Our Milky Way galaxy is often described as a flattened disk of hundreds of billions stars. That description leaves out some of our galaxy’s most interesting parts. Hovering above and below the main disk are the suburbs of our galactic city — 150 or so globular clusters of stars. Along with some stray stars and occasional gas molecules, globular clusters are the main constituents of what is more properly called the “galactic halo.”
Jul 25 2011 | Posted in
Tom Burns |
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Draco, the Dragon, was an important constellations to the ancients. The ancient Egyptians even worshipped a single star within its environs. The star isn’t particularly bright, and these days, it isn’t even particularly well placed in the sky. Why was it so important?
Jun 19 2011 | Posted in
Tom Burns |
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At our daytime field trips here at Perkins Observatory, our temporary students often ask as if we’ve been to space. We explain that we wish we had, but no. Recently, a variation on that question practically struck me speechless. As I showed some second graders the craters on the moon, one curious student asked, “What’s it like to be there?” For once, I was able to answer truthfully, “It’s awesome!”
May 16 2011 | Posted in
Tom Burns |
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Go out and look at any star in the nighttime sky, and you are looking at an incomprehensibly huge hydrogen bomb. Go ahead. Look. I’ll wait.
Apr 24 2011 | Posted in
Tom Burns |
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