celestial object articles

What is a piece of a comet called?

What is a piece of a comet called?

When we look up and see the delicate streak of a comet traversing the night sky, the object appears as one ethereal whol...

What is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun?

What is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun?

The most brilliant beacon in our night sky, shining steadfastly once the Sun has dipped below the horizon or before it m...

Why do you think that the Galilean moons were the first objects to be discovered?

Why do you think that the Galilean moons were the first objects to be discovered?

The realization that Jupiter possessed its own orbiting retinue of satellites fundamentally changed humanity's view of t...

Where are Kuiper Belt objects?

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...

Can we see objects in the Oort Cloud?

Can we see objects in the Oort Cloud?

The realm of the Oort Cloud represents the very edge of our solar system's gravitational dominion, a vast, spherical hal...

How many objects have been discovered in the Kuiper belt?

How many objects have been discovered in the Kuiper belt?

The remote, icy frontier beyond Neptune, known as the Kuiper Belt, is home to countless primitive objects that offer a p...

What objects are launched into space?

What objects are launched into space?

The sheer volume and variety of material humans have lofted beyond Earth’s atmosphere is staggering, a testament to our ...

What happens when cosmic objects collide?

What happens when cosmic objects collide?

The universe is a dynamic arena where objects of all sizes—from rogue planets to colossal galaxy clusters—are constantly...

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

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?

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...

What is the oldest Messier object?

What is the oldest Messier object?

The question of which Messier object holds the title for being the "oldest" in the universe is fascinating because it fo...

What is the biggest Messier object?

What is the biggest Messier object?

The search for the most significant or largest object within Charles Messier's famous catalog of deep-sky sights inevita...

What is an object of ice and dust?

What is an object of ice and dust?

Objects in space composed primarily of ice mixed with dust and rock are formally known as **comets** [^1][^2][^6]. These...