Stories by Bart J. Bok

A few years ago the fundamental facts about it seemed to be fairly well established. Now even its mass and its radius have come into question

Since stars grow old and die, they are presumably born. In our galaxy the most favorable conditions for their birth are found in the clouds of dust and gas along the central galactic plane

One of a pair of small galaxies visible only in the Southern Hemisphere, it is so near our own galaxy that it is a unique laboratory for the study of the birth and evolution of stars

Astronomers have long believed that our galaxy is a giant spiral. By combining new optical techniques and radio evidence, they are now beginning to prove it

Plans for a 140-foot steerable paraboloid telescope to be located in West Virginia are being drawn by the National Science Foundation. The observatory is a cooperative project of research institutions

Some of the most meaningful objects in the heavens are not visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Presenting the first photographs from the new Schmidt telescope in South Africa

The great band of stars that arches across the night sky is our galaxy seen from inside. Astronomers have pressed beyond it, but they are still investigating its structure