The most popular star in the sky is in fact the brightest star in the heavens, with respect to apparent magnitude that is. Sirius, which means, "scorching," resides in the constellation Canis Major (The Greater Dog), hence its nickname as the Dog Star; other names include Canicula, Aschere, Alpha Canis Majoris, HR 2491, and HD 48915. Sirius is the brightest star for two reasons. First, in shines twenty times brighter than our sun, and second, it is one of the closet stars to us. Alpha Centauri holds the title for "closest star" at 4.3 light-years where Sirius is slightly farther at 8.7 light-years. However, in comparison to other stars such as Deneb or Betelgeuse, Sirius is relatively small. Some other important characteristics include its weight, which is about twice that of our Sun, its apparent magnitude of -1.46 and an absolute magnitude of 4.8, and the interesting fact that it is part of a binary star system. A wobble in the star's orbital motion was first noticed by a French astronomer named Bessel in 1834, who suspected the couple and even correctly nailed their period of fifty years. But it wasn't until 1862 when Alvan Clark first detected Sirius' faint companion that it became widely accepted. In fact, this tiny star was actually a white dwarf, the first ever discovered. Today, the primary star of this binary system (the one we see in the sky) is known as Sirius A, and it's 10,000x dimmer companion, a white dwarf, is called Sirius B or the Pup.

A rather perplexing mystery associated with Sirius has to do with observations made by the Egyptians. At the beginning of the summer months (Northern Hemisphere), Sirius makes a powerful display as it rises with the sun at dawn (hence this is where the phrase "the dog days of summer" comes from). Egyptians 3000 years ago saw this as a sign announcing the flooding of the Nile and likewise venerated the star as a god. The problem however, is that their records and others up until the time of Christ, describe Sirius as a reddish fiery color, even redder than Antares or even Mars. This is a problem because presently Sirius emits a pure white color, and such a drastic change occurring in a mere couple of millennia is an almost impossible event for astronomers to accept. The only plausible explanation is that 3000 years ago Sirius was in it's red giant phase, but even then, the time change is too short (with respect to the astronomical scale) and no expelled gases have been detected. The mystery has yet to be solved.

On a less scientific note, because of Sirius's prominent title as "brightest star" it has become one of the more "well known" of the rest. In light of this, it has played roles in science fiction novels, movies, songs, marketing strategies, cult beliefs, and flimsy archeological mysteries. Taking the later result for example, archeologists in 1931 discovered a very mysterious connection between Sirius and an African tribe in Mali known as the Dogon. According to reports, the tribe (who is about as primitive as they come) holds Sirius as the most important object in the sky, calling it "sigi tolo," and they believe it has an invisible companion which they call "po tolo" that circles it every fifty years. The Dogon call this invisible star "po" because they believe it is tiny, white, and heavy just like their most abundant grain, po grain. Strangely enough, the invisible companion, Sirius B, is, by nature as a white dwarf, tiny, white, and heavy, and as mentioned above, it circles Sirius A with a period of fifty years. How these people, who have never even seen glass let alone a telescope, have come to such an accurate scientific fact has caused archeologists and astronomers alike to pull their hair in bewilderment? I personally suspect some contamination from the real world that they failed to tell us about. For example, lets see, Africa?, who knows, maybe the famed astronomer Earl C. Slipher stopped by and told a few astronomy stories around the camp fire before heading off to South Africa to study Mars. Or maybe these primitives uncovered some old Astronomy Magazines that some pilot throw out the window (remember the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy"). Chances are this mystery is full of holes, which the reporters obviously didn't think were noteworthy.

In further support of Sirius's popularity and to give a few laughs, people have gone so far as to write songs solely about the star. Take for example "The Sirius Song" by Lee Gold, which was taken from a 1958 Britannica II:

The Sirius Song

This is a Sirius Song.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Yes, it's a Sirius Song.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.

CHORUS: Ay Oh! Ay Oh!
That's its star class, scientists say.
Yes,... it's A0.
And I'm saying that it's A-OK.

It's 2-point-7 parsecs out.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Not very far by astronomer count.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.

CHORUS

It's one-third hotter than the sun.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Rises in north when the heat's begun.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.

CHORUS

It's not lonely, I'll guarantee.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Got a white dwarf companion, name of B.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.

CHORUS

This is a Sirius Song....
Dog-star shining up there on high.
Yes, it's a Sirius Song....
Dog-star's the brightest star in our sky.

Ay Oh! Ay Oh!
That's its star class, scientists say.
Yes,... it's A0.
And I'm saying that it's A-OK.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it was informative and useful. Please write me with any questions or suggestions.

Thanks and clear skies!

Last month I was emailed several question in regards to the recent Leonid meteor shower. In light of this and knowing there will be many more such events to come, I have decided to publish your questions along with their answers.

