Astronomy

Astronomers often utilize the Big Dipper, a large and recognizable portion of the Ursa Major constellation, as a sort of road map to locate other stars and constellations. By drawing imaginary...

For observers who live at or above 30 degrees north in terms of latitude, the asterism known as the Big Dipper is visible throughout the entire night year round. However, the Big Dipper will be at...

Two of the most recognizable star patterns in the night sky are the belt of Orion and the Big Dipper. These two "asterisms" are in separate constellations.

The constellation of Cancer is a difficult one to recognize when you are looking right at it, so imagine how hard it is to find if you do not know anything about it. While this star grouping...

The constellation of Cancer the Crab is one star grouping with much mythology associated with it. This is quite a distinction for a dim constellation which only those who study the stars can...

The constellation of Cancer (the crab) received its name during ancient times from the Greeks and Romans, who assigned Latin names to the star groupings in the night sky. The word "cancer" means...

Glancing at the constellation of Cancer the Crab, you might see it as an upside-down letter "Y." Ancient civilizations that named the star group saw it as such creatures as a crab or a tortoise.

The constellation of the Crab, named Cancer, is one of the Zodiac constellations, meaning that is has great significance to astrologers. Astronomers armed with powerful telescopes know that this...

Cancer the Crab is an inconspicuous constellation that has nothing closely resembling a bright star. The brightest of this dim collection is a star named Al Tarf, an Arab word meaning "the end."...

Cancer is a constellation that represents a crab, a dim collection of stars that the Greeks associated with the Hercules myth. Despite having very few bright stars, Cancer is of interest to...

Cancer the Crab is a faint constellation between the much more distinct Leo the Lion and Gemini the Twins. As with almost all of the other groupings of stars in the heavens, various cultures have...

The night sky is home to 88 different constellations. Some of these constellations are easy to spot and can serve, in essence, as a road map to finding others interesting features of the night...

The Big Dipper is what astronomers call an asterism---a group of stars within a constellation, or within a number of constellations, that form a recognizable pattern. While many people think the...

Planetary Nebulae are collections of stars which make them fascinating objects in the sky. Planetary Nebulae are formed by gas ejected from old stars that are about to disintegrate or have...

Saturn is one of the easier planets to find in the sky if you know where to look. It will look like a bright star to the naked eye, a golden oval through a low-power telescope, and a distinctly...

Cancer is a Zodiac constellation lying between Gemini the Twins and Leo the Lion. Cancer is hard to find for the average stargazer but is of extreme interest to astronomers.

Orion the Hunter is easily one of the most conspicuous groupings of stars in the night sky. It is a winter constellation in the United States, being prominent during the cold-weather months and...

Watch the Perseid Meteor Showers around August 12 by using this step by step guide.

The Big Dipper is arguably one of the the most well-known and widely recognized group of stars in the northern sky. It is not a constellation itself, but rather part of the constellation Ursa...

You are looking at a beautiful starry night. In the northern sky your eyes find the brightest light and surrounding it is the formation of the Big Dipper. The familiar group of stars is an...

The international star registry is an easy and interesting way to recognize a special person in your life. Whether you want to celebrate your mother's birthday or a special anniversary, naming a...

Saturn is the second largest of all the known planets in our solar system and is the sixth world in terms of distance from the sun. Saturn, like the other planets, orbits the Sun, taking 29.5...

The constellation of Orion is probably the easiest one to identify in the night sky. The 3 stars marking Orion's Belt (Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka) are clearly visible most of the year. There...

Of the five brightest stars in the night sky that can be seen from New England, two can be viewed easily during the spring and summer and three during the colder months. These five are not the...

Legend has it that a scorpion killed the great hunter Orion by stinging him. The Gods then granted Orion’s dying wish that he never be in the sky at the same time as the scorpion. This is...

Libra the Scales is one of the hardest of the Zodiac constellations to find for the novice stargazer. The Zodiac constellations are 12 star groupings that lie on the ecliptic, which is the path...

