Mercury transit In 1607, Johannes Kepler first predicted that Earth viewers could witness Mercury passing across the surface of the Sun’s disk, also known as a transit. On May 28, 1607 Kepler readied himself to witness Mercury’s transit by using a camera obscura, a device similar to a pinhole projector. While he did observe a […]
November 11, 2019 Mercury Transit Read More »
October 4th will provide a great view of planets, the Moon, and a red supergiant On Friday, October 4, there will be a beautiful display of Saturn, the crescent Moon, Jupiter, and the red supergiant star Antares. (If you are in very dark skies, you might even see the Milky Way behind the Moon!) From
Planets, the Moon, and Meteor Showers Read More »
Early in the night during the Fall, you may notice a few bright objects in the southern sky. Two of those are planets (Saturn and Jupiter) and one is the bright reddish star Antares. Jupiter is the planet closest to Antares. Antares is located in the constellation of Scorpius. It is classified as a red
What’s in the Night Sky? Read More »
Blue Moon; Strawberry Moon; Worm Moon. It seems like every few weeks, the Moon has a new name associated with it. Most of these names are historical. For instance, the Strawberry Moon was a termed used by Native Americans and early American settlers that indicated June was the time when wild strawberries were beginning to
July 2019 Black Moon… What You Can See (And What You Can’t) Read More »
Enjoy your 4th of July and while you’re out watching the fireworks, enjoy these sights over the weekend. July 4th weekend: The Moon will start low on the horizon on July 4th and gradually climb higher in the sky over the weekend going from waxing crescent to first quarter moon. Right at sunset, Mercury and
What’s In the Sky on the 4th of July Weekend (Besides Fireworks) Read More »
Polaris, also known as the North Star, is located at the very tip of the group of stars called the Little Dipper. As you may have guessed from its name, the North Star is always located in the direction of North. But why does this happen for this one particular star? If we imagine the
Jupiter has more than 60 natural satellites, or moons. These moons vary in all shapes in sizes, from irregular shaped moons that are only a few miles in diameter to Ganymede, the largest moon of any in the Solar System. Of all Jupiter’s moons, the most well-known are the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede,
The Galilean Moons Read More »
If you’ve seen or read any astronomy news blurbs over the last week or two, you have probably come across the terms Jupiter is at “opposition” and “perigee” making it bright and easily visible in the Eastern sky. In astronomy, opposition is a term used to describe when a planet is directly opposite the Sun
What’s Up With Jupiter This Week? Read More »
You probably know that the cyclic change of seasons on Earth is caused by the planet’s 23.5 degree tilt which allows for the Sun’s light to shine more directly down during Summer. The more direct sunlight is the key to the warmth of these months. Conversely, the Sun’s light shines less directly during the winter
The night sky is in transition right now from what we call the “winter constellations” to the “summer constellations.” Some of the more well-known winter constellations include Orion, Gemini, and Canis Major. While many of the winter constellations are still visible early in the night, they will soon drop below the horizon until next fall
Say Goodbye… To the Winter Constellations Read More »