Making a Newtonian Reflecting Telescope for less than 50$USD

Stove-pipe Telescope plus Lab! (All Photos by Author).
Most amateur astronomers harbor a secret passion to, at some point, build their own telescope. Constructing a telescope puts you in a select realm of Amateur Telescope Makers (ATMS), and gives you intimate knowledge of how telescopes and optics really work. Another plus is as with anything, [...]

View your own Star of Bethlehem

Venus at twilight. (Credit: MakelessNoise under Creative Commons license). 
Over the years, much ink (real and cyber) has been spilt over the astronomical origins of the Star of Bethlehem. Biblical references are scant in regards to what the wise men may have seen; we know that the star “went before them…” every morning until it lay [...]

Adventures along the Maine Solar System Model

Saturn. 
(Note: all photos are by author.)
Ever wanted to cruise the solar system? A new project in Northern Maine enables you to do just that! Located in Aroostook county, the Maine Solar System Model is the largest complete representation of our solar system in the world. Conceived by the Univeristy of Maine at Presque Isle and [...]

The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan stands as one of the great popularizers of modern science. Known best for the “Cosmos” PBS television series and companion book of the same name, “The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” was perhaps his most vital work.