Ask An AStronomer Answer Archives

Black Holes Cosmology Galaxies History Meteors, Comets and Asteroids Miscellaneous Moon
Nebulae Night Sky Physics Planets Space Stars Star Clusters Telescopes

  1. What is the South Star?
  2. Given a star's celestial coordinates, how does one determine from where on Earth it can be seen, and when one should look for it?
  3. What are the equinoxes? What is special about these days?
  4. What is the scientific name for the Southern Lights?
  5. Why aren't there eclipses twice a month? How are eclipses predicted?

  6. Where is the best place to observe meteors around San Fransisco/San Jose?
  7. I saw an object moving across the sky in Aruba. What was it?
  8. My name is Shaula, and I am named after a star. Can you tell me about it?
  9. Can Venus ever be seen from Toronto, Canada at midnight?
  10. Where can I find out what the lunar phase is, and when to look for the moon?

  11. I think I saw a nova in the sky last night, near the Venus/Saturn conjunction. Can you confirm this?
  12. Will people at different locations on the Earth see the same lunar phase?
  13. When and where can one see the setting sun and the rising moon at the same time?
  14. How can I find out sunset times for any given location?
  15. What are the northern lights?

  16. How far away are the stars in the Big Dipper? What would it look like if we could view it from the side? From the nearest stars?
  17. Why can we see the moon during the day?
  18. Why does the sun rise later the day after the winter solstice than on the day of the solstice itself?
  19. Where can I get a lunar calendar for the year?
  20. Why do we have seasons?

  21. I saw a bright light streak across the sky. What was it?
  22. Can you send me a picture of the March blue moons?
  23. What two bright lights do I see in the western sky? (Feb. 1999)
  24. When will the next total solar and lunar eclipses happen?
  25. How bright will Comet Machholtz 2 get?

  26. What are the chances of discovering something unknown in the sky?
  27. When and where in Utah is best for viewing?
  28. What is the bright light in the Western sky that I can see from San Jose?
  29. What's the current explanation of Olber's paradox?
  30. I would like information on the Northern Lights (aurora).

  31. Can you give me information on Draco?
  32. Do you have star charts I can print?
  33. How can I photograph star trails?
  34. I see a ring around the moon in the sky. What does this mean?
  35. What is the origin of the word "constellation?"

  36. What is the zenith?
  37. What is the Milky Way, and from what vantage point are we viewing it?
  38. My star chart has a point labeled "NEP." What does this mean?
  39. What is the difference between the stars "Omicron," "Omicron 1," and "Omicron 2?"
  40. Sometimes I see a ring around the moon. If I were on the moon, would I ever see a ring around the Earth?
  41. What is the Hour Angle of an object, and how is it used?
  42. When can I see the northern lights?