Tag Archives: Q&A

Are we really headed for a collision with Andromeda?

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Dear Urban Astronomer I recently read that the andromeda system is our closest neighbour. Apparently, our galaxy is on a crash course with the andromeda system. They make it sound like its going to happen in the next few decades. I was just curious how much bigger is andromeda? How close is it to us? And how close are we to impact. Thanks in advance, Drew Dear Drew First thing first, we are indeed on a collision course with the Andromeda … Continue reading →

Will the Blood Moon harm my unborn baby?

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Dear Urban Astronomer I am pregnant, and am worried that all these Blood Moons could harm my baby. I have asked around in my community, but everybody has their own scary story about what will happen to my baby if I go outdoors during the blood moon. Please let me know what precautions I must take. Yours, Hypothetical Reader   The blood moon will not hurt your baby Okay so nobody actually mailed this question to me.  But at the … Continue reading →

What is the temperature of Space?

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Dear Urban Astronomer So, my good friend and I were talking about the temperature in space. He thinks it must be hot in space, since there is no atmosphere to absorb sunlight. I disagreed. I think that the fact that there is no air in space, means there is nothing to heat up. That’s how temperature on earth works. So, surely it must be cold in space. Can you shed light (excuse the pun) on this debate? Can you answer … Continue reading →

What is that bright star?

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Dear Urban Astronomer   Thanks for all your interesting celestial tidbits, which my hubby and I enjoy very much. We are just viewers and treasurers of the skies we love so much, not a professional like you! Could you perhaps enlighten us about a very bright star which is currently to be seen approx 30% up from the horizon to the east. When we say to the east, it is where our sun sets during the winter season. The star … Continue reading →

How many moons does Jupiter have?

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Current total: 79. I’ll keep updating this page as more get discovered. Details in the UPDATES section below As of 2 February 2012, we know of 67 moons around Jupiter.  We will probably continue to find more and more, as we keep looking, since Jupiter is large enough that it constantly captures passing asteroids and comets, turning them into moons.  The smallest ones are so hard to see, and have such big irregular orbits, that astronomers sometimes lose them, until … Continue reading →