48 results
Altair skyscape

Observing

Meet Altair, the Eagle’s Eye

Altair, centerpiece of Aqulia, the Eagle, is the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky and one of the closest stars to Earth.

Astronomy & Observing News

Meet Barnard’s Star, Our Red Dwarf Neighbor

This faint red dwarf star is famous not because it's bright but because it's fast-moving — you can actually see it moving across the sky if you track it over several years.

Canopus

Astronomy & Observing News

Meet Canopus, the Second Brightest Star

The second-brightest star after Sirius, Canopus is visible in southern skies, shining out of the constellation Carina.

Space Satellites

How to “See” Interstellar Space Probes

So far, humans have sent five probes into space that are or will go far beyond the solar system: the Pioneers, the Voyagers, and New Horizons. As an exercise in fun, here's how you can find those probes' locations on the sky.

Fomalhaut

Celestial Objects to Observe

Meet Fomalhaut, the Autumn Star

The bright star Fomalhaut, home to three suns plus a planet, peeks over the southern horizon in early autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

Photo of Gemini with Pollux and Castor and Canis Minor with Procyon

Astronomy & Observing News

Meet Pollux, the Red Giant with a Planet

Meet the stars: Pollux, one of the Twins in the sky, is a star that has swelled into its red giant phase while holding onto its Jupiter-like exoplanet, dubbed Thestias.

Regulus removed

Celestial Objects to Observe

Meet Regulus, Little King of the Ecliptic

Meet Regulus A, dubbed "Little King" and "Heart of the Lion," among the 25 brightest stars in the sky. The star belongs to a complex system, including a close white dwarf companion that makes its ultimate fate uncertain.

The center of the stellar merry-go-round

Astronomy & Observing News

Meet Polaris, the North Star

Meet Polaris, the North Star. It's not the brightest star in the sky, but it's within a degree of the north celestial pole.

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