Skip the annular eclipse & get eye protection for transit of Venus
Much media hoopla will be made of next weekend’s “Annular Solar Eclipse” on May 20. Should you travel to California or Texas to see it? Don’t bother. An annular eclipse is when the…
When it’s 73 degrees, Woodstock moves at speed of sound – literally
I don’t know why I never realized this before: Woodstock happens to move exactly at the speed of sound. Given its reputation for music, isn’t this a cool thing? Doesn’t it suggest some…
Spy in the sky: ‘Tis the season for satellite-spotting
Satellites have now returned to our skies. These brilliant drifting lights cross the sky every few minutes – even if many folks say that they’ve never seen one. A good teacher can create…
Sky high: see it now while the moon and planets perform
Late summer, you’ll wonder what happened. The evening sky will seem empty. Not a single bright planet will be found anywhere. That’s because the heavens are out of balance, like a clothes dryer…
Alaska & the Aurora: pilgrimage to see the fabled Lights
I just returned from a weeklong lecture jaunt to a hot-spring resort in the middle of nowhere, 90 minutes east of Fairbanks. That’s right: Alaska in late winter. Set up by a science…
Celestial beauty: Take a peek at Venus at her peak
After the Moon, Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky. Nothing else even comes close. No wonder civilizations through the ages worshiped it. The ancient Egyptians and Mayas were not alone…
Venus and Jupiter reach spectacular conjunction this weekend
You’ve already seen it. You couldn’t help it. There in the west after sunset, two brilliant “stars” grab attention because they’re the brightest things in the whole sky: Venus and Jupiter. Each evening…
Astronomy Night returns to SUNY-New Paltz
SUNY-New Paltz’s Astronomy Night, scheduled for the first and third Thursdays of the month, features a show at the college’s indoor planetarium, located in the Coykendall Science Building lobby, followed by a viewing…
NAO is the winter of our content
This winter has been warm and snow-free, and the reason is simple: We’ve had a positive North Atlantic Oscillation – which is forecast to continue, at least for a while. It resembles the…
The Aurora Borealis will soon be back
“Are we there yet?” asks the impatient youngster on a family vacation. And that’s the same question posed by the world’s aurora-watchers waiting for the current solar cycle to reach its peak. Well,…
