reach for the stars
Terms
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- Cas A
- A supernova remnant in the constellation Cassiopeia. It stands for Cassiopeia A. It is about 11,000 light years away.
- Sgr A
- It is a complex radio source at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. It stands for Sagittarius A.
- Procyon
- This star's name means "before the dog" in Greek. It is in the constellation Canis Minor.
- Sirius
- A star with a magnitude of -1.47 and is located in Canis Major.
- Taurus
- It is known as "the bull". It is easily identified by the giant "V", which are its head and horns.
- Virgo
- often portrayed as carrying two sheaves of wheat, one marked by the bright star Spica.
- Betelgeuse
- A star in Orion which is Orion's right shoulder. It means "armpit of the great one".
- Hyades Star Cluster
- An open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus. It is 151 light years away.
- Centaurus
- A bright constellation in the southern hemisphere. Its brightest star is Alpha Centauri. It resembles a stick person with the end of a horse attached.
- Proxima Centauri
- A red dwarf star about 4 light years away which is located in the constellation Centauris.
- Perseus
- The October constellation which is known as "the hero". It looks like the Eiffel Tower.
- Canis Major
- The constellation which has the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.
- Algol
- A moderately bright star in Perseus.
- LMC
- It stands for Large Magellanic Cloud. It is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way.
- Rigel
- A star in Orion. It is Orion's left foot.
- Vega
- the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. It is about 25 light years from Earth.
- Tucana
- A southern constellation which consists of six stars. The two brightest stars have magnitudes between 4 and 5.
- Ursa Minor
- It is also known as the little dipper. The tip of its "handle" is the star Polaris.
- Mensa
- A southern constellation. Its brightest star has a magnitude of 5.
- Gemini
- It is known as "the twins". It can be seen in the winter, and it is between Taurus and Cancer. It contains the stars Castor and Pollux.
- M1 Crab Nebula
- A supernova remnant in Taurus. It is 6500 light years away.
- Tycho's Star
- a remnant of a supernova which occurred in Cassiopeia. It is about 7500 light years away. It is also called SN 1572.
- Cancer
- This constellation resembles a crab. It lies between Gemini, Leo, Lynx, Canis Minor, and Hydra.
- Sagittarius
- This summer constellation is the archer, but most people best identify it as a teapot.
- M13 Globular Cluster
- This globular cluster is in the constellation Hercules. It is barely visible with the naked eye on a very clear night.
- Lyra
- This constellation got its name from the stringed musical instrument which was used in Greece. Its brightest star is Vega
- Hercules
- This constellation is the fifth largest in the night sky. It has no first magnitude stars. It has two globular clusters: M13 and M92.
- Pollux
- The brightest star in Gemini. It is a yellow-orange giant. It is one the "heavenly twin" stars.
- Bootes
- This constellation is known as "the herdsman". It contains the third brightest star in the sky, Arcturus.
- Polaris
- The star which is the "tip of the handle" of Ursa Minor.
- M57 Ring Nebula
- This nebula is located in Lyra.
- M42 Orion Nebula
- With a visual Brightness in the fourth magnitude, it is 1.3 kilolight years away.
- Orion
- Known as "The Hunter", it is a winter constellation which has a belt consisting of three stars.
- M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
- This spiral galaxy can be seen using binoculars, is in the constellation Canes Venatica, and is 23 million light years away.
- Castor
- This star is comprised of bluish-white stars and dim red stars. It is in the constellation Gemini and is one of the "heavenly twin" stars.
- Ophiuchus
- Formally known as Serpentarius. Both names mean "Serpent Holder". This constellation is depicted as a man holding a serpent. It is best seen in the north in the summer and is opposite between Aquila, Serpens, and Hercules.
- Canes Venatica
- This constellation represents the dogs, Chara and Asterion, being held on a leash by Bootes.
- M45 Pleiades
- An open cluster in the constellation Taurus. It is also known as the Seven Sisters. It is mostly made up of hot blue stars.
- M44 Beehive Cluster
- This open star cluster is in the constellation Cancer. Galileo studied it with is telescope.
- Canis Minor
- This constellation is one of Orion's hunting dogs. It consists of two stars, Procyon and Gomeisa.
- Canis Major
- This constellation is one of Orion's hunting dogs. This constellation contains Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
- Barnard's Star
- A red dwarf in the constellation Ophiuchus. It cannot be seen with the naked eye.
- Dorado
- This constellation contains most of the Large Magellanic Cloud. It used to be known as the sword-fish. It is a southern constellation.
- Spica
- A blue giant in the constellation Virgo. It is the brightest star in Virgo and 260 light years from earth.
- Altair
- the brightest star in the summer constellation Aquila.
- Aldebaran
- A red giant in Taurus. It is at the end of the giant "V".
- SMC
- It stands for Small Magellanic Cloud. It is a dwarf galaxy about 200,000 light years away.
- Cassiopeia
- An October constellation which resembles a "M" or "W", depending on which way it is looked at. It is a queen.