Xi Ursae Majoris, also known as Alula Australis, is a double star in Ursa Major. It’s best viewed in winter. This binary system is notable for many reasons: It’s a close binary system to earth — only 25 light years away. It was the first binary system to be discovered. William Herschel discovered it inContinueContinue reading “Xi Ursae Majoris: A Binary Star Close to Home”
Author Archives: Wayne McGraw
24 Comae Berenices: An Amber and Sapphire Double Graces the Spring Sky
24 Comae Berenices is a pretty double star. This striking contrast of the primary amber star against the smaller bluish star makes this pair a worth target in springtime skies.
Cor Caroli: A Binary Star with a Heart of a King
Cor Caroli is a double star in the constellation Canes Venatici. It’s best viewed in spring. The primary star, at a magnitude of 2.9, shines a white blue, while the dimmer companion, at a magnitude of 5.5, shines a warm yellow. This contrast of color makes for an attractive pair in the warming spring sky.
Castor: You Are Not Just Seeing Double
Known as one of the brightest stars in the sky and twin of Pollux, Castor is a bluish-white double star in the constellation of Gemini.
Messier 94 (NGC 4736): The Cat’s Eye Galaxy
Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with two distinct rings. It also continues to perplex astronomers as it has little to no dark matter.
Messier 64 (NGC 4826): The Black Eye Galaxy
As NASA points out, M64, or the Black Eye galaxy, is characterized by its bizarre internal motion. The gas in the outer regions of this remarkable galaxy is rotating in the opposite direction from the gas and stars in its inner regions.
Messier 66 (NGC 3627): A Galaxy Member of the Leo Triplet
Messier 66 is best viewed during early springtime. It’s is part of the astronomical family of galaxies called the Leo Triplet.
Waiting for the Night
As summer arrives, amusement parks open their gates. The smell of hamburgers and waffle cones fill the air along with the faint waft of grease and wood from an old roller coaster. Glowing neon. Pulsing bulbs on a Ferris wheel. The clicks and clacks of a coaster coursing on invisible rails pierce the darkening nightContinueContinue reading “Waiting for the Night”
The Garden Astronomer 