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Posts by
Don Machholz
Polaris is the North Star
Many people think Polaris is the brightest star, but it's only 50th in brightness. Still, Polaris is famous because the entire northern sky wheels around it.
May 22, 2022
Comet Halley, parent of 2 meteor showers
The famous comet Halley spawns both the May Eta Aquariid meteor shower and the October Orionid meteor shower.
May 18, 2022
Arcturus, brightest star of the north
Arcturus is the brightest star north of the celestial equator. Near the handle of the Big Dipper, it's easy to find in spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
May 18, 2022
Baily’s beads seen during a solar eclipse
May 15, 1836: Francis Baily, an English astronomer, saw light shining through lunar ridges during an eclipse of the sun. These are now known as Baily's beads.
May 15, 2022
Meet Regulus, the Lion’s Heart
The bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion is prominent in the evening sky in May. It looks like a single point of light, but is really 4 stars.
May 6, 2022
Whoa! Tau Herculid meteors might be intense!
Tau Herculid meteors are typically seen around late May and early June. Recent calculations suggest they might produce a grand display in 2022.
May 5, 2022
Darn! Comet C/2021 O3 PanSTARRS has disintegrated
Astronomers hoped comet C/2021 O3 (PanSTARRS) would get bright after its April 2022 sweep near the sun. Instead, it disintegrated.
May 5, 2022
The Bortle survival limit for comets
Astronomers learn even from failed comets. The Bortle survival limit gives us a prediction as to whether a comet will survive perihelion.
May 5, 2022
Meet M13, the Great Cluster in Hercules
Many stargazers call it the finest globular cluster in the northern half of the heavens. It's M13, also known as the Great Cluster in Hercules.
April 20, 2022
Asteroid Apophis to sweep close 7 years from now
Apophis' flyby in March 2021 enabled astronomers to conclude there's no chance this asteroid will strike Earth anytime soon. The next flyby will be in 2029.
April 13, 2022
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