Object of the Week; Gamma Arietis.

Double stars are often overlooked as astronomical targets, but tend to hold up well under light polluted, urban skies. I often show folks bright doubles at star parties to great effect, and a mental vocabulary of about a dozen or so can add to the usual crowd pleasers such as the Moon and bright planets. [...]

05.10.09 The 3rd Annual Great World Wide Star Count!

Tired of the deteriorating sky conditions in your neighborhood? Remember a childhood when the Milky way was visible in your backyard, such as it was in our native rural northern Maine? Now there is something that you can do about it. The Great World Wide Star Count wants you to measure the limiting magnitude [...]

AstroEvent of the Week: 27.04.09: Epsilon Aurigae.

Epsilon Aurigae. (Credit: Stellarium).
The American Association of Variable Star Observers wants you to help gather data on a very enigmatic astronomical object; the variable star Epsilon Aurigae. This seemingly ordinary star varies in a very peculiar way. The primary is a type F0 super-giant star, and what is known is that every 27.06 years [...]

AstroEvent of the Week:29th-September 5th, 2008: Spot Neptune!

Now, to spot a planet that was first located mathimatically.

Neptune and Triton as imaged by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. (Credit: NASA/JPL).  
Now that the Moon is out of the sky this week, it’s a good time to add the outer most gas giant to your “been there, done that” list! First spotted in 1846 by [...]

Astro event of the Week, August 12-18, 2008: See a Triple Conjunction!

Alas, poor North America! We miss out of both this months’ eclipses! But I give you as an Astro consolation of sorts; a rare triple planetary conjunction! 

Looking West, about half an hour after Sunset. (Credit: Stellarium)
    On the evening of August, 15th, the planets Mercury, Venus, and Saturn will span an area of less than 2 [...]

A Lunar Eclipse Update:

A quick update concerning tonight’s Lunar Eclipse; in the event of clouds at your location, the eclipse can be viewed live via webcast on several sites.