December 2022 – Mars Attacked! (By the Moon) plus Best Meteor Shower
The holidays bring out the kid in all of us and we astronomers are not immune, especially if there鈥檚 a celestial light show in the offering. Remember the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn back in December 2020? I do, and what a magnificent sight it was! Well, hold on to your Santa hats and … December 2022 – Mars Attacked! (By the Moon) plus Best Meteor Shower
November 2022 – A Blood Moon and Shooting Stars
Eclipses and meteor showers always have the potential to be great celestial naked eye spectacles and this November we are being given a shot at both. NOVEMBER 8: TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE The great thing about this month鈥檚 two astronomical happenings is that no expensive equipment is required to observe them. All you need do is … November 2022 – A Blood Moon and Shooting Stars
October 2022 – The Moon: An Appreciation
October 1st is NASA鈥檚 International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) event and this month鈥檚 blog is devoted to sharing the lunar love all year long. InOMN is a NASA sponsored event with the aim of inspiring people from around the world to all look up on this one night of the year in order to … October 2022 – The Moon: An Appreciation
September 2022 – Destination: Jupiter
Our solar system consists of the Sun and the planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets that orbit around it. The eight classical planets occupy two distinct regions of the solar system. The inner solar system is comprised of the 4 rocky (or terrestrial) worlds: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars; while the outer solar system … September 2022 – Destination: Jupiter
August 2022 – Ringworld: Saturn Returns
I can sit here and extol with endless verbiage the beauty and wonder of Saturn鈥檚 rings but it鈥檚 really something that you must experience for yourself. This month, Saturn is placed for prime time viewing in our evening skies and I鈥檓 here to help make sure that you get an opportunity see Saturn in a … August 2022 – Ringworld: Saturn Returns
July 2022 – Dodge the Sting and Enjoy Some Summer Bling
Within an hour of the Sun having ushered to a close yet another scorching summer鈥檚 day, even the least imaginative among us can easily discern the outlines of a giant scorpion crawling up the sky above the southern horizon. Scorpius, the eighth and most southerly constellation of the zodiac, guards two deep sky gems near … July 2022 – Dodge the Sting and Enjoy Some Summer Bling
May 2022 Feature – A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
鈥淔amiliarity breeds contempt鈥� is an age-old proverb and one that is, all too sadly, true. 鈥淐ontempt鈥� may perhaps be too strong of a word in all cases, but familiarity most certainly can, in the words of astronomer Fred Schaaf, 鈥渄ull the eye of wonder鈥�. The Sun and moon are both spectacular celestial objects that are … May 2022 Feature – A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
April 2022 Feature – A PARADE OF PLANETS
As the planets of our solar system move around the Sun in their various orbits, and at their own individual speeds, from our vantage point here on Earth (which is also moving around the Sun) we see them appear to wander against the starry background. On not so rare occasions, we will see two or … April 2022 Feature – A PARADE OF PLANETS
March 2022 Feature – MARCH EQUINOX: SPRING BEGINS!
Today, all we need to do in order to know when winter officially ends and spring begins is to consult a calendar or the internet. But what did folks in ancient times use before the invention of things like calendars, smart devices, or the internet? Sure, your average Joe or Jane prior to 1500 BC … March 2022 Feature – MARCH EQUINOX: SPRING BEGINS!
February 2022 Feature – LOVING THE MOON AND PLANETS
Cupid is up to his usual shenanigans on the 14th but I鈥檓 going to share with you some of my love for observing the moon and the planets with several dates in February. Don鈥檛 fret about needing a telescope to enjoy most of these sights, but a pair of regular old binoculars that you have … February 2022 Feature – LOVING THE MOON AND PLANETS
