Menu Close

Articles on Stars

Displaying 61 - 80 of 166 articles

Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson on the International Space Station with a view many more are likely to see soon. NASA/Tracy Caldwell Dyson/WIkimediaCommons

Space tourism is here – 20 years after the first stellar tourist, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plans to send civilians to space

The first space tourist left Earth 20 years ago aboard a Russian rocket. Now, private companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are offering trips to the stars for those who can pay.
Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the solar system and is home to a potentially habitable planet. Hubble/European Space Agency/WikimediaCommons

Massive flare seen on the closest star to the solar system: What it means for chances of alien neighbors

Astronomers just measured the largest flare ever from Proxima Centauri, humanity’s closest neighboring star. These flares could be bad news for life trying to develop on a planet orbiting the star.
With the proper equipment, you can enjoy the beauty of the night sky. Allexxandar via iStock/GettyImages

5 ways families can enjoy astronomy during the pandemic

COVID-19 may have messed up school and shut down a lot of entertainment venues. But you can still brighten things up by doing a little stargazing at night, an astronomer says.
Artist’s interpretation of the inside of the Sun. James Josephides, CAS Swinburne University of Technology

Curious Kids: what does the Sun’s core look like?

If you could go right into the middle of the Sun, everything would be incredibly bright - and perhaps a little bit pink.
Light trails left in the sky (photographed with a long exposure time), by Starlink satellites, seen from New Mexico, USA. Mike Lewinski/Flickr

The costly collateral damage from Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite fleet

By 2025 Elon Musk wants to launch 12,000 satellites and corner the global Internet market. What will be lost is earth-based astronomy, the idea that space belongs to us all and the beauty of a starry sky.
Woodcut from Camille Flammarion’s 1888 book L'Atmosphère : météorologie populaire. The caption reads: ‘A missionary of the Middle Ages tells that he had found the point where the sky and the Earth touch’ and continues, ‘What is there, then, in this blue sky, which certainly exists, and which veils the stars during the day?’ Wikipedia

Einstein’s two mistakes

Albert Einstein may have been the ultimate example of a visionary genius, but that did not stop him from twice losing his way due to beliefs that were perhaps not so scientific.
The Parkes radio telescope can detect extremely weak signals coming from the most distant parts of the Universe. Shutterstock

The Dish in Parkes is scanning the southern Milky Way, searching for alien signals

The Dish in Parkes is scanning the southern Milky Way, searching for alien signals The Conversation50.7 MB (download)
Today we hear about the Parkes radio telescope's role in the search for alien life. Our guide is the irrepressible John Sarkissian, the scientist who's had his eye on The Dish since childhood.

Top contributors

More