Observing
Popular Astronomy App Supports Astronomers Without Borders
You can support a great organization, Astronomers Without Borders, by purchasing a popular astronomy app for Apple and Mac devices.…
Coming Attraction: Geminid Meteor Shower 2011
[/caption] It's the finale of this year’s meteor showers: The Geminids will start appearing on Dec. 7 and should reach…
Comet Curiosity? MSL Looks Like a Comet as it Heads Toward Mars
What does a spacecraft look like as it lights-out for another world? This incredible time-lapse video was taken by astronomers…
Telescope Review: Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Reflector
[/caption] Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, (MSRP $349.99) Orion Telescopes. For many astronomers who are just getting started, dobsonian…
Beginner’s Guide To Binoculars
Before you consider buying expensive equipment for viewing the wonders of the night sky, binoculars are one piece of equipment…
Are Pulsars Giant Permanent Magnets?
[/caption] Some of the most bizarre phenomena in the universe are neutron stars. Very few things in our universe can…
Do-It-Yourself Guide to Measuring the Moon’s Distance
[/caption] When the distance from the Earth to the Moon comes up, the common figure thrown around is 402,336 km…
Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks – November 17-19, 2011
[/caption] Are you ready for a good, predictable meteor shower? Then break out your favorite skywatching gear because the 2011…
Was a Fifth Giant Planet Expelled from Our Solar System?
[/caption] Earth's place in the "Goldilocks" zone of our solar system may be the result of the expulsion of a…
Images, Video from Around the World of Asteroid 2005 YU55’s Close Pass
[/caption] A 400-meter-wide asteroid created a lot of "buzz" as it buzzed by Earth, with its closest approach on November…