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May 13, 2024 · constellation, in astronomy, any of certain groupings of stars that were imagined—at least by those who named them—to form conspicuous configurations of objects or creatures in the sky. Constellations are useful in assisting astronomers and navigators to locate certain stars. From the earliest times the star groups known as constellations ...
5 days ago · galaxy, any of the systems of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe. Many such assemblages are so enormous that they contain hundreds of billions of stars. Nature has provided an immensely varied array of galaxies, ranging from faint, diffuse dwarf objects to brilliant spiral-shaped giants.
May 12, 2024 · asteroid, any of a host of small bodies, about 1,000 km (600 miles) or less in diameter, that orbit the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in a nearly flat ring called the asteroid belt. It is because of their small size and large numbers relative to the major planets that asteroids are also called minor planets.
6 days ago · Archaeoastronomy. The rising Sun illuminates the inner chamber of Newgrange, Ireland, only at the winter solstice. Archaeoastronomy (also spelled archeoastronomy) is the interdisciplinary [1] or multidisciplinary [2] study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky ...
May 6, 2024 · astronomical observatory, any structure containing telescopes and auxiliary instruments with which to observe celestial objects. Observatories can be classified on the basis of the part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which they are designed to observe. The largest number of observatories are optical; i.e., they are equipped to observe in ...
5 days ago · Astronomy is a scientific discipline, while astrology is more about belief. Remember that astrology involves horoscopes and predictions based on celestial bodies’ positions, while astronomy studies celestial objects using the scientific method. If you’re discussing a scientific topic related to celestial objects, you’re likely referring ...
3 days ago · A star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud. A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. [1] The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of light.
