Top Ten astronomy Articles

Here are the top ten articles for the Astronomy Site! These rankings are live and get reset at the beginning of each month, so check back often to see what your fellow visitors are most interested in!
1. Transit of Venus - Captain Cook 1769
2. Astro Advent 2022 Days 9-16
3. About Copernicus - for Kids
4. Absolute Beginners - Summer Skies
5. Venus - Facts for Kids
6. Mother's Day - an Astronomy Bouquet
7. Story of Rosetta – for Kids
8. Eris - Dwarf Planet
9. Why It Took So Long to Discover Uranus
10. Astro Advent 2022 17-25
Be sure to visit the Astronomy Archives for all the articles!
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1. Transit of Venus - Captain Cook 1769
How big is the Solar System? 18th century astronomers tried to find out by sending expeditions around the world to measure a transit of Venus. One of these was Captain Cook's voyage to Tahiti. He went under the auspices of the Royal Society, but he carried secret orders from the British government.
2. Astro Advent 2022 Days 9-16
Christmas 2022 is past, but the daily "astro advent" images in the Astronomy Forum are still there to enjoy. The second eight days included both a magnificent aurora and an awesome meteor shower.
3. About Copernicus - for Kids
Since the name of Nicolaus Copernicus is still well known nearly five hundred years after his death, why was his grave unmarked until 2010? Find out about the life of the quiet revolutionary that turned our view of the universe inside out.
4. Absolute Beginners - Summer Skies
Warm summer nights are a great time to study the sky. Here is a guide to the main summer constellations. You can see all of these things without a telescope, so head outside and look up.
5. Venus - Facts for Kids
It's the planet most likely to be mistaken for a UFO. It spins backwards on its axis. A year is two days long. It's Venus! Some call it Earth's twin, but it isn't much like home.
6. Mother's Day - an Astronomy Bouquet
Flowers from the florist are popular for Mother's Day. But for really stellar mothers, here is a cosmic floral tribute with links to some dazzling astronomical images.
7. Story of Rosetta – for Kids
Rosetta went where no space mission had been before! It caught up with a comet in deep space and went into orbit around it. Its lander Philae was the first ever to land on a comet. At the end of the mission, Rosetta also landed on the comet to join it and Philae on the comet's journey.
8. Eris - Dwarf Planet
In a tilted orbit in the scattered disk, it shook up the traditional Solar System. Was it bigger than Pluto, and therefore a planet? No, both of them ended up as dwarf planets. Eris – named for the Greek goddess of discord – was an apt name for an object whose discovery started so many arguments.
9. Why It Took So Long to Discover Uranus
The sky is full of stars, and since prehistoric times humans have known of five nomads – planets – wandering among them. No individual discovered those planets, for they're there for all to see. So why was the sixth one – now called Uranus – not known until 1781?
10. Astro Advent 2022 17-25
Christmas 2022 is past, but the daily "astro advent" images in the Astronomy Forum are still there to enjoy. The final eight days – plus a Christmas bonus – included a fire rainbow, ice halos and a spectacular comet.
Be sure to visit the Astronomy Archives for all the articles!
Editor's Picks Articles
Top Ten Articles
Previous Features
Site Map