Because its out there
The big infrared eye named James Webb Space Telescope has been working hard since first achieving its home position at L2 in January 2022. Sure, there have been many absolutely gorgeous photos published and that keeps us all excited about our investment.
Last week I wrote about solar eclipses, the kinds of solar eclipses, and the importance of using safety equipment when observing the Sun. This week I’ll talk about the annular solar eclipse coming up, a bit on the total solar eclipse in
Many of you already know we are about to experience a couple of solar eclipses. Are you ready? Protection for your eyes is a key element in preparing to view the Sun. I will get into that next time, but first a
This seems a peculiar question, but astrophysicists and cosmologists have been trying to weigh space for decades. Another seemingly peculiar question, is empty space empty? Well, that one appears to be moot. Our current state of understanding says no, even a perfect
We’re in the ‘tween” season, again. It’s called spring. Spectacular winter night sky sights are giving way to vastly different summer night sky sights. But, before the transition is complete, spring brings a mix of winter sights as they set and summer
Looks like we’re going back to the Moon, again. NASA has been in the position before – ramping up for a Moon shot, then winding down as political focus moves to other projects. This time I think it’s a GO. Artemis: Daughter
It’s in the news, it’s been confirmed…we have a team of astronauts selected for the Artemis II lunar mission! Is it as exciting as when the Apollo astronauts were announced? No, because with Apollo we were in a fanatical, political, socio-economic race
How exciting! Two missions are set to explore Jupiter’s icy moons. I described NASA’s Europa Clipper a while back, but the European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE mission launches a year earlier – scheduled for this month (April), 2023. But, due to its
We hear about supernovae, spectacular in their brightness. Supernovae are on the first string of the violent event team in our universe. Novae, on the other hand, seem to be relegated to obscurity. No respect. The difference between novae and supernovae starts
We hear about supernovae, spectacular in their brightness. Supernovae are on the first string of the violent event team in our universe. Novae, on the other hand, seem to be relegated to obscurity. No respect. The difference between novae and supernovae starts
SOFIA was the latest, probably the last airborne observatory. I just heard about SOFIA a couple of years ago and now – SOFIA is done. SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy) was the best of the airborne observatories. Armed with leading edge
Ever watch shows about air disasters? It seems you shouldn’t open hatches while the plane is at 45,000 feet! Video from events like that are similar…everything in the cabin, including people, swirling around. Things, including people, getting sucked out of the opening.
Some recent headlines appear to suggest science is a sham, or, at least, that many practitioners of the scientific method can’t tell their xxx from a hole in the ground. OK, the second part of the previous sentence might be correct, scientists
They are coming our way! Yes, we are lucky, not one but two solar eclipses are going to grace our sky and minds – one this year (2023) and one next year (2024). And the fun-educational thing is they will be very
I still get excited when I see a satellite in the night sky. In our astronomy club newsletter, I publish what I think are the best International Space Station flyover times. It’s always a treat to see it and know that there
Ever think about how a star is born? An entertainer’s birth is their discovery, a star is born. How things go from there depends on many factors. A celestial star’s birth is more predictable, determined by the conditions within a molecular hydrogen
Maybe if you’re deep in the heart of Texas! Seriously, that’s a question with a ‘depends’ answer. It depends on the stars distance from Earth. Take Sirius for example. It’s the brightest star in our sky and relatively close at 8 light
Last year I discussed two planned missions to Europa. One of them, the Europa Clipper, is NASA’s mission and is scheduled to launch in October 2024. Next year! Europa is one of several bodies in our solar system deemed of interest regarding
It was on the wish list in 1989. It made the recommended list in 1996. It was approved and construction began in 2004. The saying “good things come to those who wait” seems appropriate for the James Webb Space Telescope and its
Try as we might, we just can’t see a black hole. Are they invisible, like Harry Potter in the cloak of invisibility? Well, not quite. They just don’t emit their own light and any incident light hitting them is absorbed. However, a
Any of you out there get a telescope for Christmas? I hope you have taken it out, OK, maybe it’s been too cold so you’re chomping at the bit. No matter what telescope you received, there are some important things to do
From Matthew 2:1-2 – “behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” … “for we have seen His star in the east”. The story starts with a mystery. Wise men from the East see a star in the East, heralding the
Most of us are at least a little freaked out by things we experience that we cannot explain. Is there a shadow universe out there full of scary creatures? Do they sometimes reveal themselves at night in the form of weird lights
It would be amazing! A brilliant emerald in the dark night sky. But no, we won’t be seeing any green stars. Too bad. Starlight is a continuous electromagnetic spectrum from gamma to radio, and the visible light portion is an itsy-bitsy piece.
Last week I offered the simple and easy to use altitude-azimuth mount. This week I’ll discuss the more complex, not-so-easy to use, but essential for astrophotography, equatorial mount. To reiterate, the altitude-azimuth is simple and easy to use. It works best for
A good telescope needs a good mount. Question is, what’s a good mount? Let’s explore that piece of equipment underpinning the thing you look into that’s pointed at some object far away. For a good dance band, it’s all about the bass.
