• As soon as darkness falls, look up high for the brilliant star Capella, the brightest in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. Close to Capella, note the prominent triangle of starlets called The Kids.
• Lighting up the apex of this triangle is the star Epsilon Aurigae (Almaaz),

one of the most mysterious stars in all the heavens.
• Although Capella looks much brighter than Epsilon, that's because Capella is so much closer. Capella resides about 42 light-years away, whereas Epsilon might be over 2,000 light-years distant.
• In cycles of 27 years, the light from Epsilon Aurigae dims for a period of two years. The star's last dimming happened in 2009-2011, and, before that, in 1982-1984. Epsilon is an eclipsing binary star, meaning that some "dark" star routinely eclipses the brighter star.
• Astronomers studied Epsilon Aurigae during its last dimming in an attempt to unlock its long-held secrets. Studies indicate that the dark body in this binary system consists of a star surrounded by a large disk of dust. But questions remain and competing theories are vying to explain the age-old puzzle that is still Epsilon Aurigae, Auriga the Charioteer's distant and mysterious star.
• By the way, Comet PanSTARRS has recently been spotted in the Northern Hemisphere! We are happy to report that many of our EarthSky facebook friends have posted comet photos, soon to be gathered into a gallery if images. In the meantime, enjoy the photo below, courtesy of Michael Daugherty.
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