Corona Borealis, the northern crown. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by…


Spruce Goose

Spruce Goose: Celebrating 75 Years Of Flight

It’s been 75 years since the Spruce Goose had its maiden and only flight. The Spruce Goose Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built, and it had the largest wingspan of any aircraft that…


Horologium

Horologium

Horologium is a constellation of six stars faintly visible in the southern celestial hemisphere. The name in Latin for the pendulum clock, which comes from the Greek ὡρολόγιον, which means ‘an instrument for telling the…


Musca

Musca

Located in the southern sky, the constellation Musca which is Latin for “the fly” is a small constellation. It was one of 12 constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser…



Pavo

Pavo

Pavo is a constellation in the southern sky whose name is Latin for “peacock” that first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in 1598 in Amsterdam. It would later be depicted in Johann…


Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation Elongations

Elongation: An Introduction

In astronomy, a planet’s elongation is the angular separation between the Sun and the planet, with Earth as the reference point. The greatest elongation of a given inferior planet occurs when this planet’s position, in…