See Brightest Star Sirius on New Year's Day
On New Year’s Eve, the brightest star visible from our planet, Sirius, reaches its highest point in the sky as the clock strokes midnight (or, near to it). What a cosmic way to shine in the new year!...
View ArticleDon't Miss Venus in the Evening Sky This Month
Don’t miss beautiful planet Venus dazzling in the evening sky this month. It’s that bright “star” you see just after sunset—the third-brightest object after the Sun and Moon. Let’s be Venus groupies!...
View ArticleWhat Is a Penumbral Eclipse?
Tonight, February 10, 2017 will bring the year’s first lunar eclipse. It’s a penumbral eclipse. What exactly does this mean? First, the facts: This penumbral lunar eclipse is this evening, Friday,...
View ArticleVenus Brightest in February: See Your Shadow by Venus Light
Dazzling Venus is getting even brighter in February! And “dazzling” is no exaggeration. The evening star will reach its greatest brilliance on February 16–17. Here are highlights of some serious...
View ArticleFriday Night: Spectacle or Bust?
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about the media. Are they accurate or do they exaggerate? Believe it or not, the same issue applies to the universe. And it all comes to a head Friday night, February...
View ArticleA New Star in the Night Sky in 2022
This year has already brought some exciting news of a new star. It won’t appear for five years, but it will be one of the brightest stars in our sky. An astronomy professor at a small U.S. college,...
View ArticlePicturing Infinity in Our Universe
The word “infinity” is intriguing, but frustrating. That’s because infinity cannot be visualized. How do you picture it? Let’s explore … What is Infinity? Infinity is the idea of something that has no...
View ArticleHere Comes the Sun
The most dramatic happening in the sky these days is not unfolding at night. It’s in the day. And it affects all of us, big-time. Many assume that the change to warmer weather is due to the Sun...
View ArticleStargazing with Orion
During Moonless weeks in late March, the most widely recognized constellation at nightfall is Orion, standing upright in the southwest. People who appreciate the outdoors and the night sky may know...
View ArticleMarch Equinox Oddities
Monday 20 brings the spring equinox. If this date surprises you because you associate vernal equinoxes as occurring on the 21st, you’re dating yourself. Spring arrived on the 21st during most of the...
View ArticleGet to Know the Big Dipper
The Big Dipper is an old friend to most of us. Poetically, it is spring itself, the season of renewal, right now, when the Dipper is best seen. Go out between 9 and 10 p.m., and you’ll see that it...
View ArticlePlanet Jupiter at Its Brightest in April
This week, the waning gibbous Moon rises an hour later each night, leaving the first part of each night black and ideal for stargazing. The first thing you see is the very brightest “star” in all the...
View ArticleSecrets of the Total Solar Eclipse 2017
For the first time in nearly four decades, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the mainland United States! Even most backyard astronomers have never seen one. No surprise—they’re rare and...
View ArticleA Better Way to Visualize the Seasons
We’ve grown up with four seasons. But they don’t always match what we experience. What about dividing our season by the strength of the Sun? Think about it. People who go skiing or snowboarding in...
View ArticleConjunctionitis: The Moon and Jupiter Get Close May 7
For the next few days, the sky offers a cool and easy spectacle that requires no astronomy knowledge whatsoever. The dark night’s two brightest objects float together. Each is fascinating in its own...
View ArticleSaturday Night: Alignment At Our Galaxy's Core
Something special happens in the sky Saturday night, May 13. The Moon will hover next to the planet Saturn. And they’ll both be aligned with the center of our galaxy. Cool stuff. And useful. You...
View ArticleJupiter and The Moon: An Early June Conjunction
Now that NASA’s Juno spacecraft is orbiting Jupiter and sending us spectacular pictures, especially of its polar regions, we can enjoy a happy coincidence: On this Saturday night, June 3, 2017, Jupiter...
View ArticleJune's Honey Moon: The Lowest of the Year
June’s Full Moon is the lowest of the year. This has all sorts of consequences … Technically full on Friday June 9, the Full Moon for June spends the night hovering right next to a bright “star”—the...
View ArticleBreathing the Sky: What's the Composition of Air?
When we look up into the sky, we’re looking through dozens of miles of transparent gases, which we breathe from birth to death. So what is the composition of air, exactly? To be more specific, name...
View Article7 Facts About the June Solstice
This coming Wednesday is the summer solstice. If you ask friends what happens on June 21, they’re likely to get it mostly right. It’s the longest day of the year, meaning, the most minutes of sunshine....
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