Bull’s head: The Hyades star cluster

Meet the bright star Aldebaran, part of a V-shaped pattern of stars called the Hyades. This easy-to-find star cluster represents the face of Taurus the Bull. Source: https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/v-shaped-hyades-star-cluster-easy-to-find…

What are ‘open’ star clusters?

Open clusters are young, loosely bound gatherings of stars that may still be surrounded by the nebula – or space cloud – in which they were born. The Pleiades, Hyades, and Beehive are well-known examples of open star clusters. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-examples-what-are-open-star-clusters…

What is a supernova?

A supernova is a star’s colossal explosion at the end of its life, potentially outshining its entire galaxy. Read about the causes and types of supernovae here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-a-supernova…

Last quarter moon on November 8

Get up early, around the break of day tomorrow – November 8, 2020 – to see the moon at or near its last quarter phase, and assuming the position of the August noonday sun. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/last-quarter-moon-on-november-8…

GM Sells Out First Year of Electric Hummer Production

General Motors said it has sold out the first year’s worth of its hulking GMC Hummer EV electric pickup truck after a splashy video reveal on Tuesday. Reuters reports: The GMC website showed a “reservations full” banner over the Hummer EV “Edition 1,” due to start production in the fall of 2021. The next version of the truck, the $99,995 Hummer…

Last quarter moon in Gemini, waning moon in Cancer

Last quarter moon comes on October 10. That morning, the moon will be in front of Gemini the Twins. The next morning – October 11 – the moon will be in front of Cancer the Crab. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/last-quarter-moon-in-gemini…

CTA prototype LST-1 detects very high-energy emission from the Crab Nebula pulsar

Between January and February 2020, the prototype Large-Sized Telescope (LST), the LST-1, observed the Crab Pulsar, the neutron star at the centre of the Crab Nebula. The telescope, which is being commissioned on the CTA-North site on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, was conducting engineering runs to verify the telescope performance and adjust operating parameters. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-cta-prototype-lst-high-energy-emission.html…

All you need to know: June solstice 2020

The June solstice is June 20. Longest day for the Northern Hemisphere. Shortest day for the Southern Hemisphere. Details here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-june-solstice…