The Night Sky: June 2020
Here are some of the things to see in June:Read More »The Night Sky: June 2020
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The Night Sky: April 2020
Here are some of the things to see in April:Read More »The Night Sky: April 2020
Night Sky Highlights: April 2019
Here are some of the things to see in the April sky:
Read More »Night Sky Highlights: April 2019
Regulus
Regulus, also known as Alpha Leonis, is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and the 21st brightest star in the night sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.35 and lies at a distance of 79.3 light years, or 24.3 parsecs, from Earth. Alpha Leonis is not really a single star, but a multiple star system.
The name Regulus means the “little king“ or “prince“ in Latin and the star is also known as Basiliskos, Cor Leonis (Lion’s Heart), Qalb al-Asad and Rex.
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Highlights of the Night Sky in April
Here are some of the things to see in April:
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Bode’s Galaxy – Messier 81
Bode’s Galaxy, also known as Messier 81 (M81), is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is one of the brightest… Read More »Bode’s Galaxy – Messier 81
Polaris: The North Star
Polaris, also known as the North Star, Alpha Ursae Minoris or Star of Arcady, is the brightest star in Ursa Minor constellation.
Polaris is notable for currently being the closest bright star to the North Celestial Pole. The pole marks true north, which makes the North Star important in navigation, as the star’s elevation above the horizon closely matches the observer’s latitude.
The North Star has a reputation for being bright, but it is not among the top 10 or even the top 40 brightest stars in the night sky. It is only the 48th brightest star, and owes its reputation to the fact that it is the nearest relatively bright (second magnitude) star to the North Celestial Pole.
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Messier 106 – NGC 4258
Messier 106 (M106) is a spiral galaxy located in the northern constellation Canes Venatici. The galaxy lies at a distance of 22 to 25 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 4258 in the New General Catalogue.
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Little Dipper
Little Dipper is a prominent asterism in the northern sky, formed by the brightest stars of Ursa Minor constellation.
The asterism is often confused for the whole constellation, much like the Big Dipper is sometimes confused for Ursa Major, the Great Bear, but it is only the brightest part of the constellation.
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Highlights of the April Sky
Here are some of the highlights of the night sky in April: 9 PM western sky – Jupiter hanging over the western horizon 9 PM… Read More »Highlights of the April Sky