Our planetarian says good riddance to star projectors!

Why do most stars and exoplanets have such unimaginative names? Such as HD40307g? Our planetarian explains.

Does every scientific question have an answer? Does "because that's just the way it is" count?

Why should we go back to the Moon? Because we want to!

What's your favorite planet?

Don't let black holes keep you up at night!

If we already knew black holes are real then why did we need a photo to prove it?

What do MESSENGER, CALIPSO and SMART-1 have in common? The answer is in another acronym: NASA

Astronomers have a… complicated… relationship with names. Sometimes we get it right. Take the term “gas giants” for example. Jupiter and Saturn are gigantic and (mostly) made of gas. It’s a pretty fantastic name. On the flip side we have planetary nebulae, which, while they are nebulae, don’t produce planets nor do they come from planets. They’re so named because early astronomers thought they looked a little like planets.

Despite being quackery, can astrology connect people to the real science of astronomy?