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Taurus, the Bull, is an ancient constellation that dates back to when bulls were worshipped in the Middle East. His face is marked by the V-shaped cluster of stars called the Hyades, his glinting red eye is the bright star …
Have you ever seen the remains of a star in its old age? If not, take out your scope on a clear night and point it towards the constellation Taurus. Locate the 2nd- magnitude star Zeta Tauri, and from here …
Serpens is a unique constellation, for it is split into two separate halves. It represents a snake coiled around the serpent holder, Ophiuchus. On one side of Ophiuchus lies Serpens Caput, the serpent’s head, which is the larger and more …
Dark nebulae, sometimes called absorption nebulae, are dust clouds free of nearby stars that rather than emitting or reflecting light absorb it and block our view of objects that lie beyond. They range from small black voids only a few …
On a clear, dark night, look about 5° (two finger- widths) west of 3rd-magnitude Lambda Sagittarii, the star that marks the top of the easily recognizable asterism called the Teapot. You will surely notice a bright comet-like patch, similar in …
Before 1752, star maps of the southern sky looked a little different. The large constellation Argo Navis, the ship of the Argonauts, spanned over 70° in east-west direction and contained over 800 naked eye stars within its huge borders. Due …
NGC 869 and NGC 884, also known as h and Chi Persei, are two of the finest star clusters in the sky. This splendid group contains some of the most brilliant stars known and is visible with the naked eye …
Most planetary nebulae appear as rings or disks, but a few of them have an irregular shape. The best example of this type of planetaries is M76 (the Little Dumbbell Nebula), lying in the constellation Perseus at a distance of …
Pegasus, the flying horse, is late fall’s signature constellation. It represents the winged horse that was born from the blood of Medusa when she was beheaded by Perseus. Only the front quarters of the horse are depicted in the sky …
Globular clusters are huge symmetrical systems containing up to a million stars, which lie round the edge of our Milky Way Galaxy. Of the 150 globular star clusters confirmed to date (with perhaps 10 to 20 more still undiscovered), a …