Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Caption: Alfred McEwen

The Canals of Mars

We now know there's liquid water on Mars, according to NASA. But at the turn of the 20th century, we believed something else: that Mars had canals.
Astronomical image of Alpha Capricorni

Ole Rømer and the Speed of Light

In 1676, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer predicted that an eclipse of one of Jupiter’s moons would occur ten minutes later than expected. How did he know?