The Rambling Astronomer

In March 1744 six giant curved rays towered above the southern horizon, people were staring at the great comet of 1744. This was comet De Cheseaux.

In the autumn of 1618 the devastating thirty years' war had begun when three bright comets appeared in the sky, this was taken as an omen for the coming disaster.

Until the comet of 1577 it was assumed that they were features within the atmosphere of the Earth. However Tycho Brahe observed this comet and saw it go behind the Moon, it had to be out in space beyond the Earth.

This is the closest bright comet to fly past the Earth, it missed us by just 10 million km.

One of the brightest comets ever seen, as comets were always linked with dire events the comet of 1264 was linked with the death of Pope Urban IV

The great comet of 1106 was a sungrazer comet and was seen around the world.

The comet of 44 BCE, many would say it caused the death of Julius Caesar, it appeared in the sky a few weeks after his assassination

Here is a simple introduction to one of the flimsy members of the solar system, comets.

The second brightest star in the smallest constellation in the sky, Crux the Southern Cross. Beta is sometimes known as Mimosa.

The faintest of the three stars that form the summer triangle, yet Deneb is actually the brightest. It appears fainter than Altair and Vega simply because it is much further away.

The most southerly of the first magnitude stars as seen from Britain.

Together with Castor, the star Pollux are the brightest stars in the constellation of Gemini the Twins one of the brightest of the zodiacal groups.

The brightest star in the constellation of Virgo the Virgin, Spica is always seen low down from Britain, which is a bit if a shame. Spica can be found by using the Plough.

A massive red super giant star that from Britain can be seen low down in the summer skies. It is so big that most of out solar system could fit inside it.

The eye of the Bull, Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus.

The brightest star in the Southern Cross, a constellation that we don't see in Britain yet it is one of the best know and a very familiar sight in the southern hemisphere.

The brightest star in the constellation of Aquila the Eagle and the southern most member of the summer triangle of stas that dominates the summer months in the northern hemisphere..

Normally known as Beta Centauri, Agena is the second of the pointers to the constellation of the Southern Cross.

One of the best known stars Betelgeuse or Beetlejuise as many people like to call it. A massive red giant star which astronomers expect to destroy itself in a supernova explosion within the next one million years.

One of many bright stars that cannot be seen from Britain, Achernar is the part of the long sprawling constellation of Eridanus the River that is far to the south of us.

The small dog star, Procyon is often overlooked in the winter sky by the brighter and better knwon Sirius the large dog star.

One of the four stars that form the great rectangle of Orion, Rigel can be found in the bottom right hand corner. It is the brightest star in this wonderful constellation.

The star that is overhead during winter evenings, although it appears single there are in fact four stars in this system.

One of the stars that forms the summer triangle, Vega can be seen directly overhead during summer evenings.

Located in the constellation of Bootes Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere with a wonderful story.