Basic astronomy and night sky information
The outer rim of the Milky Way as seen in late summer towards the constellations Cassiopeia and Perseus.
“Peer at things up close and you may learn their true form
but guessed at from afar, they seem like something else.
Vastness such as this is beyond comprehension:
all I can do is sigh in endless wonder”. – Su Tung-P’o (1060 A.D.)
It was the most watched event in astronomical history, and it called forth awe from hardened scientists, barstool astronomers, and small children alike. It was the Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017. It was a much-hyped and all-to-fleeting event, and like you, I wish I could see it again. We can’t, of course, but we can enjoy the video and images of expert astrophotographers who spent much time and effort documenting this extraordinary eclipse. Here are a few of my favorite videos below… [Read more…] about A Video Retrospective of an Extraordinary Solar Eclipse
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It’s the best celestial show of the northern summer months, one that can be enjoyed without a telescope, camera, or much expertise in celestial matters at all. It’s the Perseid meteor shower, an annual event in which sand-sized bits of an ancient comet streak through the Earth’s upper atmosphere and elicit “oohs and ahhs” from experienced and untutored stargazers alike. [Read more…] about The Tears of St. Lawrence
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“All things lovely will have an ending”, wrote author Conrad Aiken, and the end is coming soon for the venerable Yerkes Observatory on Lake Geneva in the pleasant resort village of Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The University of Chicago, which operates the observatory, announced earlier this year that Yerkes will close on October 1, 2018, and all public tours and scientific and educational activities will cease after more than 120 years of operations [Read more…] about A Requiem for Yerkes Observatory
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The planet Mars is coy. It spends most of its time as a relatively inconspicuous star-like object, only moderately bright, drifting barely noticed though the sky, little seen, or sometimes hiding behind the Sun.
Once every two years it grows bolder. It decides to put on a show. But even then, it’s sneaky about it, gathering its glory in the late hours of the night, seen mainly by dedicated astronomers, those who know what to expect and where to look.
And then, at the apex of its splendor, it rises at sunset, blazing across the sky all night for a few brief weeks, revealing itself in a level of detail far beyond what it will normally display [Read more…] about Mars Meditations
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