Astronomers have developed several techniques to indirectly measure the vast distances between Earth and the stars and galaxies. In many […]
How do astronomers measure distances to stars and galaxies? Read More »
Almost all of the world’s finest ground-based observatories are located on mountains, for a variety of reasons. First and foremost,
Why are many observatories located on mountaintops? Read More »
Stars aren’t visible during the sunlit hours of daytime because the light-scattering properties of our atmosphere spread sunlight across the
Of course, the nearest star to Earth is the one we see every day — our dear old Sun. At
The true inventor of the first telescope is somewhat difficult to nail down. However, the first person to apply for
For the most part, the rise and fall of the tides is caused by the gravitational influence of the Moon.
The farthest known object orbiting our Sun is a ball of ice and rock unofficially called FarFarOut, which lies about
No. On August 23, 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided that the solar system contains only eight planets. Pluto, which
Alignments of the fast-moving inner planets can occur as regularly as every few months or so, while groupings of the
The famous Northern and Southern Lights — Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis for those Latin lovers among us — are
