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Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012
The grand astronomical planetary parade (02/09/12)
Woo Hoo!! A whole week of a grand planetary parade. Four of the five visible planets will be making an appearance in the evening sky this week. The fifth one, tiny Mercury, will be joining the crowd toward the end of the month. Tonight, Thursday, Feb. 9, the brightest of the visible planets, Venus, will be showing us the location of one of the dimmest, gas-giant, Uranus...
Six more weeks of winter, regardless (02/02/12)
Today, Feb. 2, is Groundhog Day. The day set aside to see if the prognosticating rodent in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, can determine how many more weeks of winter there will be. Feb. 2, is one of the cross-quarter days, a day that is roughly half way between a solstice and an equinox. In this case it is halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, or the beginning of spring...
Why astronomers are happiest in winter (01/26/12)
It has been a little over a month since the winter solstice, the beginning of winter, when the sun reached its most southern point of the year and started moving back north. Since that time the days have been growing longer and the nights shorter, have you noticed?...
It just seems like the longest season (01/19/12)
Had a nice letter from a reader in McCook this past week. The writer expressed thanks for listing the time and date that Venus and Neptune would be visible together. The writer advised that not only were they able to find Neptune and Venus with binoculars, but that they dusted off their old telescope -- which they had not used for some time -- and gave it a go...
Pairs of planets and an approaching eclipse (01/12/12)
OK space fans, let's go to the mailbag ... or really the e-mail list. I received a request last week inquiring about the two bright stars just above the eastern horizon before sunrise. Seems the questioner was out walking the dog and observed the two objects and wanted to know which stars they were...
The more the sky stays the same, the more it changes (01/05/12)
There is always something about a new year. Almost like we have been given a clean sheet of paper so we can begin writing anew the things and events of our lives. One thing we can say for the sky though, it is always there and it always looks the same...
Put that new telescope to work (12/29/11)
OK, you got that bright, shiny, new telescope for Christmas. You have had it out of the box and on the tripod in the living room, and you have wondered where all those little round eyepieces go and what do they do. Another question you have is ... what is there to look at?...
Darkness creeps in on little cat feet (12/22/11)
Darkness comes like Carl Sandburg's fog, "on little cat feet." With the sun slowly creeping south each day, the length of the darkness increases until suddenly we notice that at 4:30 in the afternoon the sun is gone from the sky and it is getting dark...
A beautiful view of the lunar eclipse (12/15/11)
Hope everyone had a chance to observe the total lunar eclipse last Wednesday. From where I was it was beautiful. Clear skies and clear western horizon made for some great viewing. It was the last total lunar eclipse visible from the United States until April, 2014...
Good news, bad news on eclipse (12/08/11)
The big astronomical news this week is the total lunar eclipse which will occur on Saturday, Dec. 10. A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth's shadow crosses the face of the moon. Such events only happen when the moon is full. That is the good news, now for the bad news, we won't be able to see much of it from here in Southwest Nebraska...
A lot of little things going on (12/01/11)
Well troops, astronomically speaking, there is not much going on this week. Of course, there is always something going on, but we, as humans, think in terms of something big or else it is not interesting. Tonight (Thursday) will be a good opportunity to locate one of the dim outer gas giant planets, Neptune. The moon will be a help...
Astronomers and wimps (11/23/11)
Astronomers and wimps The weather is such now that it is becoming difficult to be outside for any lengthy viewing sessions. With temperatures dropping into the mid to low 20s by early evening it is just not very comfortable to be outside for the couple of hours we could spend in the summer...
Tracking the evening visitors (11/17/11)
Quick! If you haven't ever seen the planed Mercury, now is your time to get outside for a quick look. Quick, that is, if you go out any evening between now and Saturday. Mercury is the innermost planet and can only be seen for short periods of time when it appears near sunrise and sunset...
Now that Daylight Saving Time is over (11/10/11)
Well, I am glad that is out of the way. What, you ask? Daylight Saving Time of course. It really isn't saving daylight you know, there is still just as much as there was before, it is just shifted around. When the clock is shifted forward (the "spring ahead" thing), sunrise and sunset become an hour later hence supposedly giving more light in the evening hours...
