Alpha Bootis - Arcturus Arcturus (Alpha Bootis) is the brightest star in the constellation Bootes. Arcturus is easily found by following the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper away from the Dipper’s bowl: arc to Arcturus. It has a visual magnitude of -0.7, and an absolute magnitude of -0.3. Wide-field view around Arcturus. (Fred Espenak) Arcturus is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky, a..

Leo - The Lion Leo is one of the most familiar constellations in the sky. It has been recognized as a lion since ancient times. Look for a pattern of stars resembling a backwards question mark; this represents the head of the lion. The bright star Regulus is at the bottom of the figure. For northern observers, Leo is best viewed from February through July. The Leonid meteor shower occurs around ..

Sagittarius - The Archer For northern observers, Sagittarius is visible along the southern horizon in late summer. The central Milky Way runs through the western region of Sagittarius. This area contains the most abundant and wide-ranging collection of deep sky objects in the sky. The best time to view Sagittarius is from June to August. History and Mythology The constellation Sagittarius was re..

Messier 16, NGC 6611 - Eagle Nebula, Star Queen Nebula Messier 16 is a conspicuous region of active star formation, appearing in the constellation Serpens Cauda. This giant cloud of interstellar gas and dust is commonly known as the Eagle Nebula, and has already created a cluster of young stars. The nebula is also referred to the Star Queen Nebula and as IC 4703; the cluster is NGC 6611. Discove..

Alpha Canis Majoris - Sirius At apparent magnitude -1.46, Sirius is the brightest star in our sky. It is the fifth nearest star system to our own, and contains the first white dwarf star discovered, Sirius B. History and Mythology The name "Sirius" comes from the Greek word for "searing" or "scorching". Sirius is also known as the "Dog Star", belonging to the constellation Canis Major, the Great..

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the largest and densest of the rocky inner planets, and is the only one with a large moon. It is the only object in the solar system whose surface is covered with liquid water. And it is the only object in the known universe which supports life. The Blue Marble Our Earth gets its name from an Old English word for soil or dry land. The equivalen..