News

  Every backyard stargazer has their favorite object to showcase in a telescope, objects that are guaranteed to elicit a few “oohs” and “ahs” from among the uninitiated. Things like … August 2018 Feature – Albireo

    • Aug 1 – Maria Mitchell was born this day in 1818. Mitchell (1818-1889) was born in Nantucket, MA to a devout Quaker family. Fortunately, her particular community held … Highlights of the August Sky 2018

      • July 1 –  Before sunrise, look to the southwest where you will see Mars about 6 degrees below the waning crescent moon.           … Highlights of the July Sky 2018

    Astronomy is perhaps the oldest of the sciences. Ever since our distant ancestors were capable of looking up at the night sky and wondering what those points of … June 2018 Feature – The Summer Triangle

      • June 2 –  The moon is apogee, the most distant point in its orbit this month, 251,852 miles away, at 11:35 AM CDT. • June 3 – … Highlights of the June Sky 2018

  • May 5 –  The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks during the early morning hours. Unfortunately, the waning gibbous moon will interfere. You can minimize the moon’s glare by … Highlights of the May Sky 2018

    Mnemonic devices are useful memory tools and astronomy is certainly no stranger to them. In elementary school many of us of a certain age learned the order of … May 2018 Feature – Arc to Arcturus and Speed on to Spica

  • April 2 –   The first photograph of the Sun was taken on this day in 1845. The daguerreotype image from the early days of photography was taken by French … Highlights of the April Sky 2018

    There is always something magical about seeing the bright flash of a meteor as it streaks across a dark, star-filled sky.   One moment you are gazing upwards, admiring … April 2018 Feature – The Lyrids – An April Shower

  • March 1 –  Around 5:00 A.M., CST, go outside and face west to find the almost full moon. Now, face south and look for the brightest thing in … Highlights of the March Sky 2018