Stars
Stars are celestial bodies made up of hot gases. Stars radiate energy that comes form thermonuclear reactions. In this section you will learn all about stars and their importance in the universe.
What Are the 'Dog Days of Summer'?
How to Find Orion's Belt in the Night Sky
Astronomers Tell You How and Where to Best View Meteor Showers
Shooting the Stars as an Astrophotographer
Stellarium Is the Free 'Planetarium' for Your Computer
What is astrophotography?
June's Full Moon Is the Strawberry Moon
May's Full Moon Is the Flower Moon
Will Earth Last Forever?
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The Big Dipper is one of those star groupings everyone seems familiar with, but how much do you really know about it?
Aldebaran is not just the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, it's also the 14th brightest star in the sky.
Arcturus is 113 times brighter than our sun, even though it's only a little bigger. What else should we know about this red giant?
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Stars are giant nuclear fusion reactors, and we wouldn't exist without them. Find out how much you know about these twinkling lights with our quiz.
Even if you've never looked through a telescope, you've probably seen Vega, one of the brightest stars in our galaxy. In fact, thousands of years ago, Vega was our North Pole star, and will be again in the future.
Star-gazers gasped when they saw how much Betelgeuse dimmed in 2019 and the reason wasn't clear. Even though it's back up to full strength, how long will it be before it explodes? We haven't seen a supernova in over 400 years.
Astronomers used Hubble's full range of imaging to dissect wild 'fireworks' happening in two nearby young planetary nebulas.
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Polaris, also known as the North Star, is almost exactly over the celestial North Pole, making it extremely useful for navigation (and for making wishes on, as well).
So what does that mean for good ol' Earth someday?
It's tricky to see the true shape of the Milky Way when you're stuck inside it. So how did scientists figure it out?
In this stellar nursery, firstborn stars are ruthless.
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A stunning accusation has been made: About 10 billion years ago, a small galaxy strayed too close to ours, so our galaxy ate it.
This stellar noodle is the strongest material in the cosmos!
And while we're at it, why don't the other planets in our solar system seem to twinkle?
By Mark Mancini
A tiny black hole or a more monstrous neutron star? Astronomers are on the case.
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This isn't your run-of-the-mill supernova.
Neither massive planets nor tiny stars, brown dwarfs are entirely different substellar curiosities that possess qualities of both.
Get ready for the most powerful electromagnetic explosion the universe has ever known.
We might be only a few years away from seeing whether potentially habitable worlds are inhabited. How cool is that?
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These days, we may take the stars for granted, but it's not hard to imagine the wonder early humans must have felt gazing up at those inexplicable points of light. Naturally, superstitions were bound to develop — some more fortuitous than others.
By Bambi Turner
Relying on a collapsed star to power our lives on Earth might seem like a good solution to our energy crisis, but there's just one tiny problem: The process might be lethal.
A single pulsar is fascinating enough, but as a set, these rapidly rotating neutron stars help scientists figure out mysteries of the universe.
It's not uncommon for planets to wander alone through the universe like big, sullen teenagers. But how do they end up flying solo, and could they still harbor life?
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When a huge star collapses, it releases massive amounts of radiation in concentrated streams. If one of those streams hit Earth, it wouldn't be pretty. But where should we put "gamma-ray bursts" on our list of anxieties?
A dying star can explode with the force of a few octillion nuclear bombs and create any element in the universe. But why do stars go supernova?