“Lightning Bugs” 2012 by Donald R. Pettit, NASA astronaut The spectacular image, above, was produced by Donald R. Pettit, a NASA astronaut, from multiple photographs captured during Expedition XXXI of the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting 240 miles above Earth.”It is a star trail and Earth image showing massive thunderstorms. The white flashes are lightning […]
The seasons result from the Earth’s rotational axis tilting 23.5 degrees out of perpendicular to the ecliptic – or Earth’s orbital plane Everyday movements of the planets, stars, moon and Sun, through day and night, are “aha” moments when we remark the changes of the positions of celestial bodies in the sky and in relation […]
At this moment every year, we meet to observe with delight the first signs of spring in the sky, before the earth thaws. The increasing light and heat of the Sun and the re-appearance of spring stars Regulus and Arcturus in the evening sky are heralds of flowering elm trees, blooming willows and alders, redwing blackbirds, and, […]
It was nearly 7 a.m. and 14 degrees under a pale blue sky dappled with speeding, silvery-outlined golden clouds just overhead. I was north of town, in the countryside, walking swiftly to an opening in the forest for a view to the southeast where planet Venus might still be visible. Once there, I scanned above […]
Every day, a ball of fire crosses the sky. This bizarre reality was so flabbergasting in ancient times that people could relate to it only with worship. The Aztecs and Egyptians were far from alone in regarding the Sun as a god. The Persians, Incas, and Tamils (of southern India) also elevated the Sun to […]
All week, and into next, there is a dance taking place on the celestial dome; the glittering partners move close to each other, change their positions, flirt with a crescent moon, and part. Tomorrow is the culmination of this winter’s unfolding relationship between brilliant planet Venus and radiant Jupiter: they arrive at conjunction – closest […]
“When you think about it, there aren’t many celestial objects that change color…. But now, on January 20, the Moon will have real color, deep color.” Bob Berman, Astronomer* The year begins with celestial dynamics that excite our appetite for beauty and spark our capacity for wonder. The most dramatic event is a total eclipse […]
The dark of night extends into morning most noticeably from today through mid-January: in our neighborhood, the Sun rises around 7:20am. It is the ideal time to observe planet Venus, the Morning Star, shining brightly high in the southeast as late as 7am. During the whole period of this post, civil twilight begins just half […]
This week, December’s Geminid shower is predicted to peak Thursday the 13th after 10pm into Friday the 14th before dawn, with 2am as optimum observing. For details about the Geminids, click here. To view the original Trouvelot lithograph in the exhibition, “Extreme Nature!”, at The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, click here. Sunset, December […]
Consider that the Full Moon rises in an easterly direction at about the same time the Sun sets along the western horizon. The moon is visible all night and is equally lovely to observe the following morning, when the Full Moon sets along the western horizon as the Sun rises more or less opposite. Moving […]