Ancient Egyptians described Algol's eclipses Date: December 17, 2015 Source: University of Helsinki Summary: The Ancient Egyptian papyrus Cairo 86637 calendar is the oldest preserved historical ...

A new study indicates the star Algol, long considered unlucky, may have hidden companions. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Algol has a long and venerable history. It's the most prominent eclipsing variable star in the sky and the first discovered. The first astronomer who first noticed Algol's fade-downs was Geminiano ...

Algol is a short-period variable star. It is usually magnitude +2.3, but regularly, at intervals of two days, 20 hours and 48 minutes, the star’s brightness wanes to minimum light of +3.5.

This research “Shifting Milestones of Natural Sciences: The Ancient Egyptian Discovery of Algol’s Period Confirmed”, L. Jetsu and S. Porceddu was published on December, 17th, 2015 in PLOS ONE ...