Astronomy

When scientists struggled to describe the vast distances between celestial objects, they came up with the concept of the light-year. Rather than a measurement of time, the light-year is a...

The particular qualities of light given off by the Sun have shaped the way we see. Our eyes have evolved to take advantage of this form of energy. The sun's output, filtered by the Earth's...

The moon's presence during daylight astounds children and puzzles adults. The moon's phases and reflective properties are key to understanding this natural wonder.

Life on earth is dependent on visible light radiation. Without it, food chains would fall apart and surface temperatures would plummet; although visible light is integral to our survival and is...

If you want your reflecting telescope to work at its optimum level, you need to determine the focal length of the telescope's concave mirror. A concave mirror's reflecting surface curves inward...

The moon takes a little less than 30 days to go through its entire cycle. During that time, it goes from a new moon to being completely full, then back to being a new moon again.

Most people already know the basic facts about the sun. It's a star. It's massive. And it is considered the center of the solar system galaxy. However, the sun is much more than just the...

It was impossible for the ancient civilizations on Earth to have any concept of how far away the stars were. Modern science however knows that the stars, even the closest and some of the brightest...

A light year is an astronomical measurement of distance that is used to describe how far objects are from various points in the vastness of space. It is equal to approximately 5.8 trillion miles...

There are many types of telescopes available for at-home use. For the beginning astronomer, it can be difficult to decide what telescope is the most appropriate choice. Knowing some of the basics...

Remote sensing is the process of sensing something without actually having to touch it. Remote sensing in modern technology is using instrument-based techniques to gather data. Thermal imaging is...

A reflector telescope uses mirrors to reflect the images seen by you when you look into the telescope. Were you to use a refractor telescope, you would directly view the object of your study. A...

The galaxy is a huge place, so immensely large that it is difficult to imagine the distances between stars. Earth's tiny solar system is often lost among the vast cluster of other stars and...

Stars are gigantic circular shaped masses of glowing gases fueled by nuclear reactions. The closest star to Earth, the sun, appears much different than the stars farther away out in space, mainly...

Light is a form of energy made of electromagnetic waves. Some of the waves we can see and some we cannot. The entire range of light is called the electromagnetic spectrum. The light we see is...

Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe--its components, its behaviors, its history and its future. Planets, stars, galaxies and everything else in between are its subjects of...

Planets join stars in the night sky and are often indistinguishable from stars when seen with the naked eye. But these objects that orbit our sun are really quite different from stars and with...