Slow times in the evening skies (11/03/11)
Just as we all have busy days and slow days, this is a slow time astronomically speaking. The only bright objects in the evening sky this week are the planet Jupiter and a just-passed first-quarter moon, both of which can be seen in the early evening sky about an hour after sunset...
The view from the mile-high city (10/27/11)
It goes without saying, things are different in the big city. Most of you know that I have moved from Benkelman to Arvada, Colorado, to start a new job. The hours for the job require that I work at night so I have the occasional opportunity to look up...
Earlier sunsets mean stargazing sooner (10/13/11)
These wonderfully warmish, clear, October evenings have provided some excellent opportunities for some autumnal stargazing, and the earlier sunsets have given us earlier hours in the evening to do it. With the sun setting between 6 and 6:30 p.m. we don't have to wait so long into the evening for good, dark skies...
Saturday is International Look at the Moon Day (10/06/11)
What say we get a little "loony" this week? I should probably say "luny" as we need to talk about the moon. Saturday, Oct. 8, is International Look at the Moon Day so we should all get outside and do just that. On Saturday the moon will be just three days before full which means it will be rising just before sunset and will be visible in the early evening just above the eastern horizon...
The final two characters in the celestial story (09/29/11)
We come now to the last two characters in our celestial story, Cassiopeia the Queen and Cepheus, the King. Both are found in the early evening autumnal sky in the north about an hour after sunset. Cassiopeia is the very familiar "W" shape and is easily recognized, Cepheus on the other hand will take some looking...
Astronomical rivalries and their outcomes (09/22/11)
Nothing like a good story where the young, handsome, hero rescues the pretty girl who is in danger. Such is the story of Perseus and Andromeda, at least in ancient mythology. We are looking at the Pegasus/Perseus group of constellations currently rising in the east in the early evening. Last week we looked at Pegasus, the Flying Horse and now we will look at his rider, Perseus -- the young, handsome hero -- and Andromeda -- the fair damsel in distress...
Flying into autumn with Pegasus (09/15/11)
For me nothing says autumn better than the constellation Pegasus, the Flying Horse. This time of the year it rises in the east just after sunset to begin its majestic parade across the sky. Pegasus is one of the larger constellations and can be easily found, if you know where to look, and that is where I come in...
Switching on the fall season (09/08/11)
Wow, it is almost like someone, somewhere, threw a switch and the daytime temps are cooler and the nighttime temps have dropped drastically, down into the 50s already. I know we still have some warm weather ahead of us, but, it is becoming more and more obvious that a seasonal change is coming...
Checking out the smallest constellations (09/01/11)
We have been looking at the large constellations and some of the other "big boys" of the astronomical world, how about if we shift to a few of the smallest. These three won't be too difficult to find, they are all very near to each other. Let's start with the "where." All three of these small constellations are quite near Aquila, the Eagle. Altair, the brightest star in Aquila is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle and we have all had practice finding it...
Loaf Mass and the Dog Days of Summer (08/18/11)
Well, I was so excited about the Nebraska Star Party that I missed Lammas Day. What is that you ask? Well, why don't I tell you. In the old calendar, and I am talking about the middle ages here. Lammas Day, or "Loaf Mass Day" was generally the first day of August. ...
Nothing like a good Star Party (08/11/11)
Who doesn't enjoy a good party? I know I do, and I have just returned from one of the best, the annual Nebraska Star Party held in north-central Nebraska. Merritt Reservoir, near Valentine, Nebraska, has the darkest skies in the state and is the perfect venue for star gazing. Lots of room for camping and room to spread out hundreds of telescopes for astronomical observing...
Check out the Milky Way (08/04/11)
One of the best astronomical sights to observe at this time of year is so large it is difficult to miss. All you have to do is go outside, find a nice, dark-sky place far away from city lights and look up. It is the Milky Way, the wide star-path that is the plain of our galaxy. The reason the stars are so concentrated is we are looking at the galaxy like we would a cookie if we held it up and turned it flat looking at the edge...
