Star watch

Of the 88 constellations established by the International Astronomer’s Union(IAU), nine are named in Latin after birds. Five of these constellations are located in the southern sky and are not visible from our northern locations.

In previous articles, we’ve talked about planets orbiting stars outside our Solar System that scientists call “exoplanets.” To date, NASA says there are about 6,300 that have been identified, but that number is about to

If you think the scientists and engineers named a $16 billion telescope after someone whose accomplishments were really, really important to the science of astronomy, you’d be right!

Wrapped around Polaris and the Little Dipper in our northern sky is a group of 17 or so so stars that make up the constellation Draco, Latin for “dragon.”
Being so close to Polaris

As of March 25, 2025, NASA reported that there are 421 officially recognized moons orbiting planets in our Solar System, including the dwarf planet Pluto.

Not one of the more well-known of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd Century, none of its stars are brighter than fourth magnitude making it a challenge to see except in a

Spica is the brightest star in Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in our night sky. It’s also one of the easiest to find. If you recall from previous articles, we can follow