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)
Astronomy
Starry Night
Tonight was nice and clear - so I went out to hunt for the dwarf planet, Ceres. I was inspired to look by Telescope Paul, who spotted it last week. I pretty much used the same star-hopping technique he did, but Ceres is moving, and sits a little higher, a little closer to Gemini than…Read more Starry Night
Super Blue Cold Blood Moon – Salt in the Wound! (Astronomy: Week of 1/28/18)
So... It's an interesting conjunction of coincidental (and a bit arbitrary) alignments we'll see this week: a Super Moon (Moon at perigee - closest point to Earth - while full); a Blue Moon (arbitrary, second full Moon in January. Seriously, we made this up.); a Cold Moon (again, just the name we give the full…Read more Super Blue Cold Blood Moon – Salt in the Wound! (Astronomy: Week of 1/28/18)
International Space Station
The International Space Station cruises by Orion in this 20-second exposure, Jan 25, 2018. On board (and in this picture): Anton Shkaplerov (Russia), Commander; Mark Vande Hei (USA); Joseph Acaba (USA); Alexander Misurkin (Russia); Scott Tingle (USA); Norishige Kanai (Japan)
Orbits, and Orbital Decay (Astronomy: Week of 1/21/18)
In case you haven't heard, China's first space station, Tiangong-1 is about to make an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. That's an 18,750 pound (8,500 kg) chunk of stuff, about to fall in a blaze of glory. We don't know when, and we don't know where.... but probably some time in March, 2018. To understand…Read more Orbits, and Orbital Decay (Astronomy: Week of 1/21/18)
History’s Most Important Comets (Astronomy: Week of 1/14/18)
You might not have heard, and almost certainly didn't see, Comet Heinze (C/2017 T1), zip by Earth over the past week and a half or so. Discovered last year, it was expected to brighten up and make a good showing as a binocular comet through January 2018, but it's still very dim, at Magnitude 9.5. …Read more History’s Most Important Comets (Astronomy: Week of 1/14/18)
Astronomy Videos
Hey all. As I mentioned recently, I've been having fun with YouTube, just about as much as I have writing here. I recently had one of my YouTube buds ask about astronomy, and when I mentioned I write about it occasionally, he encouraged me to try to incorporate a YouTube adaptation... I was skeptical, but…Read more Astronomy Videos
Conjunction Junction (Astronomy: Week of 1/7/18)
Whew! Compared to last week, this week is pretty quiet, so I'm going to keep this one short... Our wintry nights are still long, here in the midst of "Deep Winter" (more on my 8-season outdoor calendar to come, later...), and I, like almost a third of the US, am REALLY cold. But those long…Read more Conjunction Junction (Astronomy: Week of 1/7/18)
Waning Wolf
The first full Moon of 2018 was a Supermoon, and also the Wolf Moon. Here, the visible ragged crater edges on the western (top) flank indicate this is no longer full - it's technically a waning gibbous. But it's in the single digits out there, I wouldn't be surprised if the wolves are still about!
Super-Everything to Kick Off 2018! (Astronomy: Week of 12/31/17)
OK, so... there might be a little bit of exaggeration in this title, but not much! Let's get to it! First off, we'll be ringing in the New Year with the year's first Supermoon, on New Year's Day! It's bigger, it's brighter! Because it's closer... the full Moon just happen to occur within a day…Read more Super-Everything to Kick Off 2018! (Astronomy: Week of 12/31/17)
Winter Sky (Astronomy: Week of 12/24/17)
Last year this time, I was sitting on my in-laws' couch trying to figure out how I was going to bring Flying Squirrel Outdoors to life. Though I officially didn't kick it off til Jan 1, it's hard not to think about where I've been this past year, ups and downs... And interestingly enough, part…Read more Winter Sky (Astronomy: Week of 12/24/17)
Winter Solstice (Astronomy: Week of 12/17/17)
Stars rule the night. They are more than just windows into an infinite cosmos, or keys to the history of our own world. In a more tangible sense, the stars provide humanity with a roadmap, establishing time and place. Long before artificial lights poisoned our view of the night sky, and before human industry occupied…Read more Winter Solstice (Astronomy: Week of 12/17/17)
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 Moon! The Sun! The Meteors! (Astronomy: Week of 12/3/17)
Welcome to December, everybody! It's hard to believe it's already December, and that 2017 is almost over... but here we are. I'm posting my weekly backyard astronomy thoughts a day early this week, because I don't want you to miss the gloriously big, last (and only) Supermoon of the year, tonight, Dec 2. Now, the…Read more The Moon! The Sun! The Meteors! (Astronomy: Week of 12/3/17)
Just Stargazing, and Wondering (Astronomy: Week of 11/26/17)
This week I've been able to get out and just look at the sky. The clouds have broken, for a while, and those crisp, clear low-humidity night skies are back. It sure is getting cold, though! Saturn and Mercury are toying with the setting Sun. Jupiter and Mars are in the morning sky, and Venus…Read more Just Stargazing, and Wondering (Astronomy: Week of 11/26/17)
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 