What Practical Value Did Astronomy Offer to Ancient Civilizations?

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how ancient civilizations interpreted the…

Why Does Titan Have a Dense Atmosphere

True-color image of layers of haze in Titan’s atmosphere. Photo taken by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit:…

How Astronomers Explore the Sun’s Layers Below the Photosphere

The layers of the Sun. Image by Kelvin Song. License: CC BY-SA 3.0. The Sun, our…

Why Are Star Clusters Ideal Laboratories for Stellar Evolution

Globular cluster M2. Located 37,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius. Credits: NASA, ESA,…

What Heats the Chromosphere and Corona to High Temperatures?

Chromosphere and corona during the 1999 total solar eclipse in France. Photo by Luc Viatour. License:…

What Separates the Inner and Outer Solar System?

Solar system in true color and size. Distances not to scale. Credits: NASA, Kevin M. Gill,…

Why Do We Think Triton Is a Captured Moon?

Montage of Neptune and its moon Triton. Credit: NASA/JPL. Have you ever wondered why scientists believe…

The Fascinating World of Asteroid Davida

3D model of asteroid 511 Davida based on lightcurve modeling. Credit: Marchis et al. (2006). License:…

Why Is Venus the Hottest Planet?

Why is Venus the hottest planet? Hint: the atmosphere. Here’s a photo of the cloud structure…

Where Are Most Asteroids Found?

A plot of inner solar system asteroids and planets in a manner that exposes the Kirkwood…