David Dickinson
Crossing Quarters: Would the Real Astronomical Midway Point Please Stand Up?
Happy May Day Eve! Maybe May 1st is a major holiday in your world scheme, or perhaps you see it…
The 2015 Lyrid Meteors Peak Tomorrow Night!
April showers bring May flowers, and this month also brings a shower of the celestial variety, as the Lyrid meteors…
Help Researchers Track Comet 67/P Through Perihelion
Calling all light-bucket scope owners: the folks at the European Space Agency want to enlist you in the quest to…
Firefly Astronomy
Light makes life, and sometimes, life returns the favor. There’s nothing more magical than watching fireflies flit across a starlit…
Here’s How You Can Watch the SpaceX’s CRS-6 Mission From Your Backyard
Hunting for satellites from your backyard can be positively addicting. Sure, the Orion Nebula or the Andromeda Galaxy appear grand……
Was This Past Weekend’s Lunar Eclipse Really Total?
Millions of viewers across the western United States and across the Pacific, to include Australia and New Zealand were treated…
Adventures in Satspotting: Why Are Different Orbits Needed for Satellites?
Congratulations: perhaps you’re a new space-faring nation, looking to place a shiny new payload around the planet Earth. You’ve assembled…
Seeking Ceres: Following the Brave New World Through 2015
A little world is making big headlines in 2015. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft entered orbit around 1 Ceres on March 6th,…
Living with a Capricious Star: What Drives the Solar Cycle?
You can be thankful that we bask in the glow of a relatively placid star. Currently about halfway along its…
Predicting Eclipses: How Does the Saros Cycle Work?
Boy, how about that total solar eclipse last Friday? And there’s more in store, as most of North America will…