Hit 'delete' key on Mars hoax (07/27/11)
It's coming!! I know it is coming, I have this sense of foreboding right down to my very socks. It is coming, because it has come before. It has come and worked its dastardly work and then gone away, but it is coming back to do it all over again. It comes back at this time of the year. It is like a continuing, haunting presence that is lurking just out of sight, waiting for the right moment to show up again...
Once more with the Summer Triangle (07/21/11)
Let's go look one more time at our friends in the Summer Triangle for another discussion. You can find the three stars of the triangle about half-way up the eastern sky about an hour after sunset any clear night this week. All three stars appear to be about the same brightness except for the top one, Vega. It appears to be a little brighter than the other two. It's brighter because it is closer, right?...
A disappointing view (07/14/11)
I delayed starting this until I knew space shuttle Atlantis had launched this morning (Friday). It did, and it was almost on-time. Only three minutes late. This was the last launch of the last flying shuttle. After the STS-135 mission the space shuttle program will end...
Viewing the Summer Triangle, Saturn (07/07/11)
Our old friends, the stars of the Summer Triangle, are above the eastern horizon by 9 p.m. and a planet, Saturn, is available for our viewing pleasure. Saturn is located in the constellation Virgo, the Maiden located along the southern horizon. There are two bight objects in Virgo, one is Saturn and to its left is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation...
First conjunctions, then some swan songs (06/23/11)
Boy, do we have the goodies for you this week. Several multi-object conjunctions, all for your viewing pleasure. The first are morning events. As you all know, I am not a morning astronomer. However, there are occasions where I make an exception, this is one of them...
We won't be able to see the next one, either (06/16/11)
If we lived in Australia or New Zealand we would have been able to enjoy a total lunar eclipse last night. We won't be able to see the Dec. 10 total lunar eclipse, either. The astronomy class had a great evening for viewing last week. After a couple of months of cloudy skies we finally had a clear evening, although there was some doubt. But, about a half-hour before the class started the skies cleared...
Living in interesting times (06/09/11)
There is an old curse that says, "May you live in interesting times." I don't know if we are cursed or not, but there are some interesting things to look for this week. Let's start in the north. Our old friends the Big and Little Dippers can be found there. However, right now they are in an interesting configuration...
Farewell Orion, hello Scorpius (06/02/11)
Lots to look at this week, let's get to it. I think we can safely say that winter has passed and spring is here. It is more than just a calendar date, it is an astronomical event also. Our old friend Orion, the king of the winter sky, has all but disappeared over the western horizon by sunset these warming spring evenings...
More chances to see the ISS, shuttle go by (05/26/11)
I guess this is the place for the good news and the bad news. The good news is shuttle mission STS-134 launched on Monday, May 16, on schedule and the orbiter docked with the ISS two days later. The bad news is there will be incredibly few opportunities for viewing the docked pair in the coming days...
So many questions ... (05/19/11)
Did the shuttle launch? Were you watching? Did it go on schedule? Were there any delays? My, so many questions. As of the date this column was written, fueling of the external tank had been approved. The external fuel tank is the giant orangey thing that the orbiter sits on top of. It is the largest piece of the shuttle assembly...
Shuttle derby still in 'hold' mode (05/12/11)
In the "Launch the Shuttle Derby" we are still at the "any minute now and holding." At last word from NASA, the launch will not be before May 16. Since this is being written well before that date, I won't know if they did or didn't. There won't be much good viewing this week as the moon will be full on May 17. That will erase almost everything in the sky worth looking at...
Where did all the constellations come from? (04/21/11)
OK folks, here is one from the mailbag, "Where did all the constellations come from?" Well, very good question. The constellations, the patterns and shapes of objects in the night sky have a long history. Many ancient cultures have records of star names and constellations...
Saturn, we knew he'd back (04/14/11)
At last! What we of the astronomical persuasion have been waiting for. The ringed planet Saturn is at last in the evening sky. When last we saw our giant friend he was leaving the evening sky heading for a trip around the far side of the sun. He was also displaying a rather flat ring plane which means we were viewing them almost edge-on and couldn't see them...
