Trojan asteroids orbit 60 degrees ahead of and behind Jupiter, in its wide orbit at 5 times Earth’s distance from the sun. Now the 1st Trojan asteroid has been found with a comet-like tail. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/jupiter-trojan-asteroid-2019-ld2-comet-like-tail…
Tag: greek
Vega: Brilliant blue-white star in the Summer Triangle
Vega is 1 of 3 stars in an asterism – or noticeable star pattern – called the Summer Triangle in the early evening sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/vega-brilliant-blue-white-is-third-brightest-star…
Virgo? Here’s your constellation
The constellation Virgo the Maiden fully returns to the early evening sky – with her feet planted on the eastern horizon – in early May. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/virgo-heres-your-constellation…
4 amazing astronomical discoveries from ancient Greece
The ancients made some jaw-dropping discoveries without modern technology. For example, the size of the moon. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/4-amazing-astronomical-discoveries-ancient-greece…
Newly discovered exoplanet dethrones former king of Kepler-88 planetary system
Our solar system has a king. The planet Jupiter, named for the most powerful god in the Greek pantheon, has bossed around the other planets through its gravitational influence. With twice the mass of Saturn, and 300 times that of Earth, Jupiter’s slightest movement is felt by all the other planets. Jupiter is thought to be responsible for the small size…
What are exoplanets?
Exoplanets are worlds orbiting distant stars. The history of our knowledge of exoplanets, the various types of exoplanets, how astronomers find them, and more, here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-are-exoplanets…
How Leo the Lion lost his tail
And how we gained a new constellation. Read about the Lion and the Queen’s Hair, one of skylore’s most famous legends, here. Source: https://earthsky.org/constellations/skylore-leo-lion-lost-tail-hair-queen-coma-berenices…
Moon and Gemini stars on April 1
Watch for Gemini’s 2 brightest stars – Castor and Pollux – near tonight’s moon. On the other side of the moon, you’ll see a 3rd bright star. It’s Procyon in the constellation Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/are-geminis-castor-and-pollux-whales…
Cancer? Here’s your constellation
Here’s how to find the constellation Cancer in your sky. Plus Cancer’s place in sky history, lore and science. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/cancer-heres-your-constellation…
Wonderchicken fossil casts new light on bird evolution
The oldest known bird fossil, from the age of dinosaurs, has skull features similar to modern chickens. The scientists who found it have nicknamed it “Wonderchicken.” It’s providing valuable insights into the evolution of birds. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/wonderchicken-oldest-fossil-modern-bird…