13.04.10- Mammoth Extinction vs. Impact Theory.

  
   An Ice Age extinction mystery has just got more complicated. North America used to be home to some amazing mega-animal life, including wooly mammoths, saber-toothed cats the size of grizzly bears, and armadillos the size of Volkswagens. Then, around the time period known as the Younger Dryas about 12,900 years ago, a mass continent-wide [...]

08.11.09:Does Cometary Mass Extinction Need to be Rewritten?

The disconnection event of comet 73P Schwassmann-Wachmann-3 as seen from the Hubble Space Telescope. (Credit: NASA/ESA/H. Weaver STScl.)

Comets are cause all mass extinctions in Earth’s history, right? Maybe not, if new research is correct. Simulations run by the scientists at the University of Washington now suggest that the giant planets of Jupiter and Saturn [...]

AstroEvent of the Week: February 2nd-8th, 2009; Spot a Daytime Venus!

A Daytime Venus Shortly After Occultation. (Video by Author).

Astronomy isn’t just restricted to a night time activity. Many folks do not realize that objects such as the Moon can be spotted even in broad daylight. This week, I give you a fun daytime naked eye challenge; spotting Venus in the daytime.  No special equipment is [...]