November 2024 Issue | Astronomy.com

How long would it take for an observer using binoculars to notice the Moon’s terminator moving?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

With the Moon’s terminator moving almost 10 mph (16 km/h) across its equator, how long would it take for an observer using binoculars to notice a change in lunar features? Gary GarcharSan Jose, California The lunar terminator, the sunset/sunrise line that sweeps across the Moon’s surface as the Moon orbits Earth, travels at a rateContinue reading "How long would it take for an observer using binoculars to notice the Moon’s terminator moving?"

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How big is Earth’s orbit around the Sun?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

How big is the ellipse that our planet travels in a year around the Sun? J.J. MüdespacherMexico City, Mexico Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not circular, but an ellipse that is slightly elongated with an eccentricity of 0.017. (An eccentricity of 0 is a circle, while the dwarf planet Pluto has a relatively highContinue reading "How big is Earth’s orbit around the Sun?"

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New astronomy products to be thankful for

Astronomy Staff — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Star struck Wisconsin Historical Society PressMadison, WI In Chasing the Stars, authors Kelly Tyrell and James Lattis discuss the astronomical achievements of Washburn Observatory at the University of Wisconsin. The book’s 256 pages feature many images and details the early days of stargazing in the region, as well as Washburn’s many modern discoveries in theContinue reading "New astronomy products to be thankful for"

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What is the universe expanding into?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

What is the universe expanding into? Euan TobinEdinburgh, Scotland This excellent question forces us to confront a region beyond the bounds of our intuition, so please bear with me. When you inflate a balloon, the balloon’s membrane moves outward, closer to the boundaries of whatever room encloses it. You can easily visualize this expansion becauseContinue reading "What is the universe expanding into?"

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How to see a Saturn ring mirage

Stephen James O'Meara — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Roughly every 15 years, Earth passes through the plane of Saturn’s rings, causing them to nearly disappear from view — not to mention generating a variety of other interesting phenomena. The next such edge-on appearance will be in March 2025, though Saturn will unfortunately be too close to the Sun (only 9.5° away) for usContinue reading "How to see a Saturn ring mirage"

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Explore the science of rainbows

Raymond Shubinski — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Rainbows don’t actually exist. You can’t find the end of a rainbow (or its attendant pot of gold). It’s not possible to walk across a rainbow as the Norse gods did on the Bifrost, the bridge for fallen warriors to reach Valhalla, or to travel over one like Dorothy to Oz. Rather, rainbows and otherContinue reading "Explore the science of rainbows"

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How are long-exposure astrophotos made?

Astronomy Staff — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Many astrophotos feature exposures of 12 hours or more. Since nighttime darkness is only about this long, this implies multiple exposures on different nights. How does one set things up to get the exact same location, and avoid parallax error due to Earth’s rotation and orbit? Jose G. RieraSt. Augustine, Florida You are correct, manyContinue reading "How are long-exposure astrophotos made? "

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Bringing the Sun to light

Sten Odenwald — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000

For thousands of years, humans have worshipped the Sun. Our ancestors built monuments and temples to it, and used it to mark the annual cycle of seasons. For ancient Egyptians, their most important god, Re, was the personification of the Sun itself. Today, we are no less in thrall to the wonders and mysteries ofContinue reading "Bringing the Sun to light"

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November 2024: What’s in the sky this month?

Martin Ratcliffe — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000

November brings many sights to explore, including Mercury in the early evening, Mars brightening, and the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn adding to the spectacle. Jupiter in particular is reaching its best apparition in a decade for Northern Hemisphere observers. Let’s start soon after sunset. Mercury hugs the southwest horizon and remains easily visible throughoutContinue reading "November 2024: What’s in the sky this month?"

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Starmus VII hit all the right notes from beginning to end

David J. Eicher — Fri, 24 May 2024 14:50:41 +0000

The seventh Starmus Festival took place May 12–17 in Bratislava, Slovakia, and was a smashing success all the way around. Starmus stands for stars and music, and this celebration has grown into the greatest science festival in the world. It is the creation of astronomer Garik Israelian, the director, and his friend Brian May, whoContinue reading "Starmus VII hit all the right notes from beginning to end"

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