What’s Up in the Night Sky? June 2014
It’s that time of year when some of the most spectacular and observable objects can be found in the night sky. But there’s a price to pay. The stars don’t come out until close to 10 p.m. You have to expect to stay up late if you go out to… READ MORE
What's Up In The Night Sky - May
By Fred Barrett Oh, the frustration! The grief and stress of suffering bad weather can be so upsetting for an amateur astronomer! I said “Good Grief!” (among other words) many times the night of the Lunar eclipse. It was a no show and sat sadly out of sight above heavy… READ MORE
What's Up In The Night Sky - April 2014
Boy oh boy, do we ever have an exceptional night this month! Cancel any other plans you might have for the night of April 14 - 15. There’s a total lunar eclipse during the early hours after midnight and Mars is at its closest approach to Earth all night. Since… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - Astronomy and the Mystery of the Star of Bethlehem
To try and figure out what celestial event might have been the Star of Bethlehem 2000 years ago, we must have a reasonably accurate idea of when Jesus Christ was born. Theological historians place the birth of Jesus in September or October in 3 or 2 BC. They researched several… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - December 2012
December is always a great month for stargazing. A telescope shows Mars as a tiny dot low in the southwest about a fist width at arm’s length (10 degrees) just after sunset. Venus is 5 degrees below Saturn in the southeast in the early days of December. This sight is… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - December 2012
December is always a great month for stargazing. A telescope shows Mars as a tiny dot low in the southwest about a fist width at arm’s length (10 degrees) just after sunset. Venus is 5 degrees below Saturn in the southeast in the early days of December. This sight is… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - November
I thought that a tour of The Great Square of Pegasus and a few observing challenges would be interesting this month. Pegasus can be found during November high in the south just below the zenith. If you go out between 8 and 9 pm you should have no trouble finding… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - October
By Fred Barrett The Mars rover Curiosity is living up to its name and discovering fascinating info on the red planet – stream beds and maybe life millions of years ago! Watch for the latest NASA updates and keep track of what is being discovered on a daily basis. Another… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky -September
August was a very exciting month. There was the Perseid meteor shower on the 11th; the Milky Way was at its best and will continue to be so through September; and the Curiosity rover made a very complicated and successful landing on Mars. More information came out confirming the existence… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky -July
By Fred Barrett What a great Venus transit! I hope you all saw the excellent article by Julie Druker on the front page of the June 7th Frontenac News. Check the Frontenac News website archives if you missed it. July and August are the glory days for observing. The Milky… READ MORE
What's Up in the Sky - June 2012
By Fred Barrett Don’t you dare miss the Venus transit! It’s an event that won’t happen again for 115 years. It will occur between 6 p.m. and sunset on June 5. Please protect your eyes. Use #14 welder’s glasses or solar filters that can be bought at local optical shops… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - May
By Fred Barrett I want to give you plenty of warning for the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on June 5. This is an extremely rare event. It begins in our area at roughly 6 p.m. EDT and you will be able to witness it until… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - April
By Fred Barrett Photo of the Moon by Fred Barrett Exciting news this month! I have been helping my fellow amateur astronomer Bob Hillier build his new observatory. We had a good fall and were able to clear the land and complete most of the construction. This past week we… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky -March
By Fred Barrett This month let’s talk about naming stars! There’s nothing to stop you from naming a star after yourself. When I was very young, there was a very bright star in the north that I decided was mine and I named it “Fred’s Star”. There are commercial enterprises… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky -February
By Fred Barrett Coronal Mass Ejections and spectacular views of the Aurora Borealis have been in the news lately and I thought that a review of Sun basics and what causes CMEs and flares was in order. The Sun makes up 99.8 % of the mass of the solar system… READ MORE
What's Up in the Night Sky - January 2011
By Fred Barrett Calling all observers! Send me your sightings. We can share what we have seen through this column. We live in a beautiful dark sky area. Don’t let what you have seen go unreported. This month I am going to give a few pointers on observing. You don’t… READ MORE