What’s Up in the Night Sky? – February 2020 by Fred Barrett
I’ve always wondered how a galaxy could be more than 27 billion light years from Earth when the universe is roughly only 13.7 billion years old. A light year is considered a unit of distance and indicates how far you can go in one year at the speed of light… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – December 2019 by Fred Barrett
We have 2 special highlights this month. The Geminids , arguably the best annual meteor shower, makes its annual appearance on the night of December 13/14. It is a truly spectacular shower that is viewable from December 4th to about the 17th. It peaks in the very early morning of… READ MORE
Night Skies - November
This month we have the annual Leonid meteor shower gracing our skies. This shower peaks near dawn on November the 18th but is active from about November 6th to the 30th. Start actively watching after the 6th and you’ll note that their numbers slowly increase to the peak on the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – October 2019
by Fred Barrett Welcome to the best observing time of the year - no bugs, the temperature is reasonable and darkness arrives early enough to haul the kids out to share the observing sights with you. Midsummer may have a few more spectacular deep sky objects than the rest of… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – August 2019 by Fred Barrett
Happy Perseid Meteor shower! Every amateur stargazer worth their love of the heavens looks upwards every August for the spectacular sky shower centered in the constellation Perseus. It’s the annual big one and this year it should be no different. Earth has entered the debris ring of the comet Swift-Tuttle.… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – July 2019 by Fred Barrett
This month marks a truly historic anniversary of an event which is arguably one of the most historic achievements of humanity – landing human beings for the first time on another world. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20th, 1969. Their… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – June 2019 by Fred Barrett
This month, we will talk about nothing again, but we will take a circuitous route to reach our empty destination. Be patient! First, we have to talk about one technique that astronomers use to measure the distance to a distant point in space. I have talked of this before, but… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – May 2019 by Fred Barrett
I thought that for this column, I would begin by describing a picture of nothing. “Nothing?”, you say! Well actually, I’m being a bit misleading. The first real picture of a black hole was released by scientists of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration on April 10th. Black holes have such… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – April 2019 by Fred Barrett
Cover your head this month. We have a major meteor shower hitting our skies. The Lyrid shower peaks this month on the night of the 22nd/23rd. As many as 20 meteors per hour are possible. Sadly, this shower peak occurs 3 days past full moon (waning gibbous) and fainter meteors… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – February 2019
I always try to give you a head’s up (get it?) whenever the Zodiacal light can be viewed in its entire splendor in the night sky. This month, we’re in luck! Its cone-shaped radiance will be best viewable from mid-February through early March after sunset. Let me describe to you… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – December 2018 by Fred Barrett
This should be a great month for comet lovers. Comet 46P Wirtanen will be a naked eye sight in the sky. It’s small, just barely 1 Km in diameter, but its orbit will pass very close to Earth making it appear like a much bigger object. It’s already in the… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – November 2018
This should be a very interesting month! We have a comet or two, a sky filling meteor storm and the Moon gives Mars a haircut on the 15th. I’ll start first with the Leonid meteor shower. The Leonid shower roars to its peak on the 17th but the shower is… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky?
The appearance of the constellation Pegasus in the east, marks the transition from summer to autumn. In Greek mythology, Pegasus was a winged horse possessed with magical powers. Pegasus, at 1100 square degrees, is the 7th largest constellation. When I say you will have no problems finding it, believe me,… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – August 2018
In August, the late summer nights are longer, giving us more time for observing. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are a beautiful spectacle by naked eye, binoculars or telescope, but the main event this month happens on the night of August 12/13. The Moon-free sky promises one of the best… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? – July 2018
You can’t beat July and August for the beauty and quantity of constellations that can be observed in the night sky. The nicest ones and the easiest to find are imbedded in the Milky Way. It is a white band of stars and dark dust clouds that arches high overhead… READ MORE
What’s Up in the Night Sky? May 2018 by Fred Barrett
Venus, Jupiter and Mars are real treats to observe this Month! Saturn is coming on strong as well. Jupiter reaches opposition on May 8th. That means that Earth will be in a direct line between Jupiter and the Sun and Jupiter will be at its closest to our planet –… READ MORE