The night sky looks black, with one big blotch of red in it. And the red looks familiar. It’s like the red of a ripe … Read More

But stars are not candles. In fact, they’re exactly opposite. A candle is made from burning it’s own waxy substance. As it gives off light, … Read More

The first thing most people notice when they look at a star is its brightness. But we all know appearances can be deceiving. A massive … Read More

Nope! Stars aren’t measured like lengths using a ruler. And besides, most star are so small (relative to what we see in the sky) and … Read More

We think of the Sun as a fixed, yellow ball. Few of us imagine it as a thermonuclear engine. To understand how bright a star … Read More

If we put Sirius at same distance as us (ten parsecs), then it would of been over twenty times as bright than our own sun. … Read More

If you look out at a dark hillside, you may see lots of stars twinkling, but your eyes will not reveal there true nature. Each … Read More

Distance modulus allows you to figure out the distance to some distant bright thing in the night sky. It’s a way of working around astronomy’s … Read More

The best immediate measurement is parallax. On a clear night, go outside. Look up into the sky. The stars appears unchanging and ancient. But it’s … Read More

The parsec is a measure of distance. It’s not a measure of speed. In fact, you might have seen people quote that they’re going at … Read More