One of the current questions for the future of space exploration is whether to return to the moon, or just head to Mars. Should we return somewhere we’ve been before? Or just strike out toward…

Hitler's gift to astronomy? What? Believe it or not, Hitler wanted to give Mussolini and Rome a planetarium*. Rome was among the first in the world to build a planetarium. Italy (and Mussolini) had…

HD 87643, a member of the exotic class of B[e] stars, is in a very rich field of stars towards the Carina (the Keel) arm of the Milky Way. It recently became part of a set of observations that…

Betelgeuse, the second brightest star in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter), is a red supergiant, one of the biggest stars known, and almost 1,000 times larger than our Sun. To put that in…

Electromagnetic radiation (light, radio waves, X-rays, and microwaves) contains a varying electric field. When we talk about Polarization of this field, we refer to its direction. A new satellite…

A new study in Nature offers an explanation for the origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies, one of the current puzzles in our understanding of galaxy formation. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are small and…

Enjoy star gazing? Lucky enough to be in the northern hemisphere August 11th and 12th? Look to the skies to take in the Perseid Meteor Shower, named after the constellation Perseus.…

Citizen scientists working through an online project called Galaxy Zoo have discovered a group of rare galaxies called the "Green Peas" which could lend unique insights into how galaxies form stars…

A surprising impact on Jupiter is big news this past week.   The eyes of the entire space world have been riveted on the discovery of amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley of Canberra, Australia.…

You don't want carbon dioxide (CO2) build up in your space suit. Even those who argue to love huge CO2 emissions into our atmosphere should learn from the AP news: Two…