Want an easy way to locate the planets or find out where an eclipse is likely to happen? Use the ecliptic, says Abigail Beall Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933223-600-how-to-find-astronomys-handiest-reference-point-the-ecliptic/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: eclipse
See the young moon on February 12, 13 and 14
Beginning on February 12, look west after sunset for the young moon – a thin lunar crescent – in the west shortly after sunset. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/young-moon-feb-12-13-14-2021…
Astronomers see multiple eclipses in unique 6-star system
An international team of astronomers has discovered a unique 6-star system where eclipses of all 6 stars can be seen from Earth. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/tyc-7037-89-1-sextuplet-system-6-stars-that-eclipse…
What is the Sickle in Leo?
The Sickle in Leo is an easy-to-spot backward question mark shape made of stars that marks the head and shoulders of the constellation of the lion. The moon sometimes passes in front of the Sickle’s brightest star, Regulus. Source: https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/the-sickle-backward-question-mark-pattern-in-leo…
Astronomers spot amazing six-star system with three sets of eclipses
Astronomers have spotted a sextuple star system – in which six stars orbit each other – by watching the stars eclipse each other when view from our solar system Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2265556-astronomers-spot-amazing-six-star-system-with-three-sets-of-eclipses/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
SDO spies its 1st lunar transit of 2021
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has been observing continuously the sun since its launch in 2010. From its vantage point above Earth, it sees the moon pass in front of the sun 2 to 5 times a year. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/sdo-spies-its-1st-lunar-transit-of-2021-jan13…
What are degrees, arc minutes and arc seconds?
How do skywatchers measure distances in the night sky? Here’s how to understand it when they speak of objects as being several degrees (or several arc minutes or arc seconds) apart. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/sky-measurements-degrees-arc-minutes-arc-seconds…
The sun in 2020
See a whole year of sun images, an image a day for 2020, taken by ESA’s Proba-2 satellite. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/sun-in-2020-movie-images…
Total Solar Eclipse 2020
Total Solar Eclipse 2020 Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html…
Are We Experiencing a Great Software Stagnation?
Long-time programmer/researcher/former MIT research fellow Jonathan Edwards writes a blog called “Alarming Development: Dispatches from the User Liberation Front.” He began the new year by arguing that software “is eating the world. But progress in software technology itself largely stalled around 1996.” Slashdot reader tonique summarizes Edwards’ argument:
In 1996 there were “LISP, Algol, Basic, APL, Unix, C, Oracle, Smalltalk, Windows, C++,…