Since there are now over 1500 questions with answers in the Ask the Astronomer area, and growing by about 100 - 150 per month, I decided to look into the statistics of the most frequently visited questions in this archive and tally-up those that had the largest number of hits during the months of January, February, April and May, 1996 just to see what I would get. Here is a list of the 'Top 25' questions during this period! The first number is the total hits during this period, followed by the link to the question.

I hope you enjoy this short list. As an astronomer, I found it very surprising. If I had been asked to figure out what kinds of questions would be the most popular, I would only have anticipated about 5 of them having to do with black holes and Big Bang cosmology, and 51 Pegasi. I would never in a billion years thought that so many people would be interested in the Moon!

(882)... How long are you going to keep answering questions here?

(721)... Where can I get pictures of 51 Pegasi?

(570)... When will there be a Full Moon between March and May, 1996?

(405)... Where can I get information about lunar phases, rising times, etc?

(307)... I saw a double rainbow with the colors of the inner rainbow reversed. Is this common?

(308)... Can you list 10 facts supporting Big Bang theory?

(303)... What is a Blue Moon?

(276)... What atmospheric process causes a Blue Moon?

(274)... Do you believe in Big Bang theory?

(237)... Do you believe in Big Bang theory, or Creation?

(236)... Where can I get software to predict the dates of Full and New Moon?

(228)... Why does the Moon produce two water tides on the Earth and not just one?

(218)... How can you tell if a Moon is waxing or waning by its crescent?

(192)... What alternatives to Big Bang theory are still being investigated?

(192)... Where can I find ideas for science fair projects on the Internet?

(178)... How feasible is warp drive and teleportation?

(176)... Where can I find the tracks of future eclipses on the Internet?

(161)... Is it your view that the universe is finite or infinite?

(157)... If gravity causes rotation, is the universe rotating?

(151)... Can I get a star named after my wife?

(139)... Can the Hubble Space Telescope see a human face from orbit?

(138)... Are black holes considered proven objects?

(134)... Can you date the crucifixion of Christ using astronomy?

(125)... Are black holes real?

(124)... What happens when two black holes collide?

(100)... Why does an egg stand on its end at the Vernal Equinox?

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