The map projection used for any planisphere is a flat representation of our spherical view of the cosmos.  Some distortion of distance, scale, area, etc. always results from this process.  In map projections commonly used in planispheres this distortion increases geometrically as distance from the center increases.  In conventional planispheres the distortion can be extreme which makes […]

Summer is a great time to be outdoors at night with clear skies and the prospect of seeing a shooting star. As you know, a shooting star is the common name for the bright streak of light given off by a meteor as it streaks into Earth’s atmosphere and burns up from the heat caused […]