Messier marathon madness (04/07/11)
In the latter part of the 1700s, French astronomer Charles Messier (pronounced Mess-e-a) spent much of his time looking for comets. While looking for the soon-returning Halley's Comet he ran across a bright, fuzzy spot that attracted his attention. After plotting this object and determining it could not be the expected comet, he decided to start a list of those things which, although possibly looking like comets, were not, in fact, comets...
Not a bad evening's work (03/31/11)
With the advent of spring, the evenings are warming up, supposedly, making it possible to stay out a little longer for observing. However, with the change to daylight saving time, the sun is setting later, which has the effect of shortening our observing time...
Watch out for the zodiacal light (03/24/11)
Oh Boy!! Where to start? For the next couple of weeks check the western horizon an hour after sunset for the zodiacal light, sunlight reflected off the zillions of dust particles scattered along the galactic plane. This reflected sunlight will look similar to the Milky Way and will extend up from the horizon to almost overhead forming a triangle along the ecliptic, the path the sun and planets follow through the sky...
Mercury, Jupiter continue their dance (03/17/11)
Most of the action in the sky this week takes place in the evening. The smallest planet, Mercury, and the largest planet, Jupiter, are continuing their little dance in the west after the sun goes down. If you have been watching for the last few days Jupiter, which has held a place of prominence in the evening sky, is getting ready to exit, stage right and Mercury will be taking its place, at least for a while...
Plenty to see in winter skies (02/24/11)
The nice thing about winter skies, there is so much to look at. The bad part about winter skies, it's almost too cold to stand outside looking. I think that is what is called a paradox. Planning ahead as to what you want to look for and knowing where to look is a big advantage...
Predictions the stars do get right (02/17/11)
I don't necessarily hold with the idea of astrology. The notion that the location of the sun, planets, and the stars can mean anything as far as having an affect on our lives is a little out there. I am a great science fiction fan, but all of that is a little far out even for even me...
Why can't I see through my telescope? (02/10/11)
OK troops, how about we take one from the mailbag. A reader wrote in to ask about the telescope they received for Christmas. They have it all put together but can't see anything through it. Without knowing some of the specifics, it will be a little difficult to find and answer, but let's go for the basics...
The heater from Van Meter (01/31/11)
Growing up in the 1930s, one of my first sports heroes was Cleveland Indians pitcher, Bob Feller -- AKA Rapid Robert, Bullet Bob, The Schoolboy Phenom, The Heater from Van Meter. The Omaha World Herald was making a strong effort to cover the news in Western Iowa, where Van Meter is located -- so we got constant updates on the progress of Van Meter's favorite son, who was making a big splash in baseball, with Cleveland in the American League. ...
The wobble in our stars (01/20/11)
The world of astrology (yes, I used that word) was set on its collective ear last week when astronomer Parke Kundle of the Minnesota Planetarium Society was quoted in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Monitor as adding a 13th constellation to the zodiac and proposing a change in the dates for when the sun was in any particular zodiacal constellation...
Why winter is the shortest season (01/13/11)
I was involved in a rather interesting conversation at the grocery store last week. One person was overheard to say, "I am so tired of winter, it is so long." Well, not being one to let some astronomical error pass without comment I replied that winter is, in fact, the shortest of the four seasons, whereupon I was surrounded with a crowd of people who were convinced I had gone off the deep end...
The winter 'Wow' factor (01/06/11)
Wow, busy week, let's get started. On Monday, Jan. 3, Earth was at its closest approach to the sun for the year. Now, I can hear you. "If it was so close, why was it so cold outside?" Well, let's remember that pesky 23.5-degree tilt of Earth's axis...
Check out these asterisms (12/30/10)
Now let's see, where was I? Oh yes, the Winter Triangle and the Winter Hexagon. These two are not actual constellations in the normal sense of the word. They are asterisms, patterns made up using stars outside of normal constellation usage. For example, the Big and Little Dippers, the Summer Triangle, and the Northern Cross are all asterisms...
