celestial articles

What causes a bright star near the Moon?

That brilliant, unwavering point of light seemingly hanging just beside the curve of the Moon is one of the most satisfy...

Does Venus appear in the eastern sky?

Venus certainly appears in the eastern sky, but whether you can see it there depends entirely on the time of year and th...

What are the constellations the Sun passes through called?

The set of constellations the Sun appears to travel through across the celestial sphere over the course of a year are de...

What is the apparent path of the Sun along the celestial sphere or equivalently the plane determined by the Earth's orbit called?

The apparent path traced by the Sun across the background stars over the course of a year, which also corresponds to the...

What is the apparent great circle annual path of the Sun in the celestial sphere as seen from the Earth?

The line traced by the Sun across the backdrop of the distant stars over the span of one year defines a fundamental conc...