Canis Major is an important constellation that can be seen near the horizon in the Northern hemisphere. It contains the brightest star in the night sky and has been used by many civilizations for...

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, two constellations better known as the Big and Little Dippers, represent a pair of bears in the sky. Watching over these two is the constellation Bootes. This...

Virgo is a Zodiac constellation associated with the month of September. Lying between Leo the Lion and Libra the Scales in the Zodiac, Virgo is the second largest constellation in the sky; only...

Leo the Lion is a Zodiac constellation that looks as much like what it is supposed to be as any star grouping named by the ancients. This doesn’t mean that it is the most apparent object in...

Auriga the Chariot Driver is an interesting constellation in the northern hemisphere skies. In myth, Auriga was lame and invented the four-horse chariot, which earned him a place in the heavens....

Orion the Hunter has more than one constellation associated with his myth. The great Orion has two dogs near him in the heavens, represented by Canis Major and Canis Minor, as well as Scorpius the...

Perseus was the ancient hero of myth that slew the Gorgon Medusa. In the heavens the constellation Perseus is full of interesting objects, including what could be construed as the head of Medusa,...

The constellation of Cancer represents the giant crab that attacked Hercules during the second of his 12 labors. It was sent by the jealous goddess Hera to give Hercules a hard time as he battled...

Gemini is a group of stars that represent a pair of twins from Greek mythology. Gemini is also a Zodiac constellation, associated with astrology and the month of June. While there are many...

The Andromeda Galaxy is the furthest thing from Earth that you can see with the naked eye, being some 2.9 million light years from our planet. To view the Andromeda Galaxy, you first must locate...

Aries is a Zodiac constellation associated with the month of April in astrology. The first sign of the Zodiac, Aries looks nothing like what it is supposed to be, a ram. However, it is possible to...

Pisces is a faint Zodiac constellation that is astrologically associated with the month of March. People born between February 19 and March 20 are considered to be born under the sign of Pisces,...

The five visible planets to the naked eye are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Since ancient times, people have been looking up into the night sky and observing them. Finding and...

The year-long path of the sun against the background of fixed stars is known as the ecliptic. Any constellation (a group of star that forms a pattern in the sky) given a name by the ancients that...

As northern winter winds calm down and the days and evenings finally begin to warm up, it is fun to go outside at night and look for the spring constellations. These star groups, most visible in...

The constellation known as the Herdsman, or Bootes, appears in the northern sky in the early summer. It can be seen best in June, and you should find it visible between 90 degrees N and 50 degrees...

The constellation Cetus is not a member of a single constellation family. It belongs to a group of families known as "The Heavenly Waters." Cetus is not part of the Zodiac but lies just below the...

Astronomer Johan Bayer discovered the Phoenix constellation which he named after the mythical creature that could rise from the ashes of death. The Phoenix is visible from 30 N degrees latitude...

Canes Venatici, also known as the Hunting Dogs, consists of two brilliant stars that are easy to spot even in a cloudy sky. The Hunting Dogs constellation appears in the northern sky in the...

Star and constellation gazing is a hobby that doesn't cost much in money or time. If you ever go star-gazing in the southern hemisphere, look for Circinus, or the Drafting Compass, a collection of...

The astronomer John Bayer founded the constellation Dorado, also known as Goldfish or Swordfish, during the 17th Century. Of the southern constellations, Goldfish is visible from 15 N degrees...

The Lesser Watersnake, or Hydrus, constellation is faint and hard to spot in the night sky. This star group may be visible from 5 N degrees latitude down to the South Pole. The best month for...

Lepus, or the Hare, is the constellation just to the south of Orion. The Hare is visible from 60 N degrees latitude down to the South Pole. The best month for viewing is February.

Mensa, or the Table Mountain, is a constellation that contains no bright stars so it's hard to see in the night sky. The Table Mountain is most visible from 0 N degrees latitude down to the South...