Al-Farghani, also known in the West as Alfraganus

Al-Farghani (Latinized Alfraganus) was a 9th-century astronomer from Farghana, in present-day Uzbekistan, and one of the towering figures of the Islamic Golden Age. Working in Abbasid Baghdad, he wrote the...

The Planets of the Solar System: A Complete Guide

The eight planets of the solar system, in order from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune....

Plate Solving and Framing: Find and Center Any Target

Plate solving is software that looks at a photo of the night sky, identifies the star pattern...

What Is Astrometry? A Complete Guide to Measuring the Stars

Quick answer: Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that precisely measures the positions, distances, and motions of...

What Is a Star? A Plain-English Guide to How Stars Work

What is a star? A clear guide to what stars are made of, how they form, their life cycle, the main types, and how many stars fill the universe.

What Is a Nebula? A Stargazer’s Guide to the Clouds That Build Stars

A clear guide to what a nebula is — the types, how they form, famous examples, and how astrophotographers capture these cosmic clouds of gas and dust.

Astrophotography

It was half past six and the hands were quietly moving forwards. Despite his concern, it was later than half past, more like quarter to seven.

Light Pollution Astrophotography: How to Beat City Skyglow

Light pollution astrophotography is the craft of capturing deep-sky images from skies washed out by artificial light—and yes, it genuinely works. Most astrophotographers...

Exploring the Whirlpool Galaxy: A Deep Dive into Messier 51’s Astounding Features

Messier 51, famously known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, stands out as one of the most captivating and well-studied galaxies in our cosmic neighborhood....

Messier 106 (M106): A Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici

Messier 106 (M106) is a bright spiral galaxy roughly 23.5 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici. Also catalogued as NGC...

Men & Women in Astronomy

Sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer. He then turned to look out the window.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt: Measuring the Universe (2026)

Quick answer: Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921) was an American astronomer who discovered how to measure distances across the universe. Working at Harvard, she...

Vera Rubin: The Astronomer Who Proved Dark Matter (2026)

Quick answer: Vera Rubin (1928–2016) was an American astronomer who found the first convincing observational evidence for dark matter. By measuring how stars...

Hypatia of Alexandria: Astronomer and Mathematician

Quick answer: Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 350–415 AD) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who led the Neoplatonic school in Roman Egypt...

Latest Posts

It was half past six and the hands were quietly moving forwards.

The Moon: Our Nearest Neighbour in Space

The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, the brightest object in our night sky after the Sun,...

Comets: What They Are and How to Photograph Them

Comets are among the most dramatic objects you can see or photograph in the night sky —...

What Is Astrometry? A Complete Guide to Measuring the Stars

Quick answer: Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that precisely measures the positions, distances, and motions of stars and other celestial objects. By tracking exactly where objects sit on the...

Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescopes: The Planetary Specialist (2026)

A Maksutov telescope is a compact catadioptric (compound) telescope that pairs a thick, deeply curved meniscus corrector...

Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes (SCT): The Complete Guide (2026)

A schmidt cassegrain telescope is a compact catadioptric (compound) instrument that combines a thin Schmidt corrector plate...

Dobsonian Telescopes: The Best Beginner Telescope, Explained (2026)

A dobsonian telescope is the single most recommended first telescope in all of amateur astronomy — and...

Reflector Telescope: The Complete Guide to Mirror-Based Telescopes (2026)

How reflector telescopes work, the Newtonian, Cassegrain and Ritchey-Chretien designs, collimation, what they are best for, and how to choose one.

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