astronomy articles - Page: 4
What are the properties of elliptical galaxies?
Elliptical galaxies represent a major class of stellar systems, often standing out due to their smooth, featureless ligh...
What will happen if two galaxies collide?
When two galaxies meet, the event is less of a violent crash and more of a slow, stately cosmic dance that spans hundred...
What is the meaning of the word "ecliptic"?
The term **ecliptic** immediately conjures images of the heavens, though its meaning is rooted in a very specific geomet...
What are the three components to form a galaxy?
Galaxies are monumental stellar islands floating in the vast cosmic ocean, each containing billions of stars bound toget...
What degree can you find the ecliptic on?
The ecliptic plane describes a fundamental line in our sky, representing the path traced by the Sun as viewed from Earth...
What factor determines how a star dies?
The fate awaiting a star is not a matter of chance, but a predetermined outcome written in its very substance at the mom...
Are planetary nebulas rare?
The appearance of a glowing shell of gas drifting in space, often displaying vibrant colors and intricate shapes, immedi...
What is the main reason for the low star formation in elliptical galaxies?
The silent grandeur of **elliptical galaxies** often belies a long and dramatic history. Unlike their spiral cousins, wh...
Is every galaxy a spiral?
The universe is populated by countless island universes, each containing billions of stars, and while the iconic, pinwhe...
What determines what happens to a star at the end of its life?
The ultimate fate of a star is sealed the moment it forms, a destiny entirely dictated by one crucial property: its init...
What is the reason that planetary nebulae are visible?
Planetary nebulae owe their ephemeral visibility to a dramatic final act in the lives of certain stars—specifically, med...
What are the three parts of the galaxy?
A galaxy represents a colossal, gravitationally bound system containing stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust,...
Is the Milky Way a universe or galaxy?
The bright band we sometimes see arching across a truly dark night sky—the Milky Way—is one of the most recognizable cel...
Is the Sun actually a star yes or no?
The object dominating our daytime sky is, unequivocally, a star. To phrase the question as a simple binary choice misses...
Why don't stars fall out of the sky?
The notion that stars might suddenly detach from the heavens and drop toward Earth is a dramatic image, but it rests on ...
Why do nebulas look so cloudy?
The misty, diffuse appearance of celestial clouds, known technically as nebulae, is one of astronomy’s most enduring vis...
Why do planets look like they are flickering?
The visual phenomenon of celestial objects appearing to flicker, or twinkle, is a common sight for anyone who spends tim...
What are meteor fragments that reach the ground called?
The final name for a space rock that survives its fiery trip through Earth's atmosphere and lands on the ground is a **m...
Are nebulae like clouds?
The initial comparison between nebulae and terrestrial clouds is instantly understandable; both appear as vast, amorphou...
How fast is our Galaxy cluster moving?
The cosmos is a place defined by motion. For us living on Earth, accustomed to the comforting stability of our surroundi...
How fast do spiral galaxies spin?
The sheer scale of spiral galaxies means that their component stars and gas clouds are moving at astonishing velocities,...
Which arm of the Milky Way is the sun in?
Our star, the Sun, and our entire planetary system are nestled within the vast structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and th...
What is nebula cloud theory?
The idea explaining how our Solar System came to be centers around the **Nebular Hypothesis**, a scientific model sugges...
What is the most famous star pattern?
The night sky, an inky expanse peppered with points of light, invites our minds to connect those distant suns into famil...