History
What are You Doing for Yuri’s Night?
Yuri’s Night commemorates two space milestones in history that both occurred on April 12: in 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made…
Was the Repeating Passage of Halley’s Comet Known of in Ancient Times?
An interesting and largely unknown tale of ancient astronomy recently came our way while reading author and astrophysicist Mario Livio’s…
Are Our Textbooks Wrong? Astronomers Clash Over Hubble’s Legacy
“No scientific discovery is named after its discoverer," - Stigler/Merton. Edwin Hubble's contributions to astronomy earned him the honor of having…
Astronomical Pranks of April Fools’ Past
The first day of April is always a traditional time for pranks and puns, and astronomers and scientists aren’t above…
Extreme Telescopes: Unique Observatories Around the World
In 1888, astronomer Simon Newcomb uttered now infamous words, stating that “We are probably nearing the limit of all we…
Citizen Science, Old-School Style: The True Tale of Operation Moonwatch
Amateur astronomers have done more than just watch the skies, they've been a national security asset. In the mid-1950’s, it was realized…
Live from 1969: Apollo 9 Returns Home
“On the success of Apollo 9 mission hangs the hope for future manned missions to the Moon,” said famous CBS…
Light-travel-time Effect Finds New Astronomical Applications
Sometimes the tried and true methods are still the best, even in observational astronomy. Researchers at the University of Prague…
Mercury’s False Moon: The Mercury/Mars Planetary Conjunction this Weekend
[/caption] The history of astronomy is littered with astronomical objects in the solar system that have fallen to the wayside.…
Remembrances and Reflections: Sir Patrick Moore 1923 – 2012
Sir Patrick Moore. Credit: sirpatrickmoore.com Astronomers, both professional and amateur, throughout the world, were saddened yesterday to hear of the…