Get ready for Monday's total lunar eclipse (12/16/10)
This is being written well in advance of the Dec. 13/14 Geminid meteor shower so all I can say is, I hope we had clear skies. We can also hope for clear skies on Monday, Dec. 20, so we will be able to watch a total lunar eclipse. This is the first total lunar eclipse visible in North America since February 2008, and will be the last one until 2014 so let's all hope real hard...
Comet Hartley proving elusive (11/24/10)
At the time of this writing, I still haven't put glass on Comet Hartley. Sometimes that is just the way it goes for astronomers, and comets are notorious for being elusive. I have maps, star charts, and locator guides, but still no comet. Oh well, there is always tomorrow morning -- unless it is cloudy...
Be on the lookout for the ISS (11/18/10)
We haven't seen the bright glow of the International Space Station (ISS) in our skies for a couple of weeks. Orbital mechanics being what they are, there are times when it is out of our viewing range. That is going to change with a couple of passes in the next few days...
Great to hear response from readers (11/11/10)
I enjoy receiving reader response. For one it is a comfort to know there are people out there reading the column, and two, I enjoy hearing how excited some of you are when you make a discovery for yourself. In this case the reader, who lives in the Valentine, Nebraska area, said she had used the directions printed recently for finding the Andromeda Galaxy. She said that once she had located Pegasus and followed the two arms of the Andromeda constellation it was right there and she could see it...
Sightings for a cool autumn evening (11/04/10)
I am discovering more and more about myself as I age, apparently not so gracefully. Not only can I not read, but I can't type and quite possibly I am dyslexic. What I am referring to is the note in last week's column about the next full moon on Halloween...
Now that the moon is out of the way ... (10/28/10)
Well, now that the full moon is out of the way, perhaps we can look at something. Oh, by the way, Halloween is on Sunday. Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no full moon on Halloween. In fact, a full moon on Halloween is a rare event no matter what all the greeting cards, pictures, and posters of the witch riding her broom across the full moon show...
Blue Jupiter takes control of the sky (10/21/10)
The bright planet Jupiter has firmly taken control of the evening sky rising just before sunset in the southeast and, at least this evening, leading the moon across the sky. In the days following, the moon will pull farther east of Jupiter rising later and later each evening...
Cooler, more comfortable viewing (10/14/10)
My thanks to the editor for allowing me a week off last week so I could attend my 45th high school class reunion. It was a fun weekend for all. It would have been better if there weren't so many "old" people there. (Here I must insert a very large grin)...
The last two constellations in the 'ocean' (09/23/10)
Have you taken that celestial swim yet? Have you been out to observe Capricornus, Aquarius, and Piscis Austrinus? The swim, of course, refers to an area of the sky made up of constellations that have some sort of relation to the ocean. Last week we looked at Capricornus, the Sea Goat, Aquarius, the Water Bearer, and Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish with its bright star Fomalhaut, the loneliest star in the sky...
Time for a celestial swim (09/16/10)
How would you like to take a swim? Well, with the daytime temperatures not as warm as they were last month, there might be an adventurous few who might. OK, how about an astronomical swim? I can see the confused and quizzical looks on your faces now...
Constellations of autumn appearing (09/09/10)
The sun is setting earlier and rising later each morning as we draw closer to the Autumnal Equinox. Summer is fading and the constellations of summer have passed to the western side of the meridian. The meridian is an imaginary line that runs from due south to due north overhead, it marks the middle of the sky dividing it into the eastern half and the western half...
The sky tells the story; autumn is on its way (09/02/10)
The days are getting shorter, the sun is shining through that south-facing window where it hasn't been all summer and the nighttime temperatures are getting cooler. Sound familiar? Well, you guessed it, autumn is coming, and will officially arrive at 9:09 p.m. MDT, Sept. 22. That is the date of the autumnal equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator on its journey back south...
A good show after sundown (08/19/10)
I had originally had thoughts of returning to the area between the spout of the "teapot" of Sagittarius and the "stinger" of Scorpius to look at some of the star clusters in the area. But, alas, an almost-full moon is in that location now and will wash out any substantive viewing for the next several days...
