Recent Astronomy Articles at Cosmic Pursuits

The 2017 ‘Year in Space’ Calendars Now Available

November 12, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Stargazing

In 1991, stargazer Steve Cariddi walked into a Boston bookstore and noticed most desk calendars were about cats, or puppies, or sailboats. There was not a single astronomy calendar in sight. So he decided to create his own, and in late 1993 he published his first “astronomy and space” desk calendar. He’s been publishing these calendars every year since. And now he’s released the large-format ‘Year in Space’ wall calendar for 2017 [Read more…] about The 2017 ‘Year in Space’ Calendars Now Available

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The Sky This Month – November 2016

November 1, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

Taurids — Taurid fireball imaged on October 28, 2005 by Hiroyuki Iida.

The sky this month brings a splendid array of planets, all of which are attended by the Moon at one time or other. November also brings two meteor showers and the grand and starry constellations Taurus, Auriga, and Orion rising one after the other in the eastern sky. Here’s what to see in the sky this month… [Read more…] about The Sky This Month – November 2016

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Two Fine Galaxies in the Sculptor Group

October 14, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

Image of NGC 55 acquired by Brett Soames of NSW, Australia and processed by Warren Keller at www.billionsandbillions.com. — Image of galaxy NGC 55 acquired by Brett Soames of NSW, Australia and processed by Warren Keller at www.billionsandbillions.com.

One of the closest congregations of galaxies to our own, the Sculptor Group consists of a series of relatively bright and shapely galaxies clustered in the barren sky near the south galactic pole. The group is anchored by the majestic NGC 253, the Silver Coin Galaxy, one of the most beautiful galaxies for a small telescope. But a little farther south lie two more gems, NGC 55, also called the ‘String of Pearls’, and NGC 300, one of a handful of galaxies known as the ‘Southern Pinwheel’. For northern observers, this pair is low in the thick air over the southern horizon in the late months of the year. Southern-hemisphere observers, however, see these galaxies nearly overhead where it’s much easier to see their distinctive shape and features in a small telescope [Read more…] about Two Fine Galaxies in the Sculptor Group

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IC342: An Obscured Spiral Galaxy, Hiding in Plain Sight

October 7, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The nearly face-on spiral galaxy IC342 (Caldwell 5) in the constellation Cepheus. Image credit: Terry Hancock. — The nearly face-on spiral galaxy IC342 (Caldwell 5) in the constellation Camelopardalis. Image credit: Terry Hancock.

The galaxy IC342 ranks as one of the under-appreciated gems of the northern night sky. As you can see in the image above, this elegant nearby spiral galaxy in the far-northern constellation Camelopardalis (the Giraffe) is a photogenic target for experienced imagers. But it’s rather challenging to see visually in all but the darkest skies. It is, however, worth the effort to see this swirling assembly because it lies in an unusually beautiful field of foreground stars [Read more…] about IC342: An Obscured Spiral Galaxy, Hiding in Plain Sight

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The Sky This Month – October 2016

October 1, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

harvest_moon They’ve put on a brilliant show in the past several months, but Saturn and Mars slowly fade into the sunset this month in the southwestern sky. The two planets, along with the Moon and Venus, are a beautiful sight on Oct. 3-5 in the southwest. The Orionid meteor shower also peaks this month as the Earth passes through a stream of debris from Comet Halley. And there’s a “Black Moon” this month, defined as two New Moons in a single calendar month (as defined in Universal Time). Here’s what to look for in the night sky this month… [Read more…] about The Sky This Month – October 2016

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