Camelopardalis — Facing Our Fears

Camelopardalis — Facing Our Fears

This time of year I find myself visiting Camelopardalis (really a giraffe not a camel — see this post from last winter). Despite its large size (18th largest constellation), Camelopardalis attracts relatively few astronomical caravans (having a hard time shaking...
The Cruelty of the Camel

The Cruelty of the Camel

Camelopardalis is a giraffe, not a camel, but the title is too amusing to resist, so I’m going with it. And because inquiring minds want to know, it is said to be pronounced kuh-mel-uh-pahr-dl-is by dictionary.com, but cam-el-oh-par-dal-iss has a more musical...
Comet ZTF in Camelopardalis

Comet ZTF in Camelopardalis

The curious name of Camelopardalis (actually a giraffe) results from the combination of camel+leopard because giraffes look sort of like camels with leopard spots. Or at least people used to think they did, including a Dutch theologian named Petrus Plancius who...