What is the difference between a meteor, meteoroid, and a meteorite?
A meteoroid is a piece of ice, dirt, or rock barreling through space with no particular destination. A meteor (AKA falling or shooting star) is when a meteoroid enters our Earth's atmosphere burning up in the streak or fireball we see in the sky. A meteorite is when one of these meteors manages to live through this fiery arrival and impact on the planet's surface. Moreover, it is a meteorite you can hold in your hand and not a meteor or meteoroid.

Where do these showers come from?
Showers or storms are unique in that they're not just one random meteoroid entering our atmosphere but rather a stampede of them. The origin of this dense arrangement of space debris is from the tail of comets. As a comet leaves the frigid environment of deep space and approaches our solar system, the sun's energy melts away the comet's icy surface. From this breaks away all sorts of particles which are swept back in a tail-like fashion by the solar winds, in effect, creating a trail of potential meteors. It is when the Earth passes hrough such a trail of comet 'leftovers' that we see a shower like display of meteors. The Leonids originate from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which has a period of 33.18 years. Likewise, it is about every 33 years around mid November when our orbit carries us into the densest part of Comet Temple-Tuttle's trail of debris. That is why the shower has been so prominent these last couple of years, meaning that the last big Leonid eruption was back in 1966, when in fact over 150,000 meteors an hour where estimated to have been visible.

What is the difference between a meteor storm and a shower?
What distinguishes a meteor storm from a shower is that a storm produces an excess of over 1000 meteors an hour. In order for the rate of the Leonids to reach storm level, two conditions must be met: (1) The Earth must pass through Tempel-Tuttle's tail within a few hundred days of it's passing. (2) This stream of particles must pass close enough to the Earth in order for them to be pulled in.

Where do I look for them?
The Leonid meteors will appear to radiate from a single point in the constellation Leo, hence the name Leonids. This point, known as the radiant, will be somewhere within the lion's head, but it is not here that you want to look. The meteors will only appear to extend from this point and will actually materialize throughout the night sky. If you should happen upon one that does not appear to emanate from the constellation Leo, it is not a Leonid. With respect to other well noted meteor showers: the Perseids radiate from a point near the constellation Perseus, the Geminids near the constellation Gemini, and the Giacobinids radiate from. . .well??

What is the best time to view such a shower?
The best time to view a meteor shower is at its peak, however this years Leonids peaked when Leo was several hours from rising. In consequence, when a shower's peak is out of the question, the next best time would be when it's radiant is halfway up the sky (this year for the Leonids it would have been about 4 am locally). Not to say there is something wrong in viewing a shower when it's radiant is at the zenith or any other place. In particular, any dark patch of sky would work out great, its just that halfway up the sky permits clear viewing and leaves plenty of room for those long fireballs.

Can someone get hit by one of these meteors?
Although there have been recorded incidents of people being hit or nearly hit by meteorites, none so far have been Leonids. In other words, I would leave the hard hat at home.

Thank you for your questions. I hope last months Leonids provided some excitement for you and that future encounters prove to be even more spectacular. Please continue emailing me your questions and/or ideas for future topics.

Cheers and happy holidays!

We may never now exactly how many generations it took before our race realized that the stars could be used as a clock and calendar. But learn they did, and as early as 3000 years ago Sumerian stargazers had given names to numerous stars and identified the belt of calendar constellations we now call the Zodiac. The Zodiac is the ring of constellations that lie on the path that the Sun traces as it moves across the sky, also known as the ecliptic. The ecliptic is also a projection of the Earth's orbit onto the celestial sphere (imaginary bowl shaped dome covering the Earth) and because the orbits of all the other superior planets lie on the same plane, more or less (except Pluto), they can likewise be found along the ecliptic. But because the inclination of their planes aren't all the same, the old Babylonians and Greeks had observed that the planets and the moon meander along the ecliptic straying 8° north and south of the line. One can thus visualize the Zodiac as a highway forming a complete circle around the Earth and being 16° wide. It is on this highway that are placed the 12 well know constellations of astrology evenly spaced in 30° intervals. However, contrary to popular belief, there are actually 13 Zodiac constellations, if you pay attention to how they are defined as I mentioned above. In addition to Aries (the Ram), Taurus (the bull), Gemini (the Twins), Cancer (the Crab), Leo (the lion), Virgo (the Virgin), Libra (the Scales), Scorpius (the Scorpion), Sagittarius (the Archer), Capricornus (the Sea-Goat), Aquarius (the Water-Carrier), and Pisces (the Fishes), the Sun also passes through Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Holder). I like to see an Astrologer explain that one. In addition, I wonder if they know why the "Signs of the Zodiac" are also off by about one month. The reason is simple, procession. Procession is the wobbling gyroscopic dance the Earth's axis does over a 26,000 year period. This phenomenon, due primarily in affect to the gravitational forces from the Sun and Moon, was first noted by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus in the second century B.C. The relevance here is that procession causes the position of the stars relative to our planetary bodies to change over a period of time. Thus, centuries ago when astrology was invented, the Sun's apparent path along the Zodiac was off by about a month in comparison to today. So if you were born on August 14, 150 B.C. (the time of Hipparchus) lets say, then your sign would have been Leo, and that's what astrologers still say today. But they are wrong because they use the old dates as if they still applied. In actuality, if you were born on August 14, 1999 your sign would now be Cancer. Along these same lines one can understand the meaning behind the popular cry of the "Age of Aquarius" from the 60's and 70's. Basically, in 370 years the Spring Equinox will have moved from the Zodiac constellation of Pisces to Aquarius. If you can squeeze some meaning out of that please let me know! Furthermore, for the everyday star-hopper the Zodiac can aid in the locating of planets and the moon by simply checking to see which constellation they appear in that night. For while the stars reappear in the same location each year, the other planetary objects of the solar system are in continual motion along the ecliptic. On a final note, notice that in astronomy, it is Scorpius, not Scorpio and Capricornus, not Capricorn. These are the official names for the constellations. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings between the Zodiac, astronomy, astrology, and the constellations in general. Please email me with any questions or errors. Thanks.

