On October 6, 1995, astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the momentous discovery of the 1st planet in orbit around a distant sunlike star. 51 Pegasi b has about half the mass of Jupiter. It orbits a star not unlike our sun. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-first-planet-discovered-around-sunlike-star…
Tag: greek
Meet Alpha Cephei, a rapidly rotating star
While not one of the most conspicuous stars in the night sky, Alderamin – aka Alpha Cephei – is easy to spot, and is interesting for its rapid rotation on its axis. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/alderamin-the-kings-brightest-star…
How to see the Great Square of Pegasus
It’s easy! The Great Square of Pegasus consists of 4 stars of nearly equal brightness in a large square pattern. Once you find it, you can star-hop to other well-known sights in the sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/great-square-of-pegasus-wings-in-sept-equinox…
Close-up on Cassiopeia the Queen
The constellation Cassiopeia the Queen has the distinct shape of a W or M. Find her in the north-northeast sky on September and October evenings. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/close-up-on-cassiopeia-the-queen…
Use Big Dipper to find North Star
The 2 outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/use-big-dipper-to-find-polaris-the-north-star…
Two Mathematicians Solve Old Math Riddle, Possibly the Meaning of Life
pgmrdlm shares a report from Live Science: In Douglas Adams’ sci-fi series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a pair of programmers task the galaxy’s largest supercomputer with answering the ultimate question of the meaning of life, the universe and everything. After 7.5 million years of processing, the computer reaches an answer: 42. Only then do the programmers realize that nobody…
New names for 5 Jupiter moons
The naming suggestions in a contest – which ran from last February to April – ranged from the scholarly to the silly, these scientists said. We think you’ll like the winners. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/new-names-5-jupiter-moons-contest-winners…
September’s birthstone is the sapphire
Sapphires, a form of the mineral corundum, were once believed to be protection against snakes. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/september-birthstone-sapphire…