When it comes to locating objects in the night sky, how does one convey its precise position? The sky is divided into a scattered pattern of 88 constellations of various sizes and shapes covering ...

The equatorial coordinate system projects Earth's latitude and longitude onto the celestial sphere, using declination (angular distance from the celestial equator, measured in degrees) and right ...

For centuries, astronomers used the stars to tell stories, make predictions, and even find their way. All of which depended ...

Many of us just got our first telescope over the holidays, and let's face it — a telescope can be intimidating. It's a machine. It needs to be cleaned, properly aligned and calibrated. Even when you ...

If you think the constellation boundaries look arbitrary now, consider the situation a century ago. No official star chart existed, and those in common use not only set different boundaries for the ...

Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences, and quite possibly the oldest use of astronomy is navigating by the stars. This craft dates from prehistoric times among humans, and is even practiced by ...

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This article contains minor spoilers. One of the ...