Cheers and clear skies!

Buying a telescope is a daunting task, especially if it's your first. Some quick advice, hold off the purchase until you've at least spent some time scanning the heavens with other's various instruments. Its difficult to grasp the abilities a particular telescope exhibits while looking at it on your computer or in a magazine ad. The best way to do this is simply attending a local star party or similar event. Trust me, put some experience in your pocket before you go throwing money around. In addition, here are some other things to look for when making a selection. First off, stay away from telescopes that are sold for magnification. You know,… the kind that have '500 power' written on the box. Magnification means nothing when selecting a telescope simple because the magnifying power comes from the eyepiece and not the telescope itself. In essence, one could buy a Toys 'R Us telescope kit and make it magnify 500x if he had the eyepiece, but there's a catch. What's really crucial is the aperture of the instrument, that is, the size of the mirror or refracting lens. If the telescope can't gather the light, how is it to magnify it? Moreover, large aperture means potential for high power, if you have the right eyepiece. And when I say the 'right eyepiece' I mean something with a focal length of 2-12mm. But the actual power one will receive depends on the focal length of the telescope itself (power is the dividend of the telescope's focal length and eyepiece focal length). If I lost you just remember this, the bigger the optics the better the instrument. And anything that is advertising high magnification needs to be put on your boycott list. Moving along, another important item is the finder scope (smaller telescope used to align the actual telescope). What you want to look for here are the same qualities as in a regular telescope but in a scaled down version; preferably something along the lines of 6x30 or 5x24 (magnification x aperture). Another important feature is the focuser, which holds the eyepieces. First, make sure it's built for interchanging eyepieces and not a fixed zoom design. And also make sure to check that its quality work with smooth movement and no wobbles. A shaky eyepiece is comparable to observing during an earthquake; not an easy task. Now for the tripod, which is one of the more crucial elements on a telescope. To begin with, remember that fewer moving parts means less possibility for those common mechanical breakdowns. Also, watch out for plastics, that goes along the lines of quality work. On a final note, excluding dobsonians, be sure to get good slow motion controls with your tripod and a motorized tracker. They really make life a whole lot easier. I hope this eases the stress and allows for a successful purchase.

Good luck (!) and please email me with any questions or comments that you may have.

Cheers and clear skies,

For most outdoor sports or hobbies, when it comes to the weather only extreme downpours or cold fronts seem to be the inhibitors. However, for the amateur astronomer a few clouds or even a high dew point can make it impossible, not to mention it's solely a nighttime activity; meaning craggy mornings. So in order to make the most of your evenings, here are some weather watching tips. When the temperature is likely to drop through the night, look for evenings where the dew point is low. Simple chemistry tells us that when there is a large amount of moisture in the air, falling temperatures cause it to condense, thus turning the night sky into a bunch of mini water droplets. And as we all know, looking through water has a distorting affect on any image, hence poor observing conditions. Another thing to look for is the letter H on those weather maps you see on TV or the newspaper. The H stands for (dry) high-pressure and one usually sees them following a cold front. In effect, this removes all the haze and moisture in the air, leaving a dry high-pressure center which in turn means clear skies! On a less scientific note, if its summer and the day is filled with those cotton like cumulus clouds, more often then not one can expect some ideal star hopping weather that evening. Well I hope this makes the juggle with stargazing and sleeping easier for some of you. Please email me with any questions or comments you may have.

Cheers and clear skies,