Discover the cosmos! ... September 2, 1996 . Sirius: The Brightest Star in the Night . ... As Sirius is 8.7 light years distant, it is not the closest star system -- the Alpha Centauri system holds this distinction. ... In 1862, Sirius was discovered to be a binary star system with a companion star, Sirius B , 10,000 times dimmer than the bright primary, Sirius A. Sirius B was the first white dwarf star discovered, a type of star first understood by Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in 1930. ...

... September 5, 1998 . The Pulsar Powered Crab . Credit: J. Hester and P. Scowen ( ASU ), NASA . ... Using a stunning series of visible light images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) , astronomers have discovered spectacular pulsar powered motions within the Crab nebula. Highlights of this HST Crab "movie" show wisps of material moving away from the pulsar at half the speed of light, a scintillating halo, and an intense knot of emission dancing, sprite-like, above the pulsar's pole. ...

... Observing . ... Solar Observing . ... April 3 (SUN) - Solar Observing, Central Park , Manhattan . ... APRIL'S SKY . ... Lecture Series at the American Museum of Natural History The Amateur Astronomers Association is proud to present an astronomy lecture series from October through May each year for our members and the .. ... The€аAmateur Astronomers Association of New York€аwas organized in 1927 to promote the study of Astronomy, emphasizing its cultural and inspirational value. ...