What’s Up in the Night Sky? – November 2022
We have a pretty good month coming up. Another decent meteor shower graces our sky - the Leonids, and there is a total eclipse of the Moon on the 8th! Don’t overlook Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are easy and extraordinary sights in early and mid evening, especially in binoculars… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – October 2022
It crashed! A NASA mission known as DART succeeded in colliding with an asteroid to test technologies for protecting Earth from asteroids that might be on a collision course with us. The space flight gathered information on a defense technique known as kinetic impact. Kinetic energy is equal to the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky?
Saturn and Jupiter are a must to follow and observe through September. We have a cool fall sky with early darkness and no bugs! Saturn is a month past opposition and Jupiter will be at opposition late in the month. At opposition, a planet is as close to Earth as… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – July 2022
I really enjoy taking you on a tour of the Milky Way and the summer triangle at this time every year. The observing hour is not too late for amateurs and family to go out and enjoy a not too difficult observing challenge with or without binoculars. By 10 pm… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? Planets Galore! June 2022
The appearance of all seven planets in the eastern morning sky later this month before sunrise, will present to us a pretty rare view of all the main bodies of our solar system. On the 24th, they will all be lined up along the ecliptic with a crescent Moon near… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? May 2022
We have a real sky treat this month, a total eclipse of the Moon! It will be the first of two this year (The second occurs on November 8 in the early morning). The eclipse begins about 9:30 pm EDT when the outer edge of the Earth’s shadow, the penumbra,… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? April 2022
Great news! The Webb Space Telescope is open for business. After an incredibly complicated journey and a complex mechanical opening from its compact storage configuration in the Ariane rocket nose cone, it’s now taking its first pictures. We can look forward to many fundamental new discoveries about the origins of… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? March 2022
Spring is coming! As I write this, a blustery, gusty snow squall is blasting outside my windows. But take heart, it will come as long as the Earth keeps orbiting the Sun. The Earth has a 23.5 axial tilt and it is that tilt that changes how directly the Sun… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? February 2022
A fabulous first gift was opened this Christmas with the successful early morning lift off of the James Webb Space Telescope. It was launched on top of an Ariane rocket from Europe’s spaceport in French Guyana in South America. Even my 4 year old granddaughter was jumping up and down… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? January 2022
The crisp clear nights of January and February are perfect for exploring the constellation Orion. Binoculars are very suitable for this adventure. You can find the easily recognizable hour glass figure of Orion the Hunter in the south in the early evening. No need to stay up late for the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? December 2021
We have 2 meteor showers this month. Sadly, one of them, the Ursids, will be blotted out by the Moon all night. It’s a good shower so if you want to give it a try, the Ursids run from the 17th to the 26th and peak on the 22nd. The… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? November 2021 by Fred Barrett
In the early morning of November 19th at 3:19 am, we have a Full Moon – but with a special treat. Between 2am and 5am, a total penumbral eclipse takes place. Remember that an eclipse of the Moon can only occur at full moon when the Earth comes between the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? October 2021 by Fred Barrett
What’s a sunspot? We’ve often heard about these blemishes on the Sun. The Sun appears like a smooth, flawless white-hot sphere but if you took a closer look, you would find pairs or groups of dark spots on the surface. Some are large and some are small and they can… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? September 2021
Every September in the northern hemisphere, we have the autumnal equinox. This year it occurs on September 22nd. It marks the start of fall. A second equinox occurs each year in March. It is called the vernal equinox and signals the start of spring. After the autumnal equinox, the days… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? August 2021
The longer summer nights in August give us more time for viewing the majesty of the Milky Way but August also has one of the best meteor showers of the year. The Perseid shower is the annual big one with its radiant centered near the top portion of the constellation… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? July 2021
That time of year when the days are long and the nights are short has come again. But you can’t find better months than July and August for the sheer beauty and quantity of constellations and deep sky objects to feast your eyes upon. The only catch is that observing… READ MORE