One of the things that attracts most of us who love science is its explanatory power. Previously mysterious phenomena are revealed as the working out of natural processes. Rainbows are due to refraction through raindrops. Those wandering points of light…
Year: 2018
Upcoming Events
Far Encounter Remember the New Horizons spacecraft and its flyby of Pluto in July 2015? That previously little-known world presented us with what should now be expected—the unexpected, and new puzzles to solve. The spacecraft is still operating, sending back…
The Christmas Star
Often in the Christmas season, anyone with a reputation for knowing something about astronomy is asked about the Christmas star described in the Gospel of Matthew. What was it? Is there an astronomical explanation for it? What do YOU think…
Fifty Year Old Memories
There are times and places that are stamped so indelibly on our memories that even 50 years later they are as familiar as our own face in the mirror. It may be an event of great happiness or of great…
Tagged with: Apollo 8
Lots of Sunshine
The June Solstice this year occurs at 6:07 am EDT on Thursday, June 21st. This marks the farthest north that the Sun travels in our sky, the official beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern…
A New Target
The New Horizons spacecraft has a new target. Launched in 2006, its initial velocity was the fastest ever for an interplanetary probe, and a gravity assist maneuver at Jupiter gave it an additional boost. Even so, it did not arrive…
Ivan, Roger, and Second
This blog has addressed the question of how stars get their names before. This is about some star names with very unusual origins. During the Apollo moon landing program, the ability of astronauts to determine their position and velocity independently…
One-Faced Moon
One of the most charming things about very young children is their insatiable curiosity, their desire to learn all about the world around them. This is best captured in what can sometimes seem to a frustrated parent to be a…
Finding the First Galaxies
Full disclosure: this post is inspired by and draws much of its material from an article in a recent issue of Sky & Telescope. Looking Out Is Looking Back Telescopes are time machines. When we view a beautiful sunset, the…
Orbital Mechanics Made Simple
Today’s lesson in orbital mechanics. I was spending New Year’s Day looking over an old 2017 “Year In Space” calendar before recycling it when I found this statement concerning the Spitzer Space Telescope. Spitzer travels in Earth’s orbit but at…
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