Observing In a location far from city lights, on a night of good seeing, what percentage of stars visible to the naked eye is beyond our galaxy?
Observing, The Sun A while back, I saw a rainbow circle about 40° in diameter around the Sun. The inside of the circle was darker. I’d like to know why the circle was there, and what math explanation there is to address its huge size. It looked like a cap was taken off the atmosphere and you could peer into the universe.
Science Why are magnetic fields rare in massive stars and in close pairs? As far as I know, all stars have rotating plasma interiors, so they should all have magnetic fields. Would the lack of a magnetic field mean that the star does not have solar flares?
Observing, The Moon If two Full Moons in one calendar month are called a Blue Moon, then what, if anything, are two New Moons called, as occurred in September?
Science We often hear that meteors are tiny — a speck of dust or, at most, a pebble — and that the size of a meteor trail is based on how big the particle is. But what about the speed of the object? And do certain materials cause more light than others?
Science Do gravitational waves exhibit similar traits to waves in the electromagnetic spectrum, such as wave-particle duality?
Telescopes and Equipment I’ve been thinking about buying a solar telescope, but I already have a 5-inch reflector. Is it possible to convert it into a solar scope? If so, what do I need, and how do I go about setting it up in a safe way?
Science Why does a gravitational lens sometimes create an Einstein Cross with four images and sometimes a circle?
