IAU
Officially, Only the Sun Can Have Planets. Is it Time to Fix the Definition of “Planet”?
What is the true definition of a planet, and could there be a more refined definition in the future? This…
Venus “Quasi-moon” Just Got a Name. Henceforth, it Shall be Called Zoozve.
Ask any astronomer, and they will tell you that all of the planets in the Solar System (including those "dwarf…
The Constellation Fornax
Welcome to another edition of Constellation Friday! Today, in honor of the late and great Tammy Plotner, we take a…
Competition Will Let You Name an Exoplanet
When it comes to naming all those exoplanets that astronomers keep finding, it's up to the International Astronomical Union (IAU)…
Carnival of Space #575
Welcome to the 575th Carnival of Space! The Carnival is a community of space science and astronomy writers and bloggers,…
Pluto’s Charon Gets Mountains Named After Sci-Fi Authors Octavia Butler and Arthur C. Clarke, as Well as Many Others From History and Legend. I Approve!
The IAU just approved of a dozen names for features on Pluto's moon Charon, which include mountains named after Octavia…
86 Stars Just got Official Names from the IAU
The IAU just approved the names of 86 new stars, the majority of which are derived from Chinese, Hindu, Aboriginal,…
The Crater Constellation
Located in the southern hemisphere is the Crater constellation (aka. "the cup), one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by…
The Chamaeleon Constellation
Located in the southern sky is the small Chamaeleon constellation, an asterism that was first defined in the 16th century.
Newly Discovered House-Sized Asteroid 2017 HX4 Flew Safely Past the Earth Yesterday
A Near Earth Object (NEO) passed Earth at a distance of about 3.7 Lunar Distances on May 8th, 2017, passing…