Posts by 

Andy Briggs

What is a galaxy? All you need to know

What is a galaxy? We live in a galaxy called the Milky Way. But there is so much more to know about these grand and glorious star islands in space!

The asteroid belt contains solar system remnants

The asteroid belt is a region of our solar system - between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter - where many small bodies orbit our sun.

Exoplanets are worlds orbiting other stars

Exoplanets are worlds orbiting distant stars. Learn the history of our knowledge of exoplanets, the various types, how astronomers find them, and more.

What is the Milky Way? It’s our home galaxy

When someone says "Milky Way," do you think of the starry pathway across our sky, or of the great pinwheel-shaped galaxy in space? Both are correct!

What is a variable star?

What is a variable star? It's a star that brightens and dim in a cycle that might last hours, or weeks, or months, or longer. Astronomers know millions!

What is a globular cluster?

A globular cluster is a spherical collections of stars, orbiting in the halo of spiral galaxies. Our Milky Way galaxy has over 150 globular clusters.
Space

Milky Way’s black hole seen at last!

Astronomers have succeeded in capturing the 1st direct image of our Milky Way's black hole, a monster with the mass of 4 million suns!

Supermassive black hole a feature of most galaxies

A large galaxy typically has a supermassive black hole at its heart. These black holes contains millions - to billions - of times our sun's mass.

What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?

Constellations and asterisms are patterns of stars. Some asterisms consist of stars from different constellations, and some are part of one constellation.

What are black holes?

Black holes are regions of space with gravitational fields so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Their sizes vary from stellar to supermassive.