Where specialized algorithms fail to classify star-borne pulses, human volunteers with just a little training can step in.
Medieval scholars linked celestial occurrences, such as Halley’s comet, to events at home, such as the arrival of William the Conqueror in England.
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Some ancient texts record what were likely dying stars, faintly visible from Earth. If close enough, these events can disturb telescopes and even damage the ozone layer.
People have been looking up at the stars for thousands of years. Here’s where to start if you want to learn more about the night sky – from spotting easy-to-find constellations to using the best apps.
This age old question has been dubbed Olbers’ paradox.
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Measuring the ages of planets and stars is tricky. An observational astrophysicist describes the subtle clues that provide good estimates for how old different space objects are.
The Herschel Museum in Bath, England, has a new display of a handwritten draft of Caroline Herschel’s memoirs.
Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons
Kris Pardo, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Astronomer Caroline Herschel’s work discovering and cataloging astronomical objects in the 18th century is still used in the field today, but she didn’t always get her due credit.