There's nothing particularly "new" in the sky this week. No events with critical timing, no new comets or other discoveries (although there is apparently a new Supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy...) So, I got a little adventurous with the camera, and pulled out the telescope for followup. The prey - Globular Clusters! I've talked some…Read more Astronomy: Week of 5/21/17 (Globs!)
Astronomy
Astronomy, Week of 5/14/17 (Yes, Another Comet!)
There is another binocular comet gracing our night skies, and this may be the last one of the year. It's hovering just below naked-eye brightness at the moment, but it's high in the evening sky (none of this early pre-dawn nonsense), in Bootes, between Arcturus and the Big Dipper, very close to where Comet 45P…Read more Astronomy, Week of 5/14/17 (Yes, Another Comet!)
Astronomy: Week of 4/30/17 (Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower)
Seems like only yesterday I was talking about Jupiter coming back into the evening sky, and now it's shining high and bright early every evening. Never fails to impress, even through a small telescope. Mars is almost gone, vanishing below the horizon soon after sunset. Venus is back and shining bright again, but only if…Read more Astronomy: Week of 4/30/17 (Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower)
Astronomy Weekly : Solar Eclipse Planning
It's time to start planning where to be when the shadow hits!
The Lyrids Are Coming! (How Do We Know?)
Happy Easter, everyone! As you know, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first full Moon after the Vernal Equinox. So we couldn't know when to celebrate it without watching the stars. Before we get to meteor showers, a couple interesting conjunctions this week: The waning gibbous Moon passes by Saturn on Sunday the…Read more The Lyrids Are Coming! (How Do We Know?)
Astrophotography, or Just Obsession?
Warning: I'm getting a little over the edge here, and unwittingly going beyond "fun" casual stargazing into some serious effort to find the comets I've been talking about. In short, I'm geeking out into some junior-varsity stuff - particularly since I didn't start out with Astronomy being a main topic for this blog, it's a…Read more Astrophotography, or Just Obsession?
Astronomy: Week of 4/9/17 (Jupiter, and ANOTHER Comet!)
As I mentioned last week, Jupiter was at opposition on Friday, April 7 - this means it's opposite the sun, from our perspective, making it at its most "full" (though, as I've pointed out before, the outer planets are always very close to full from our vantage point). It's also on the same side of…Read more Astronomy: Week of 4/9/17 (Jupiter, and ANOTHER Comet!)
Astronomy: Week of 4/2/17 (Comet Hunters Edition)
Comets, Comets Everywhere - but where the heck are they?
Astronomy: Week of 3/26/17 (Two Elusive Speedsters)
OK, as promised, I'm going to talk about Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak this week, but there's also another elusive object out there, and this week may be your best chance to catch either of them. The planet Mercury is nearing its most eastern declination from the Sun this week, meaning from our point of view it's at…Read more Astronomy: Week of 3/26/17 (Two Elusive Speedsters)
Astronomy: Week of 3/19/17 – Vernal Equinox
This week I have two things to look at, two thing to know, and one thing to tease you with. Thing one to look at: In all my discussions and introduction of the Zodiac constellations, I sort of neglected Cancer. Cancer is easily overlooked, it's dim, more recognizable as that dark area between Gemini and…Read more Astronomy: Week of 3/19/17 – Vernal Equinox
Astronomy: Week of 3/5/17 – Navigation From the Dipper
The Big Dipper can help you find more than the North Star.
Lunar Occultation of Aldebaran, March 4
Not to replace the weekly astronomy summary, I wanted to get this out early so interested viewers can catch it. On Saturday, March 4, the crescent moon will get VERY close to Aldebaran, the red eye of Taurus. For most of the world, that's the end of the story, but for much of North America,…Read more Lunar Occultation of Aldebaran, March 4
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 