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Quietly, Regulus ushers in springtime

Posted by in Brightest Stars | 3 months ago

Regulus, brightest star in Leo the Lion, is now rising in the east after sunset. You might not notice it, but stargazers know that, when Regulus appears in this way, spring is near.

Sirius is Dog Star and brightest star

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 4 months ago

February evenings are a great time to see Sirius. It’s hard to miss the brightest star in Earth’s sky. More about the Dog Star, plus how to spot it

Will star Betelgeuse explode?

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 4 months ago

Yes, it will. The star Betelgeuse will run out of fuel, collapse under its own weight, and then rebound in a spectacular supernova explosion. Someday … but probably not soon.
Color image of the 2 golden stars in the Capella system.

Capella is 2 golden stars

Posted by in Brightest Stars | 5 months ago

We see Capella as the brightest star in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. It’s really 2 stars, each with a golden color similar to our sun.

Star Al Risha binds the Fishes of Pisces

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 6 months ago

The star Al Risha in the constellation Pisces isn’t bright. But – at the tip of the graceful V in Pisces – it’s very noticeable.

Almach: Quadruple star system

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 7 months ago

With your eyes alone, Almach looks like a single star. Through a telescope, it looks like a colorful duo. But today we know Almach is really 4 stars.

Happy Chinese Valentine’s Day, from Vega

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 9 months ago

One of the prettiest stories in all skylore surrounds this star. “On the 7th night of the 7th moon …” The legend sets the date of Chinese Valentine’s Day – the Qixi Festival – this year on August 17.

61 Cygni is the Flying Star

Posted by in Brightest Stars | 9 months ago

61 Cygni isn’t bright. But it moves exceptionally rapidly against the background of more distant stars. Its motion reveals its nearness to Earth.

Deneb is distant and very luminous

Posted by in Brightest Stars | 1 year ago

But – especially with last month’s 2nd data release from the Gaia satellite, whose job is measuring star distances – why don’t we know Deneb’s distance for certain?

Mizar and Alcor, famous double star

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 1 year ago

Mizar and its fainter companion star Alcor are easy to spot in the Big Dipper’s handle.