Explore the Universe: Your Guide to Astronomy

The apparent movements of the Sun and planets across the sky are a reflection of their movements on the celestial sphere. These movements are not directly related to the Earth’s daily rotation, but rather to the rotation of the celestial sphere itself. Movement of the Sun The Sun’s motion is nearly uniform (nearly – due…

Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun, and it never strays more than 30 degrees from it. This proximity enables the celestial object to complete two orbits around the fiery heart of the universe in a single year. Interestingly, Earthlings can only see one side of the Sun’s closest planet in the solar system….

Greetings, esteemed hubra community! As promised following last week’s piece on string theory, today we will endeavor to unveil the enigma and delve into the latest advancements in cosmology. Together, we will explore the arduous journey scientists have embarked upon and discover their ultimate destination in their quest to elucidate the genesis, existence, and fate…

Celestial sphere refers to an imaginary sphere with an arbitrary radius, which is used to project celestial bodies and solve various astrometric problems. It is centered around the observer’s eye, whether they are on Earth’s surface or in other points in space (such as the center of the Earth). For an observer on Earth, the…

The perspectives on the cosmos have influenced humanity for ages. From the time of Ancient Egypt and potentially even earlier societies, researchers have gazed at the heavens, endeavoring to expand their knowledge about the composition of our planet. One of the main areas of interest was naturally the form and dimensions of planet Earth. Since…

This video, which was released in 2012, went viral and created quite a buzz. I stumbled upon it shortly after its release, back when my knowledge of space was much more limited. What puzzled me the most was the perpendicularity of the planets’ orbital plane to the direction of motion. It’s not that it’s impossible,…

The Cassiopeia constellation can be found in the northern sky and is named after a proud and boastful queen from ancient Greek mythology. First observed by Ptolemy in the second century, Cassiopeia is part of the Perseus group of constellations (excluding Lizard). Its distinctive “W” shape makes it easy to identify in the night sky….

Stars are celestial objects and massive luminous spheres made of plasma. In the vast expanse of our Milky Way galaxy alone, there are billions of these stars, including our very own Sun. More recently, we have come to understand that some of these stars also host their own planets. The evolution of stargazing In modern…

In previous lessons, we have learned that just like other stars, the Sun appears to move across the celestial sphere. Similarly, the Moon also moves in relation to the stars, but its trajectory is more complex. In this lesson, we will explore the reason why the Moon always presents the same face to Earth. We…

The zodiacal constellations are unique in that they are the only constellations where the Sun, Moon, and planets can be found. Although there is no other distinction, this is enough to attribute special properties to them. In astrology, all horoscopes are based on the 12 zodiac signs – constellations, even though there are actually 13….

Jupiter has captivated astronomers for over four centuries since its discovery through the earliest telescopes. This magnificent celestial body is a massive gas giant with mesmerizing swirling clouds, an enigmatic sunspot, a diverse family of satellites, and a plethora of distinctive features. However, perhaps the most awe-inspiring aspect of Jupiter is its sheer scale. In…

Announcements regarding the potential discovery of habitable planets do not generate much excitement. Planets with atmospheres are quite common, with over two thousand already identified, and most of them bear striking similarities to our own Earth. However, when it comes to finding planets that closely resemble Earth, we are limited to only a handful. Nevertheless,…

The Universe is vast and full of wonders. It is estimated that there are approximately 10 trillion galaxies in the Cosmos, each housing an average of 100 billion stars. These celestial bodies, however, are not stationary. They follow specific trajectories, allowing them to journey through different regions of space. But what about the stars that…

It is never considered by us that there might be life forms existing beyond our own planet, beyond our own solar system. It is a possibility that there could be life on certain planets revolving around a star that is colored blue, white, red, or perhaps even yellow. Conceivably, there could be another planet similar…

We are accustomed to the notion that a day, or 24 hours, is the standard duration, and a year consists of 365 days. This is our familiar order of time, and we often forget that it does not apply universally. Specifically, this is only true for Earth. Other celestial bodies have their own unique rhythms….

A mirror-lens telescope is a type of optical system that combines reflective and refractive elements. These structures started being used in automobile headlights, lighthouses, as well as microscopes and telescopes. These devices are often referred to as catadioptric telescopes, which distinguishes them from catoptric telescopes by their use of spherical mirrors and inclusion of lenses….

The Big Dipper, known as the third largest constellation by area (following Hydra and Virgo), is formed by its seven prominent stars. Our current time is 100,000 years ahead of when the Big Dipper was first illustrated. You can use the Ladle to determine the time. In the evening, the Ladle is filled with “water”,…

Having a good understanding of the major constellations and stars is essential for navigating the celestial sphere. This fact is well-known to all. Equally well-known is the significance of the Big Dipper, also known as Ursa Major, in the night sky of Russia and its neighboring countries. This particular constellation holds great importance not because…

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and it orbits the Sun at an average distance of 0.387 AU or approximately 57,910,000 kilometers. It has a mass of 3.30e23 kg and a diameter of 4,880 kilometers, making it the second smallest planet after Pluto. Oral Presentation: Exploring the Enigmatic Mercury Exploring the Mysterious…

In a significant development on November 12, 2014, humanity achieved another milestone in the challenging journey of space exploration: a spacecraft successfully touched down on the surface of a comet. To appreciate this remarkable feat, the team at Naked Science decided to revisit the earlier stages of this ambitious endeavor, where the awe-inspiring triumphs were…