Driving a stake in the monster's heart (08/12/10)
Okay, time to grab your mallets and wooden stakes, torches and pitchforks, the evil creature is back! Which one you ask? The one I thought we had killed last year, the one that reports the moon will be as big as Mars -- and in gasping tones says, "And you can see it, and it won't happen again in your lifetime, and tell all your friends."...
Sit back and enjoy the show (08/05/10)
The dance of the planets still continues in the early evening sky, and will do so well into September. With a clear, unobstructed western horizon we can sit on the sidelines and enjoy the show. For a while even tiny, first-planet-out-from-the-Sun, Mercury, has had a part in the dance. ...
Still time to catch the early evening parade (07/22/10)
Keeping teenagers apart has been a lost cause since the days of Romeo and Juliet, but the discovery of a Kuwaiti runaway staying in a McCook home shows just how much the Internet has changed the equation. Thankfully, the girl is on her way back to her parents, and the person she hopped a bus from Florida to see really was a fellow teenager and not a pedophile...
OK, sharp-eyed readers, in was M8 (07/15/10)
OK, you caught me. For all those sharp-eyed readers who caught it last week when I called the Lagoon Nebula M7 when, in fact, it should be called M8. All I can say in my defense is fat fingers, small keys, and bifocals. But, thanks for noticing. M7 is a small, rather delightful open star cluster just below and right of the M8/M20 pair. Locate Shaula, the "stinger" stars of Scorpius, and go left about five degrees (about the width of your fist held at arm's length)...
Turn to the southern skies (07/08/10)
At the beginning of July attention turns from the Summer Triangle, which has been rising higher in the east, to the southern skies with the arrival of the dynamic duo of Scorpius and Sagittarius. Scorpius, the Scorpion is the classic "J" or fishhook shape located due south these evenings with bright Antares at its heart and its neighbor to the east is Sagittarius, the Centaur, or sometimes called the Archer...
Observational Astronomy in action (07/01/10)
To quote the oft-quoted newspaper writer's summation ... "A good time was had by all." That about sums up the experience for those attending the first Observational Astronomy class at the extended campus of Mid-Planes Community College. Although the teacher was kind of long-winded and sometimes quite boring...
The comet hunt continues (06/24/10)
How is your comet hunt going? Comet McNaught, C/2009, R1 is still visible in the early morning sky. I have read some reports that it is visible with just the eyes alone. From your favorite dark-sky place look northeast starting at around 4 a.m. MDT. About five degrees (the approximate width of your clenched fist held at arm's length) above the horizon use your binoculars to hunt for a small, greenish, fuzzy spot. That will be the comet. It may, or may not have a visible tail...
Conjunctions, groupings and a comet hunt (06/17/10)
Last week we had a lot of nice conjunctions and groupings. To quote a song from my generation, "And the beat goes on." Now you know why they call me the "Stargeezer." The "Path of the Planets" is still quite visible and can be traced from Venus low in the west after sunset up and to the left finding Mars and Saturn...
Time for some fabulous conjunctions (06/03/10)
This is a week for some fabulous conjunctions. Let's start tonight, June 3, at about an hour after sunset facing west. Bright Venus will draw our attention right off. Of the three planets visible in the early evening, Venus is the closest to the horizon. It is located in the middle of Gemini, but isn't going to stay there for long...
A great mystery to be solved (05/27/10)
Where is Sherlock Holmes when you need him? There is a great mystery to be solved. In the past few weeks, astronomers have discovered that the South Equatorial Belt on Jupiter is missing. The equatorial belts are two wide, brownish bands composed of ammonia ice, sulfur and a little phosphorus thrown in and are measured at 108F degrees below zero...
Star-gazing becomes a later activity (05/20/10)
As part of the ever-changing view, the stars of winter have just about gone down into the west and the stars of spring are firmly holding center stage overhead in the early evening hours. The time of sunset is getting later and later with each passing day, which means the prime observing hours are drifting later as well. What could be observed at 8 p.m. a month ago will now need to be viewed at 9 p.m...
