outburst

A Star Became 1,000 Times Brighter, and Now Astronomers Know Why

Astronomers were surprised in 1937 when a star in a binary pair suddenly brightened by 1,000 times. The pair is…

7 months ago

Comet Finlay Surprise Outburst, Visible in Binoculars … again!

Lost sleep at night, fingers tapping on the keyboard by day. Darn comets are keeping me busy! But of course that's…

10 years ago

Comet Finlay in Bright Outburst, Visible in Small Telescopes

Short-period comet 15P/Finlay, which had been plunking along at a dim magnitude +11, has suddenly brightened in the past couple days…

10 years ago

Comet ISON Suddenly Brightens as it Dives Toward the Sun

After a sleepy week, Comet ISON is suddenly coming alive. Several amateur astronomers and at least one professional astronomers are…

11 years ago