Stars
Category archives for Stars
Messier Monday: Messier’s First Globular Cluster, M2
Posted by Ethan on June 17, 2013 
“God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die.” -Bill Watterson Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! With each new Monday, we take an in-depth look at a prominently visible random object from Messier’s catalogue…
Most of Earth’s twins aren’t identical, or even close!
Posted by Ethan on June 5, 2013 
“You can spend too much time wondering which of identical twins is the more alike.” -Robert Brault You’ve of course heard by now the news that Kepler, the most successful and prolific planet-finding mission of all time, has probably reached the end of its useful lifespan. With nearly 3,000 planet candidates under its belt, including…
Messier Monday: A Young Open Cluster in the Summer Triangle, M29
Posted by Ethan on June 3, 2013 
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! The first accurate, large catalogue of fixed, deep-sky objects, Messier’s 110-object-strong catalogue features galaxies, clusters, nebulae and more, all visible with even primitive astronomical…
How to find your very own supernova
Posted by Ethan on May 24, 2013 
“Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can’t even express these things properly because I have to – I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid limiting spoken language! But I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws! And feel the wind of a supernova…
Messier Monday: A Hyper-Smooth Globular Cluster, M5
Posted by Ethan on May 20, 2013 
“The Milky Way is nothing else but a mass of innumerable stars planted together in clusters.” -Galileo Galilei Welcome back to another Messier Monday here on Starts With a Bang! With 110 deep-sky objects making it up, the Messier Catalogue is the first comprehensive, accurate catalogue of faint (but not too faint) fixtures in the night sky. Each object…
Messier Monday: The Cigar Galaxy, M82
Posted by Ethan on May 13, 2013 
“How is it they live for eons in such harmony - the billions of stars - when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their mind against someone they know?” -Thomas Aquinas Welcome back to another Messier Monday here on Starts With a Bang! Each Monday, we take an in-depth look at one of the 110 deep-sky wonders —…
Messier Monday: The Youngest Star-Forming Region, The Trifid Nebula, M20
Posted by Ethan on May 6, 2013 
“Why I came here, I know not; where I shall go it is useless to inquire – in the midst of myriads of the living and the dead worlds, stars, systems, infinity, why should I be anxious about an atom?” -Lord Byron Welcome back to another Messier Monday here on Starts With a Bang! Messier’s…
Messier Monday: A Real-Life Pi-in-the-Sky Cluster, M38
Posted by Ethan on April 29, 2013 
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” -W. Shakespeare Welcome to just another Messier Monday here on Starts With A Bang! Each Monday, we’re taking a detailed look at a different one of the 110 deep-sky objects that compose the Messier Catalogue, each one a different semi-permanent wonder of…
Messier Monday: The Second Greatest Globular in Hercules, M92
Posted by Ethan on April 22, 2013 
“[T]he entire globe will soon be wrapped in a glowing envelope through which none of the magic of the Universe can be seen by the naked eye.” -George Eslinger Welcome to still another Messier Monday here on Starts With A Bang! Each Monday, we highlight a different one of the 110 deep-sky objects that make up the Messier…
Messier Monday: The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51
Posted by Ethan on April 15, 2013 
“Upon one occasion, while engaged upon a seven-foot mirror, he did not remove his hands from it for 16 hours together.” -from Caroline Herschel’s obituary Welcome to another Messier Monday here on Starts With A Bang! Each Monday, we highlight a different one of the 110 deep-sky objects that Messier catalogued so that comet-hunters wouldn’t confuse these permanent…