This week I take Sky & Telescope’s educational section and condense it. Their section is titled “What are Constellations?”. Beginning with the word constellation, it comes from late Latin language (cōnstellātiō) and translates as “set of stars”. OK, that makes sense. So,
OK, let’s set the bar higher and go bigger. After all it’s for that special someone and you do not want to disappoint. Once you get through the plethora of beginner telescopes there is a plethora of more advanced telescopes. The sky
When I was 11 years old, 12 years old, and 13 years old I asked for, hoped and prayed I would get a telescope for Christmas. I didn’t specify – any telescope would do! It didn’t have to be that 525x beauty
How hot is your pizza oven? Some “craft pizza” ovens get close to 1000ᵒ F! That’s so hot you can cook a pizza in about 3-4 minutes or turn it into charcoal in 5. The surface temperature of Venus is similarly hot,
In the 1960s singer-songwriter Jaime Brockett did his comedic version of a Leadbelly epic song about the “USS” Titanic and the pugilist Jack Johnson, throwing in a massive pile of hemp rope for effect. “They wouldn’t let Jack Johnson on board -they
Marfa Lights are an enigmatic, controversial phenomenon. Some dismiss them as nothing more than atmospheric distortions of car headlights from the distant highway. Others offer more complex answers, from extraterrestrials to will-o’-the-wisp. No one has a definitive solution to this mystery. The
I like to talk about defending our night sky and how to reduce or prevent light pollution. We in the Canyon Lake area are blessed/cursed. We’re blessed with pretty good night skies, cursed in that we know light pollution is progressively ruining
As a person interested in astronomy, I have a vested interest in the best night sky quality possible, and for now that depends on where I am. In Canyon Lake our night sky is decent, in Houston it was…no…it pretty much didn’t
The LED revolution is in full swing! Seems everyone is switching from whatever (incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, etc.) to LED. Why not, they save money, produce little heat, and last a long time. Oh, and the others are either out or on their
I believe life is firmly ensconced throughout the universe, not limited to Earth. That said, we haven’t found definitive evidence of life anywhere other than Earth. So, why my belief? Organic compounds. They’re everywhere! Not just organic compounds either, amino acids and
Get outside about and hour or so after sunset and be treated to the Saturn and Jupiter show! Later in the evening is even better as Saturn is prominent in the south/southwest and Jupiter climbs in the southeast. Saturn was at opposition
Remember school dances? Or, perhaps you go to school dances now. Either way, as I recall, when not dancing everyone would tend to gather into clusters. Each cluster seemed composed of similar kids, or at least kids with similar interests. Stars don’t
Ever wake up in the dark from a bad dream and say, well, it’ll be light soon, it will be better. We inhabitants of Earth are lucky in that way, we have night and day. What would it be like to live
I admit it. For a long time during my enthusiasm for astronomy, I had a hard time wrapping my head around terms such as the ecliptic. The September issue of Sky & Telescope magazine re-boots a column originally named Beginners Page. It
I’m sure you have at least heard about the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) incredible initial images. At first, I was a little underwhelmed. The images just didn’t move me the way Hubble’s Ultra Deep Field did. Then I found out JWST’s
Last week I made it into Messier of astronomy terminology and hopefully much of it made sense. Unfortunately, some terms or concepts do not lend themselves to descriptions that themselves are clear to everyone. Ecliptic: I forgot this one last week.
Well, I’ve been blathering on about astronomy for a while now and using terminology familiar to astronomy buffs. If you’re not into astronomy maybe the jargon I use just confuses, and that’s not unusual. I’m mystified by the terminology used in the
Don’t know what Gaia is? In Greek mythology Gaia is a goddess and the mother of all Earthly life. Gaia is also Earth, the planet we live on. There’s way more to it but not for this article. The Gaia I’m talking
This is the time of year when Sagittarius reigns supreme. It’s a little low now but getting better each day. Sagittarius is busting with things to look at. Our Milky Way galaxy verily pours out of Sagittarius’s teacup spout as its steam
Last week I started our summer sky tour with two easy sights: Polaris and the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb, and Altair). Then two more challenging objects – a couple of globular clusters – M92 & M13. I noticed when looking at the
It’s officially summer on Tuesday, June 21st, at 4:14 AM CDT for those wanting to know. Summer solstice and its counterpart winter solstice in December are seasonal indicators of change. Change in the length of daylight hours/nighttime hours. They and their intermediaries
No, we don’t. But we think it needs to be out there, or the behavior of several distant objects becomes difficult to explain. So, come on, show your planetary disk. Astronomers have been looking for it since 2014, after astronomers Scott Sheppard
It began with little fanfare in December 2019, just before COVID-19 became the never-ending story. A new solar cycle. Just so you know, it’s number 25 since we started paying attention to them, with cycle # 1 documented in 1755. The Sun
Until the late 1980’s the thought of other stars having planets, much less entire planetary systems, was the stuff of science fiction, not science. Then bang, the first one was found, and a paper published in 1988 by Canadian astronomers Bruce Campbell,
NASA announced recently that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is aligned with all four of its science instruments. Remember, the telescope is a 21-foot diameter mirror composed of 18 separate hexagonal mirrors in three sections, that had to be folded for
Full Moons are the same worldwide, well, not exactly. Like everything else in the celestial sphere, the Moon looks different depending on the hemisphere you’re in. The north and south hemispheres show seemingly inverted Moons versus each other. Trust me, it’s not