astronomy articles - Page: 5
Why did I just see a line of stars moving?
That sudden appearance of a perfectly straight, evenly spaced line of bright dots marching silently across the dark sky ...
Where are Kuiper Belt objects?
The population of icy bodies known as Kuiper Belt Objects resides far beyond the familiar orbits of the planets in our s...
How do stars begin their life?
The vast, cold reaches of interstellar space are not entirely empty; they are peppered with colossal clouds of gas and d...
What are all stars called as they begin their lives?
The grand, shimmering lights we see overhead have an entire biography, an evolution written across billions of years, di...
What is the center of the Local Group?
Our Galactic Home Every galaxy we observe in the night sky belongs to some larger structure, a cosmic hierarchy extendi...
What unit is used to measure planets?
The vastness of space presents an immediate challenge when we try to describe the positions of celestial bodies. Trying ...
What is the frozen ice in space?
The frozen substances populating the cosmos are far more complex and varied than the familiar cubes we drop into a glass...
How do astronomers measure the size of planets?
Determining the physical dimensions of a planet, whether it orbits our Sun or a star light-years away, requires more tha...
What is a cosmic cloud called?
The vast expanse between the stars is not empty, but rather filled with enormous, diffuse structures of gas and dust. Wh...
What is a supernova called?
The term used to describe the cataclysmic explosion of a star is **supernova**, which literally means "new star" in Lati...
Why do red supergiants explode?
The fiery demise of a red supergiant star is one of the most spectacular and violent events in the cosmos, marking the a...
Which galaxy is disk-shaped?
The galaxy that most famously exhibits a distinct, flattened, disk-like shape is our own, the **Milky Way** [^3][^5][^6]...
What is the core after a supernova called?
The final object left behind after a massive star exhausts its fuel and explodes in a supernova is one of the universe's...
What is the explosion of a red giant called?
The spectacular ending to the life of certain massive stars is one of the most energetic events in the universe, capable...
How many images of Venus exist?
The actual count of images taken *of* Venus depends entirely on what counts: the rare, direct photographs from the surfa...
What are Geminid meteors?
The Geminid meteor shower stands out annually as one of the most reliable and often spectacular celestial events visible...
Are elliptical galaxies disc-shaped?
The visual representation of many galaxies, particularly our own Milky Way, immediately brings to mind a flat, spinning ...
Why is hydrogen so important to the universe?
The initial appearance of hydrogen, the simplest of all elements, sets the stage for everything that has ever been obser...
How does NASA know what the Milky Way looks like?
When we look up at a clear, dark night sky far from city lights, we see the Milky Way as a faint, glowing band of light ...
Why do all stars contain hydrogen?
The vast majority of the material making up every star in existence is, simply put, the leftover building blocks from th...
Which type of galaxy contains mostly older stars?
When we gaze into the cosmos, the sheer variety of galaxies can seem overwhelming, but astronomers simplify this vastnes...
What stars are good for life?
The search for life beyond Earth inevitably centers on finding the right kind of star to anchor a habitable world. It's ...
What does a Geminid meteor shower look like?
The Geminid meteor shower offers skygazers one of the most reliable and spectacular displays of the year, usually peakin...
What is a galaxy made up of gas, dust, and stars?
Galaxies are vast, gravitationally bound systems composed of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and an imp...