Two short-lived sky phenomena are on tap in the near future, one taking place only tens of miles above us, the other millions of miles away. Geminid meteor shower: Each December we are treated to one of the better meteor…
Year: 2015
Planet Lineup
These beautifully clear fall mornings we’ve been experiencing have offered a rare opportunity to see four of the five naked-eye planets all lined up for our viewing pleasure. This morning at 6:45 am EDT, this was the view on Lynchburg’s…
Space Station Pass in Lynchburg Area
It looks as though Lynchburg area sky watchers will actually have clear skies for a celestial event! The International Space Station will be visible tonight in an especially bright and high-in-the-sky pass. It will appear low in the southwest at…
Tagged with: International Space Station
Total Lunar Eclipse
It seems as though Lynchburg’s record of clouding over for interesting celestial events is going to hold true for this weekend’s total lunar eclipse. But just in case all the forecasters are wrong, and for those of you who live…
New Horizons Update
If you’ve been wondering why you haven’t seen any more images from the Pluto flyby lately, here is the reason: But there is exciting news from the New Horizons team! They have selected a tentative target among Kuiper Belt Objects…
ICY WORLDS AND THE PUZZLES OF PLUTO
Over the next 16 months, the data collected during the New Horizons spacecraft’s mid-July flyby of Pluto will find its way back to Earth, a few bits at a time. Already there are surprises in the data so far received.…
The Great Age of Planetary Exploration
How do you measure the milestones in your life? We all have events that help us mark the passage of years: school and jobs, marriage and family, births and deaths. These are of course primary in all our lives, but…
Nine Years to the Ninth Planet
Yes, you read that right. In honor of Pluto’s imminent debut on computer screens worldwide, I’ll award it planetary status for the next few months. After all, when the New Horizons spacecraft nearing Pluto now was launched in January 2006,…
Venus, Jupiter…and Earth
Those of us of a certain age will remember these song lyrics: When the moon is in the seventh house And Jupiter aligns with Mars… Jupiter is about to align not with Mars, but with Venus, the ancient goddess of…
Astronomy and Me
This post is not informational so much as it is a personal reflection on what astronomy has meant in my life. Our regularly scheduled programming will resume in the next post. One of my very earliest memories comes from shortly…
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