A hat, a shark, and time travel
Happy Cinco de Mayo! What’s the connection between backyard astronomy and this popular May 5 Mexican-American holiday? That’s simple. We’re going to the southerly part of the constellation Virgo to...
View ArticleLighten up!
In this column, I want to highlight a few basic ideas concerning image layers and conditional blending modes. Although I’ll use Photoshop as the demonstration software, the ideas are applicable to most...
View ArticleWhy is there iron in the Sun?
Exploding stars called supernovae produce most of the universe’s heavy elements, including iron. N49, imaged here, is the aftermath of a supernova whose light reached Earth some 5,000 years ago. The...
View ArticleTracking asteroids
Within the main asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter, are two of the oldest and most massive surviving residents, Ceres and Vesta. The formation of Jupiter interrupted their growths, and...
View ArticleAn inside look at the Discover Channel Telescope
The Discovery Channel Telescope Tom Polakis The Discovery Channel Telescope is a 4.3-meter wonder in Arizona. Observer Tom Polakis wondered what the view through it would be like. Would the images on...
View ArticleExplore more north polar deep-sky treats
Emission nebula NGC 7822 Keith Schlottman In the May 2014 issue of Astronomy, I wrote the four-page story “24 gems near the North Celestial Pole.” In it, I included descriptions of various star...
View ArticleHunting for the glorious
Some of life’s greatest experiences need no narration. They are stand-alone glories. Rent a houseboat on the Southwest’s Lake Powell, and lose yourself in a random side canyon. A tour guide with...
View ArticleWhy does this weird star dim every 27 years?
Astronomers think a hot young star enshrouded in a wide dust disk passes in front of Epsilon Aurigae every 27 years. John D. Monnier, University of Michigan Q: Every 27 years, a two-year eclipse of...
View ArticleWatch the first star evolve
The first stars in the universe, like that shown in this computer simulation, were likely objects with at least 100 solar masses. They burned through their primordial hydrogen and helium quickly and...
View ArticleMeet face to face with a black hole’s jet
The M87 jet NASA/ESA/Z. Levay (STScI/AURA) The giant elliptical galaxy M87 resides near the center of the vast Virgo cluster, a collection of more than 1,000 galaxies located some 50 to 55 million...
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