The kite-shaped constellation Böotes, the Herdsman, is best known for its brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus, the third-brightest individual star in the heavens. Böotes was one of Ptolemy’s original 48 constellations in the first century. The origin of the constellation is unclear, but one reference has Böotes moving a celestial plough (Ursa Major) around a pivot point marked by the north star.
More than a few stargazers got their start with a first look at Saturn through a telescope. The planet is simply a beautiful object. The rings of Saturn, the straw-colored bands, the little gaggle of Moons all make for excellent viewing with a small scope, even for absolute beginners. Here are a few tips to help you see Saturn’s rings as well as other features on the planet…
Einstein and Hubble
In the first article of this series, you learned of Vesto Slipher’s discovery that galaxies were speeding away from us at astonishing speeds.
In the second, you learned of Edwin Hubble’s epic discovery, first reported in 1929, of an expanding universe where the speed at which galaxies receded from our point of view was directly proportional to their distance, a relationship we now call Hubble’s Law.
Now let’s turn to the explanation of why the universe expands, and the implications of its expansion for its beginning…
