Earlier in the week, I referred to an effort to find the dwarf planet Ceres, while carefully sharing a photo of Orion to disguise the fact that "finding" Ceres meant little more than identifying one dot of many as a rocky planet, and not a star like the rest of them. For me, "discovery" meant…Read more Discovering New Worlds (Astronomy: Week of 2/10/18)
Asteroid
The Geminids Are Here! (Astronomy: Week of 12/10/17)
It's time for one of the most reliable meteor showers of the year, the Geminids - and unlike last year's show (and the Perseids earlier this year), the Moon won't be around to spoil the party. In fact, the Moon is giving somewhat of an encore to early morning viewers, rising as a waning crescent…Read more The Geminids Are Here! (Astronomy: Week of 12/10/17)
The Asteroid Florence, and Rethinking Moons
If you've been watching space news lately (and why wouldn't you be?), you may have seen mention of an asteroid named Florence. Florence is a big asteroid - about 3 miles across - and it's passing pretty close to Earth at the moment. A safe 7 million km, but that's pretty darned close. Close enough…Read more The Asteroid Florence, and Rethinking Moons
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 