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Galaxies & Deep Space

Planet Earth

Supermoon: What It Really Is, Why It Happens, and When to Catch the Next One

A supermoon is a full moon that lines up with the Moon's closest approach to Earth, making it look a little bigger and noticeably brighter than an ordinary full moon. At its best, a supermoon can appear up to 14% larger and about 30%...
Astronomy for Beginners

What Is a Constellation? A Beginner’s Guide to the Sky’s 88 Star Patterns

A constellation is a group of stars that forms a recognizable pattern in the night sky, one we've given a name, usually after a mythological figure, animal, or object. There are 88 of them officially recognized, and together they map out the entire sky....
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Galaxies & Deep Space

Types of Stars: A Simple Guide to the Colors, Sizes, and Life Stages of Stars

Look up on a dark night and every star seems like the same little...
Galaxies & Deep Space

The Life Cycle of a Star: From Stellar Nursery to Spectacular Death

The Short Answer A star is born inside a giant cloud of gas and dust,...
Galaxies & Deep Space

What Is a White Hole: The Bizarre Mirror Image of a Black Hole

The Short Answer A white hole is the theoretical opposite of a black hole. Where...
Galaxies & Deep Space

Betelgeuse: The Doomed Red Supergiant That Could Explode as a Supernova

Find Orion on a winter night and look at the hunter's shoulder, the bright...
Astronomy for Beginners

The Orion Nebula (M42): A Stellar Nursery You Can See With Your Own Eyes

Most of the jaw-dropping objects in deep space are hopelessly out of reach. You...
Astronomy for Beginners

Sirius, the Dog Star: Everything About the Brightest Star in the Night Sky

On a crisp winter evening, step outside and look toward the south. If you...
Galaxies & Deep Space

What Is a Light-Year? The Cosmic Measuring Stick Everyone Gets Wrong

Here's a small confession that a lot of people are too embarrassed to make...
Galaxies & Deep Space

How Do Black Holes Form: The Violent Death That Gives Birth to the Universe’s Darkest Objects

There's a star in the Andromeda galaxy that simply vanished. Astronomers had been watching...
Galaxies & Deep Space

The Orion Nebula (M42): A Beginner’s Guide to the Closest Star Factory to Earth

Go outside on a clear winter evening and find Orion, the Hunter. It's one...
Galaxies & Deep Space

The Pleiades Star Cluster: A Guide to the Seven Sisters, the Sky’s Prettiest Handful of Stars

On a crisp autumn or winter night, away from the worst of the city...
Galaxies & Deep Space

Sirius, the Dog Star: The Brightest Light in Our Night Sky and the Tiny Ghost Beside It

On a clear winter night, step outside and look toward the south. There is...
Galaxies & Deep Space

How Many Black Holes Are Actually in the Milky Way?

Roughly one in every thousand stars in the Milky Way is massive enough to...
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Latest articles

Planet Earth

Supermoon: What It Really Is, Why It Happens, and When to Catch the Next One

A supermoon is a full moon that lines up with the Moon's closest approach...
Astronomy for Beginners

What Is a Constellation? A Beginner’s Guide to the Sky’s 88 Star Patterns

A constellation is a group of stars that forms a recognizable pattern in the...
Planets & Solar System

How Many Planets Are There? The Real Answer Is Bigger Than Eight

There are eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,...
Galaxies & Deep Space

What Is a Galaxy? A Simple Guide to the Great Islands of Stars

A galaxy is an enormous collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter, all...