Astro-Event:The Vernal Equinox.

Watch for that rising/setting equinox Sun! (Credit: Art Explosion).
     Batten down the hatches; spring is here in a most astronomical way. The vernal equinox occurs this Saturday, March 20th at 17:32 Universal Time; expect uniform amounts of sunshine and darkness worldwide as well as a Sun rising directly due east and setting due west. The [...]

Astro-Challenge: Spotting Two-Faced Iapetus.

 The wacky orbit of Iapetus. (Created in Starry Night & Paint).
As the majestic planet Saturn approaches opposition on March 21st, I’d like to turn your telescopic attention to one of the most bizarre moons in the solar system; Iapetus. It was way back when in the 17th century that Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini noted that he [...]

2009 UN3:A (Semi-) Bright Asteroid flyby.

 
This week, a brief cosmic interloper graces our skies. Tonight, 2009 UN3 will glide silently past Earth, at a distance of 0.03667 Astronomical Units, or about 3,400,000 miles. That equates to roughly 13 times the Earth-Moon distance. Not especially close, as Near Earth Asteroids go; 2009 UN3 isn’t considered a hazard on this pass, but [...]

Astro-Challenge: Can You Spot the Moons of Mars?

This weeks’ challenge is a toughie and not for the faint of eye sight. In 1877, American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered the Martian Moons using the newly installed 26” refracting telescope at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Named appropriately Phobos (fear) and Deimos (terror), the moons were well suited companions for Mars, the god of war. [...]

Astro Event: The Closest Full Moon of the Year.

(Editor’s note: Due to a flurry of astronomical events, February’s events of the week will be released on an accelerated schedule; hang on!)
Amid the opposition of Mars, two launches out of the KSC and the Cape next week, and an exceptionally fine elongation of Mercury in the early morning skies, this weekend brings us a [...]

Astro-Event: Mars at Opposition.

Contrary to the once-every-August viral emails soon to be clogging your inbox, Mars will not appear as “large as a Full Moon” on this or any other year… but Mars will reach opposition this week on Friday, January 29th. Unfortunately, this apparition isn’t a particularly favorable one; Mars will only reach 14.1” arc seconds in [...]

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