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Posts by
Larry Sessions
The Large Magellanic Cloud, a galactic neighbor
The Large Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxy, visible all year round in the Southern Hemisphere, is somewhere between spiral and irregular in shape.
December 17, 2020
Find the Geminids’ radiant point
Why is the Geminid meteor shower best around 2 a.m.? It's because that's when the shower's radiant point - near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini - is highest in the sky.
December 11, 2020
Quarter moon or a half moon?
Half the moon always faces us. And half the moon is always lit by the sun. But, in the language of astronomers, there are no 'half moons.'
August 25, 2020
Moon phase a clue to the sun’s position
If you look in a clear western sky at dusk and early evening, you should spot the waxing crescent moon. Notice that its lighted crescent points toward the sunset.
December 31, 2019
First quarter moon on February 12
The side of the moon we see from Earth appears 50% illuminated tonight. For all of Earth, the moon rises around midday and sets around midnight. Plus the moon's lighted side points right at Mars tonight!
February 12, 2019
Moon, Pleiades, Aldebaran before dawn
A beautiful view of the waning crescent moon, Pleiades star cluster and bright star Aldebaran in the dark eastern skies before dawn on July 9 and 10.
July 8, 2018
10 surprises about our solar system
Here are 10 unexpected and intriguing facts about our solar system - our sun and its family of planets - you probably did not know!
March 26, 2018
Bellatrix, in Orion, means Female Warrior
You might know Rigel and Betelgeuse, Orion's brightest stars. Now meet 2 more stars in Orion, called Bellatrix and Saiph.
December 28, 2017
Focus on stars Betelgeuse and Rigel
Many constellations have a bright star, but Orion has two: Rigel and Betelgeuse.
December 25, 2017
The Small Magellanic Cloud orbits our Milky Way
You need to be in Earth's Southern Hemisphere to see the Small Magellanic Cloud. It looks like a luminous cloud, but it's really a dwarf galaxy.
November 6, 2017
