Portal:Astronomy/Did you know/Archive 1

...that a Bok globule is a dark cloud of dense dust and gas, first observed by astronomer Bart Bok in the 1940s, in which star formation is taking place within the H II region?

...that Kordylewski clouds are large concentrations of dust that orbit Earth at the distance of the Moon?

...that the trans-Planckian problem refers to the appearance of unlikely quantities beyond the Planck scale in black-hole physics and inflationary cosmology?

...that most contemporary robotic telescopes are in the hands of amateur astronomers?

...that the Milky Way's galactic halo contains many globular clusters?

...that pole stars change over time because stars exhibit a slow but distinct drift with respect to the Earth's axis?

...that gravitational collapse is a leading cause of star death?

...that the biggest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere will be the Southern African Large Telescope, opening later this year?

...that scientists are testing Einstein's theory of general relativity with Gravity Probe B, an artificial satellite?