Posts by 

Larry Sessions

Summer Triangle star: Altair is variable and spins fast!

Altair, in the constellation Aquila the Eagle, is one of the closest stars to our solar system. It's variable in an unusual way, and it spins very fast!

Summer Triangle star Deneb is distant and luminous

When you gaze at the bright star Deneb, you’re gazing across thousands of light-years of space at one of the bright stars of the huge Summer Triangle asterism.

Summer Triangle star: Vega is bright and blue-white

The Summer Triangle star pattern hangs in the east on July and August evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. Its brightest star is blue-white Vega.

Top 10 cool things about stars that you probably didn’t know

Here's a collection of 10 cool things about stars that you probably didn't know. Big stars, green stars, black holes, stars by the millions, and more!

Massive ruby red Antares is the Scorpion’s Heart

Red Antares, Heart of the Scorpion in the constellation Scorpius, is a massive red supergiant star in the last stages of its lifespan.

Top 10 space objects to see during the day

Love astronomy, but don't like to stay up late? Here are the top 10 space objects you can see - under the right conditions - during the day.

Meet Mimosa, a star of the Southern Cross

Mimosa is the 2nd-brightest star in Crux, the Southern Cross. It's circumpolar - up all night - from much of the Southern Hemisphere.

Spica, the bright beacon of Virgo, is 2 stars

Spica is the brightest star in Virgo and a scorching-hot pair of stars, whirling very closely around one another. One of them may go supernova someday.

Meet Regulus, Leo the Lion’s Heart and brightest star

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.
Brightest Stars

Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Our closest stellar neighbors are the 3 stars that make up the Alpha Centauri system. They lie just over 4 light-years away from us.