PSA: Bars Kill Galaxies
[/caption]Many spiral galaxies are known to harbor bars. Not the sort in which liquor is served as a social lubricant,…
Cassini Instruments Offline Until Nov. 24
[/caption] NASA announced that the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn will have its suite of scientific cameras offline until…
Missing Milky Way Dark Matter
[/caption]Although dark matter is inherently difficult to observe, an understanding of its properties (even if not its nature) allows astronomers…
Solar Explosions Spark Controversy
[/caption] Nowhere in the Solar System are conditions more extreme than the Sun. Every second it converts millions of tons…
Rare Earth Magnets
[/caption] Magnets are an endless source of fun, not to mention a convenience when it comes to fridge notes and…
Precession of the Equinoxes
When he was first compiling his famous star catalogue in the year 129 BCE the Greek astronomer Hipparchus noticed that…
Pompeii Eruption
[/caption] Imagine if you will that it’s bright sunny day in summer. The festival of Vulcanalia, dedicated to the Roman…
Sagan Day Essays
[/caption] Tuesday (11/09) is Carl Sagan Day -- a chance to remember the legacy of one of the great spokespersons…
New Supernova Lights Up Leo
A new supernova? Darn right. Lighting up Leo? Well... not without some serious visual aid, but the fact that someone…
Astronomy Without A Telescope – Indigenous Australian Astronomy
[/caption] Eta Carinae is a massive binary system - of which the dominant member is an eruptive luminous blue variable…