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Posts by
Larry Sessions
Fomalhaut, loneliest star, near Jupiter and Saturn in 2021
Fomalhaut is known as the “lonely one” or the "solitary one" as it shines brightly in a patch of sky with no other bright stars nearby.
September 9, 2021
Use Big Dipper to find Polaris in September
Use the famous Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star. In September, the Big Dipper is in the northwest in the evening. But watch for it soon!
September 2, 2021
Explore the Lagoon Nebula, Messier 8
The Lagoon Nebula, or Messier 8, is a large emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius that observers can explore with binoculars.
August 10, 2021
Why 61 Cygni is nicknamed Flying Star
Compared to other stars, 61 Cygni moves quite rapidly against the background of more distant stars, revealing its proximity to Earth.
August 4, 2021
Spica, bright beacon of Virgo, is 2 stars
Spica is a very close, scorching-hot pair of stars, whirling around one another. One may someday go supernova.
July 15, 2021
Summer Triangle star: Altair spins fast!
Altair is only 16.8 light-years from Earth, making it one of our closest stellar neighbors. It's variable in an usual way, and it spins fast!
July 8, 2021
Summer Triangle star: Deneb is distant and luminous
When you gaze at the bright star Deneb, Tail of the Swan, you’re gazing across thousands of light-years of space at one of the bright stars of the huge Summer Triangle asterism.
July 7, 2021
Summer Triangle star: Vega is bright and blue-white
There's a noticeable star pattern called the Summer Triangle in the east on July and August evenings. Its brightest star is blue-white Vega.
July 2, 2021
Ruby red Antares is the Scorpion’s Heart
Red Antares, Heart of the Scorpion in the constellation Scorpius, is a mighty star, a red supergiant.
June 22, 2021
Arcturus, brightest star of the north
Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in the sky and the brightest star north of the celestial equator. One of the easiest stars to locate due to its position off the handle of the Big Dipper, you can look for it on spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.
May 14, 2021
