Looking Up column: A diamond, a ruby and a doughnut

In our imagination, we will see it isn’t hard to visualize these among the stars. Just picture a harp that plays sweet music, and what a better melody than gems and junk food!Seriously, what we are referring to is the bright star Vega, which shines distinctly blue-white like a diamond, a dim but very red star nearby (the ruby), and a nebula of cosmic gas shaped like a donut ring, easily discerned in a small telescope.Lyra is equally recognized, both because of shining Vega and […]  » Read More