Night Sky

The holidays bring out the kid in all of us and we astronomers are not immune, especially if there’s 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

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’s 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 1st is NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) event and this month’s 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

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

I can sit here and extol with endless verbiage the beauty and wonder of Saturn’s rings but it’s really something that you must experience for yourself.  This month, Saturn is placed for prime time viewing in our evening skies and I’m here to help make sure that you get an opportunity see Saturn in a … August 2022 – Ringworld: Saturn Returns

Within an hour of the Sun having ushered to a close yet another scorching summer’s 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

“Familiarity breeds contempt” is an age-old proverb and one that is, all too sadly, true. “Contempt” may perhaps be too strong of a word in all cases, but familiarity most certainly can, in the words of astronomer Fred Schaaf, “dull the eye of wonder”.  The Sun and moon are both spectacular celestial objects that are … May 2022 Feature – A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

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

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!

Cupid is up to his usual shenanigans on the 14th but I’m going to share with you some of my love for observing the moon and the planets with several dates in February. Don’t 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