I can't possibly say anything on the subject of astronomy (in the U.S.), during the week of Aug 20, 2017, without mentioning the total solar eclipse. BUT, what else is there left to say? This will be by some accounts the most-viewed natural phenomenon, EVER, and I think by now everybody has gotten the message…Read more Andromeda (Astronomy: Week of 8/20/17)
Astronomy
Alarming News (Astronomy: Week of 8/13/17)
I don't mean to cause a panic or otherwise worry anybody, but I've noticed something. For the past few mornings, I've been able to see the Sun coming up in the east, and the Moon setting towards the west - both in the same sky. Over the course of a few mornings, of course, the…Read more Alarming News (Astronomy: Week of 8/13/17)
Perseids and Lunar Geometry (Astronomy: Week of 8/6/17)
Hey folks, I'm back from a week rambling around Downeast Maine, so while the frequency of posts has suffered, the material is overflowing! More to come on that later, but for now, it's time for a weekly snapshot of astronomical items of interest. This week, it's the Perseid meteor shower - peaking (unfortunately) during daylight…Read more Perseids and Lunar Geometry (Astronomy: Week of 8/6/17)
Galactic Center (Astronomy: Week of 7/30/17)
Better late than never. Who would have seriously thought that the east coast of the US would have crystal clear skies at the end of July? Saturday we had a drenching weather pattern akin to a winter nor'-easter. Sunday, no humidity, clear skies and temps in the 70's. My chance to complete a self-imposed homework…Read more Galactic Center (Astronomy: Week of 7/30/17)
Sundial, Plus! (Astronomy: Week of 7/23/17)
I am so behind! A lot of stuff has been going on for the past week, I've actually generated quite a backlog of things to write about - but finding the time to write and get it out there has been a challenge of late. This week's astronomy tidbit is a little different... I ran…Read more Sundial, Plus! (Astronomy: Week of 7/23/17)
Sagittarius and Juno (Astronomy: Week of 7/16/17)
Beginning with my own homework assignment, I did finally capture southern Scorpius. As you can see, it's REALLY low from my vantage point (any picture of stars that also features trees is a pretty good indicator of that). Not only was I able to catch the two "Cat's Eyes" at the end of Scorpius's tail,…Read more Sagittarius and Juno (Astronomy: Week of 7/16/17)
Movement (Astronomy: Week of 7/9/17)
Well, I was SORT of successful last week in photographing Scorpius. But between the summer weather (hazy, hot, humid, and thunderstorms just about every afternoon), it hasn't been a great week for stargazing. I got a brief window between clouds one night and shot some pictures of Scoripus's "head", they're posted here. M4 is pretty…Read more Movement (Astronomy: Week of 7/9/17)
Deep Sky Hunting in Scorpius (Astronomy: Week of 7/2/17)
The feature-rich Milky Way is now visible - let's see what we can find!
Sounding Rocket Launch (Astronomy: Week of 6/11/17)
Viewing man-made vapor tracers in the ionosphere.
Astronomy: Week of 5/28/17 (Occultation, and Jupiter)
Occultation of a binary, and Jupiter up to its regular showmanship
Astronomy: Week of 5/21/17 (Globs!)
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, 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!)
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 