Transits: An Introduction
A transit “is the passage of a relatively small body across the disk of a larger body, usually a star or a planet, occulting only a very small area.”[1] Transits are different than an eclipse which is caused…
Articles by Mike R
Apparent Magnitude
Apparent magnitude is a measure of the brightness of a star or other astronomical object observed from the Earth. An object’s apparent magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance from Earth, and any extinction of the object’s light caused by interstellar dust along the…
Constellations: A Brief Introduction
Humanity has always been connecting the dots in the sky to form shapes from the stars above. While the names, size, and stars that are used in the constellations have changed over time, the ideas…
Asterisms
An asterism is a popularly known pattern or group of stars that can be seen in the night sky. Although this is very similar to a constellation, asterisk do differ as they are IAU officially recognized area of the sky….
Summer Triangle
The Summer Triangle is a popularly known pattern or group of stars that can be seen in the night sky in the northern celestial hemisphere to help astronomers find other objects in the sky. The defining vertices of this imaginary triangle can be found…
What Is A Telescope?
What is a telescope? How do they work and what are they used for? These are some of the most basic questions about the topic of telescopes, but some of the most important in regards…
The Galaxy Types Explained
Before we get started talking about the types of galaxies, we should define the term and look at what exactly makes up a galaxy. A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants,…
Acquiring Land For Astronomy: Light Pollution And Finances
This is our third article of three on the topic of acquiring land for astronomical use. Today we will be discussing how the topics of light pollution and finances play into the considerations and prospects…
Winter Hexagon
The Winter Hexagon is an asterism appearing to be in the form of a hexagon with vertices at Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux, Procyon, and Sirius. It is mostly upon the Northern Hemisphere’s celestial sphere. On most locations on Earth, this asterism is prominently in the sky from approximately December…
One Way COVID19 Could Change Amateur Astronomy
Please note: There are very few positives about the COVID19 virus and pandemic, as numerous people died and incomes were lost and lives forever changed. But today, we are going to look at how could…