The Sky at Night
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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Two weeks ago, astronomers announced the latest discovery of a planet going round a star other than our Sun. The star is Rho Coronae Borealis, nestling in the northern crown, and it is said to have a planet comparable to Jupiter. The evidence for the planet is indirect. Not even the world's most powerful telescopes can actually see it. But its 5th magnitude parent, a Sun-like star lying 50 light years away, is just bright enough to be detectable with the naked eye in a dark sky.
The constellation Corona Borealis is currently well up over the eastern horizon as it gets dark. Small, and relatively faint, it is nevertheless rather easy to find because of its compact semicircular shape. The brightest jewel in the crown is the second magnitude star now often appropriately called Gemma. Its traditional Arabic name though is Alphecca - 'the bright one of the dish'.
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