Scholz´s star - named for its discoverer - is now 20 light-years away. But astronomers say they've verified a flyby of this star 70,000 years ago that dislodged comets from the Oort Cloud.
Some people call it the Winter Hexagon. It's not one of the 88 official constellations, but just an asterism, or noticeable pattern of stars, in this case 7 very bright stars in 6 different constellations.
Where did turtles come from? And how did the they get their shells? The answers to these questions caused scientists to rethink the entire history of reptile evolution. New video from PBS.
The ecliptic - sun and moon's path, marked in green on our chart - cuts through the Winter Circle. So, every month the Circle is visible, the moon sweeps through these stars.
"Painters understand nature and love it, and teach us to see," said Vincent van Gogh. This painting - called Starry Night over the Rhone - is from 1888.
