Poor Pluto! It used to be a planet, and now it’s not. The underdog of the solar system is championed by fourth graders and Boomer traditionalists alike. When I give talks on astronomy, one of the most common questions I…
Month: April 2023
Meteors and the Earth
Meteor showers both are—and are not—among the most predictable of astronomical events. The Lyrid meteor shower is predicted to peak at 9:06 p.m. EDT on the night of April 22nd. Why are they predictable? Meteor showers occur when the Earth…
All Types of Solar Eclipses
In August of 2017, many of us in North America witnessed a total solar eclipse, as the path of the moon’s shadow crossed the contiguous United States from coast to coast. In the coming twelve months, there will be three…
Top