Messier 41
Messier 41 (M41) is a bright open star cluster located in Canis Major constellation. It lies near Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Messier 41 occupies an area of 38 arc minutes in apparent…
Constellations: Winter and Spring Visibility
Today we are going to talk about the constellations that are seasonally visible in the Winter and Spring. From the Northern Hemisphere and astronomers in the Pacific Northwest, there are 30 visible constellations; five can…
Messier 40
Messier 40, M40, also known as Winnecke 4, is a double star located in the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. It is one of the few Messier objects that are not deep sky objects, but…
Venus: Scientific Missions
The table below shows the number of launches of spacecraft that were destined for Venus. There have been many that have passed by and observed Venus as part of their closest passes on the way…
Crazy Eclipse Beliefs Throughout History
Throughout history, there have been some crazy beliefs surrounding an eclipse, whether be solar or lunar. Many beliefs have the sun and moon represent animals, while other traditions represent these eclipses as fighting between the…
Messier 39
Messier 39 (M39) is a large open cluster located in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. The cluster’s apparent size is 32 arc minutes, making it larger than the full Moon, which means that M39 is…
Observation Of Venus
As one of the brightest objects in the sky, Venus has been a major fixture in human culture for as long as records have existed. It has been made sacred to gods of many cultures, and…
SpaceX Landing Rockets For 5 Years
April 8th, 2021 marks 5 years since SpaceX first landed their rockets, and to mark this event, we wanted to look back at how far the space industry has come. This won’t be a full…
Messier 38 Starfish Cluster
Messier 38 (M38), also known as the Starfish Cluster, is an open star cluster located in the northern constellation Auriga. The best way to observe Messier 38 is in small or medium-sized telescopes at low…
Venus: A Brief Overview
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and our closest planetary neighbor. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction from most planets. Its thick atmosphere traps heat…