Peering into the mail bag (05/06/10)
With the departure of the bright stars of winter, the relatively dim season of spring astronomy enters our viewing experience. The Sun is also setting and rising earlier which does not allow much time for any extended evening viewing -- especially with a telescope...
The skies, they are a changin' (04/22/10)
The skies, they are a-changin' or so might a song title go. That is part of the enjoyment of stargazing, the scenery is always changing. Looking west this evening Orion, Taurus, and Auriga, who have been ruling the winter skies, are sinking toward the horizon. Looking south Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, the champions of spring, hold the middle ground across the sky...
Dancing with the stars (and planets) (04/15/10)
I do hope you had an opportunity to get out this past week for a view of the planets Venus and Mercury as they did a small dance in the western sky just after sunset. There were finally some cloudless evenings that allowed some very good observation possibilities...
A walking tour of the evening sky (04/08/10)
With the advent of spring and the warming of the evening temperatures, supposedly, now is a good time to grab the binoculars and head outside for a walking tour of the evening sky. The best time to start is about an hour after sunset. Go to your favorite dark-sky place, preferably one with a clear, unobstructed westward view almost any night this week. Allow about 15-minutes for your eyes to become dark-adapted...
Lions, lambs and astronomy (04/01/10)
Well, let's see, March came in like a lion (remember the snow?), now will it go out like a lamb? That old weather saying has a foundation in astronomy. On March 1 of each year Leo, the Lion is just above the eastern horizon, just coming "in" to the celestial picture. Just above the western horizon is Aries, the Ram, who is exiting, or going "out" of the sky for a while...
Changing kings of the sky (03/25/10)
With the change in seasons we are going to have a change in kings of the sky. Orion, the Hunter, the king of winter, is moving off stage right. He will be replaced by Leo, the Lion, the king of the springtime skies. Leo is one of the few of the 88 recognized constellations to actually look like what it is supposed to be...
Celebrating the spring equinox (03/18/10)
The day we have all been waiting and wishing for is near. Saturday, March 20, is the date of the vernal, or spring, equinox. The first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. That is the day the sun crosses the celestial equator from the south to the north bringing more direct, and hopefully warmer, sunshine to us folks north of the equator...
Playing fast and loose with clocks (03/11/10)
Okay, okay, I hear you, Venus is appearing in the west, not the east as I said last time. All I can say is I didn't have my trusty Boy Scout compass with me when I was out looking. But, Venus is making a very nice showing these evenings and will do so clear into late March and early April when it will be joined by sister inner-planet Mercury...
The stars, they are a changin' (03/04/10)
To quote the song of old -- I guess you could call the '60s old -- "The times they are a-changin'." That is true for the stars in the sky as well. It is only a little more than two weeks until the spring equinox, but the stars of spring have been peeking over the eastern horizon earlier each night for a couple of weeks now...
Spirit is a Rover no more (02/25/10)
There was much sadness at NASA this past week when it was announced that the plucky little "rover that could," Spirit, was hopelessly stuck in the soft sands of Mars. The determined little machine, which had stretched a 90-day mission into almost six years of exploring and finding new wonders on the red planet, is now stuck for good...
Milky Way, winter version (02/18/10)
Before we leave the area of the Winter Circle, or Hexagon, let's look at one more thing, the winter portion of the Milky Way. We are all familiar with the summer portion of the Milky Way, that grand, glowing, expanse of stars that seems to mark a path across the sky from north to south...
Stars right side up down under (02/11/10)
Oops. It is said that confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation. Well, I must confess to an oops. I can't seem to keep track of what I am writing. Last week I sent the What's Up column to the newspaper, only it was the copy that was meant for the astronomy blog I write for in Australia. Yep. Oz; Down Under...
In search of Castor and Pollux (02/04/10)
Now in our tour of the Winter Circle or Hexagon, onward and, well, sideways. The next stop is actually two stars, Castor and Pollux, the "twin" stars in the constellation Gemini, the Twins. The pair can be found by starting at our last stop, Capella in Auriga and extending a line right and slightly up for about 30 degrees (the distance of three clenched fists held at arms length)...
