What’s Up in the Night Sky? December
There are two meteor showers this month. On the night of December 13-14 the Geminids make their spectacular appearance. They have a ZHR of 120. The ZHR or Zenith Hourly Rate estimates how many meteors you can expect to see in the sky under perfect conditions. For the Geminids, 120… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? February
Grab your binoculars and have a look at a great little comet called Lovejoy that is sailing across our skies right now! You can find it to the right or west of Perseus at the start of February. It moves northwestward as the month passes. Look to the right of… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? March 2015
The one thing about January and February observing is that when you have a crystal clear sky, the temperature is usually well into the negative teens. There have been more than a few nights like that lately. The problem with winter observing is that the cold is very hard on… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? April 2015
We have a nice little meteor shower in the lineup for April. Between April 16 and 25, the Lyrid meteor shower will be active in the sky. Its radiant is in the small constellation Lyra, named after a Greek musical instrument called a Lyre. It is also known as The… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? May 2015
The Hubble Space Telescope turned 25 just recently and I’m sure that all of you were reminded of that fact by the news media. What may not have been mentioned are the many significant discoveries that the Hubble has provided. I thought that I might mention a few. The superb… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? June 2015
It’s that time of year again. It is the best time for observing spectacular constellations and deep space objects in the sky but, in my opinion, has the worst conditions for roaming the night sky. This time of year astronomical twilight occurs after 9:30 or so at night and that… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky?
Here come the Perseids! This is the best, most dependable meteor storm of the year. Actually, looking up now will give you more meteors than usual and they are Perseids! The calculated peak this year is at 10 pm on August 12. We will get a build up to that… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? July 2014
by Fred Barrett Humidity, clouds and rain just about sums it up for June. On the few nights that were cloudless, high humidity made for poor transparency. It was like looking through a foggy window with only the brightest stars showing. It was also a month for an amateur astronomer’s… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? June 2014
It’s that time of year when some of the most spectacular and observable objects can be found in the night sky. But there’s a price to pay. The stars don’t come out until close to 10 p.m. You have to expect to stay up late if you go out to… READ MORE
What's Up In The Night Sky - May
By Fred Barrett Oh, the frustration! The grief and stress of suffering bad weather can be so upsetting for an amateur astronomer! I said “Good Grief!” (among other words) many times the night of the Lunar eclipse. It was a no show and sat sadly out of sight above heavy… READ MORE
What's Up In The Night Sky - April 2014
Boy oh boy, do we ever have an exceptional night this month! Cancel any other plans you might have for the night of April 14 - 15. There’s a total lunar eclipse during the early hours after midnight and Mars is at its closest approach to Earth all night. Since… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - Astronomy and the Mystery of the Star of Bethlehem
To try and figure out what celestial event might have been the Star of Bethlehem 2000 years ago, we must have a reasonably accurate idea of when Jesus Christ was born. Theological historians place the birth of Jesus in September or October in 3 or 2 BC. They researched several… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - December 2012
December is always a great month for stargazing. A telescope shows Mars as a tiny dot low in the southwest about a fist width at arm’s length (10 degrees) just after sunset. Venus is 5 degrees below Saturn in the southeast in the early days of December. This sight is… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - December 2012
December is always a great month for stargazing. A telescope shows Mars as a tiny dot low in the southwest about a fist width at arm’s length (10 degrees) just after sunset. Venus is 5 degrees below Saturn in the southeast in the early days of December. This sight is… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - November
I thought that a tour of The Great Square of Pegasus and a few observing challenges would be interesting this month. Pegasus can be found during November high in the south just below the zenith. If you go out between 8 and 9 pm you should have no trouble finding… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - October
By Fred Barrett The Mars rover Curiosity is living up to its name and discovering fascinating info on the red planet – stream beds and maybe life millions of years ago! Watch for the latest NASA updates and keep track of what is being discovered on a daily basis. Another… READ MORE