Continuing around the Winter Circle (01/28/10)
Continuing with our tour of the Winter Circle or Hexagon we go from the "V" shaped cluster of the Hyades and bright Aldebaran further up to the circle, or in this case the five-sided, constellation Auriga (or-EYE-ga), the Charioteer. Unfortunately, this is one of those constellations that doesn't look anything like its namesake. Although, you could say it does look kind of like a chariot wheel...
The second star in the Winter Circle (01/21/10)
Now on to our second star in the Winter Circle, or Hexagon. Beautiful orangish-red Aldebaran (al-DEB-a-ran), the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Taurus, the Bull. Its name in Arabic means "follower" probably because it seems to follow the Pleiades (PLEE-a-deez) star cluster across the sky rising at about the same place on the eastern horizon. It is a red giant star with a diameter about 36 times greater than our sun...
The home of the Rigelian Slime Devils (01/14/10)
As promised, let's start our tour of the Winter Circle, or Winter Hexagon as some call it. Go outside (yes, outside. I know it's cold so dress warm) at about 8 p.m. MST and look to the southeast for the hourglass form of Orion, the Hunter. You won't even need a dark-sky place...
It's a great time for stargazing (12/31/09)
Aside from the usual nastiness of weather associated with winter, it is really a great time for some stargazing. Some of the brightest stars and the most interesting constellations are coming into view in the early evening hours. Six of the top 10 brightest stars as seen from Earth are displayed in the early winter evening hours...
Something eternal about the stars (12/24/09)
Kudos to Jim Wesch of McCook. In reading last week's column he caught the comment that the sun would be crossing the "equator" on Dec. 21, the first day of winter. The sun is actually on the Tropic of Capricorn on Dec. 21, which is 23.5 degrees south of the equator and as far south as it goes before returning north. Good going Jim, no one else caught it...
Astronomical gift, not price (12/17/09)
Are you in the market for something astronomical for someone, but don't want to put out the bucks for a telescope? How about a nice pair of binoculars? After all, binoculars are just two small telescopes placed side-by-side. Just as with telescopes, the measure of a pair of binoculars is aperture. The bigger the aperture, the more light that can be gathered and delivered to your retina...
Get ready for a 'blue moon' (12/03/09)
Last night's full moon is the first of two such events for December. When there are two full moons in a single month, the second one, on Dec. 31, is called a "blue moon." The name has nothing to do with the color of the moon on that night. It will be the same color it usually is. The reasoning behind such a name is an event that is lost in folklore...
Sorry, Chicken Little, the sky isn't falling (11/25/09)
I think we all know the story of Chicken Little. The character who, when hit on the head by a falling acorn, determines the sky is falling and sets off to tell the king. Along the way he gathers a varied group of like-minded believers who he has convinced the sky is indeed falling because he has been hit by a piece of it...
The chameleon constellation (11/05/09)
Before we leave the northern sky, lets take a closer look at what I call the "chameleon constellation," Cassiopeia, the Queen. By that I mean, at different times of the year, Cassiopeia will look different. For part of the year she looks like the letter "M" and six months later she will look like a "W."...
Full moon rare on Halloween (10/29/09)
In spite of what the cards and pictures indicate, there is rarely a full moon on Halloween. This year, Halloween 2009, the moon will be about two days before full. It will be about 25 degrees above the eastern horizon at 7 p.m. and should provide modest illumination for all the goblins, ghouls, and ghosties that happen to be out wandering the streets...
More darkness to go around (10/22/09)
With the advent of earlier darkness these October evenings, now is a time to get outside and peruse the sky. Of special interest will be the grouping of constellations I like to find this time of year telling the story of the hero Perseus and his feats of daring do to win the hand of the love of his life, the fair damsel Andromeda...
October skies among most clear, but what to see? (10/15/09)
Autumn is here and we can now expect the warm, clear night of summer to be relegated to only fading memories and the cloudy, cool nights of autumn will set in. Well now, hold on there Sparky, information obtained from the National Climatic Center reports October, for at least one quarter of the nation, is the least cloudy month of the year...
Vernon Whetstone
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