This Friday asteroid 2012 DA14 will go down in the record books as the closest approach of an object of its size since astronomers began keeping records a few decades ago. Zipping past our planet closer than most orbiting communication and weather satellites, this office building sized chunk of rock should be visible to some…
Even though Pluto may have been officially kicked out of the major planet club, the number of moons orbiting the dwarf planet has increased by two in just the last couple of years. And now astronomers need your help in naming these newly discovered moons. The naming contest for two of the tiniest satellites, measuring…
NASA’s Curiosity rover made history this week by boring its first hole into the Martian surface. The February 6 “mini-drill test” of a fine-grained sedimentary rock marks the first full operation of both the hammering and rotary action of Curiosity’s drill bit, which is located at the end of the one-ton rover’s 7-foot-long robotic arm.…
Looks like hailing frequencies were opened this week between Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek TV and movie franchise fame and the International Space Station orbiting Earth. William Shatner, the actor who played the captain of the starship Enterprise had a lively conversation today with astronaut Chris Hadfield, currently aboard the ISS. Shatner spoke by…
In 2009 astronomers using NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft accidentally came across a giant ribbon-like formation snaking its way across the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space. Ever since, its true nature has remained a riddle astronomers have been unable to solve. But now, they believe they are a step…
Like the undead monsters in a Hollywood movie, some science theories just keep coming back to life. That’s been the case with solving the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance 13,000 years ago of the Clovis – a Paleo-Indian North American culture. A popular theory keeps getting resurrected which fingers a comet impact in the Great…
Iran may have launched a rhesus monkey into space this week, but it’s only the latest in a long line of unwitting participants in our exploration of outer space.
Sky Show: Jupiter and Moon in Super Close Pairing
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on January 19, 2013 
Two of the brightest objects in the night sky head towards a close encounter on Monday night. The sky show begins after local nightfall on the 21st when the waxing gibbous moon snuggles up to brilliant white Jupiter in the southeast. This closeness is of course just an illusion – they are in reality separate…
Surprise Meteor Shower this Week?
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on December 12, 2012 
While space experts are predicting a grand performance from the annual Geminid meteor shower this week– thanks in large measure to the moon being a no show – there may be an extra skywatching surprise. Russian astronomer Mikail Maslov has come up with computer models that are predicting a never-before-seen meteor shower peaking the same…
Voyager at the Edge: Cosmic Roadtrip Hits Milestone
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on December 6, 2012 
After a 35 year odyssey the plucky little spacecraft Voyager 1 may be zipping through the final boundary that separates our solar system from Interstellar space – the space between the stars, according NASA. Sailing through the outermost reaches of the solar system, mission scientists believe they have detected the telltale signs of Voyager crossing…
A monstrous black hole—17 billion times the mass of the Sun and possibly the largest ever detected—appears to be too big for its galactic home, leaving astronomers scratching their heads about its very existence. The cosmic behemoth, at the heart of a distant galaxy, is estimated to be 4,000 times larger than the black hole…
If you have ever thought it would be cool to watch the International Space Station in the sky, NASA is making it a lot easier to do just that. A new website sends alerts to skywatchers wanting to catch the space outpost flying over their backyard.
This long weekend skywatchers get to see the annual peak of the Draconid meteor shower. While not the most prolific cosmic fireworks show it reliably puts on a nice display and this year with the moon out of the way – sky conditions are set to be ideal. Like other meteor showers the Draconids get…
Planets like Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are easy to spot when they shine at their brightest but the outermost planet, Neptune, is a bit of a challenge even when at its best. Now is the best viewing prospects of the year for Neptune as it reaches opposition on August 24th – meaning the gas…
While not as famous as some other annual meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids are a reliable sky show, and they are set to peak this weekend. Skywatchers will have to be real night owls to get the most out of this celestial event. With the moon setting after midnight local time, the darkest skies and…
Next time you are lucky enough to witness an aurora borealis, you may want to also listen carefully for some faint applause. According to a new study announced this week, colorful displays of northern lights may actually produce audible clapping sounds. Finnish researcher Unto K. Laine from Aalto University has been studying the phenomenon for…
Night Sky News: Discovery of New Nova?
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on June 28, 2012 
According to new sky reports there may be a candidate nova now quickly brightening in the summer constellation Sagittarius. Discovered independently by two Japanese backyard astronomers, Koichi Itagaki and Yukio Sakurai on June 26, 2012 the star dubbed PNV J17522579-2126215, previously not visible, flared to 9th magnitude making it a faint but easy target for most small…
Moon Visits Mars and Saturn
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on June 25, 2012 
Skywatchers over the course of the next few nights have a chance to observe the thin-crescent waxing moon pair up with a couple of the brightest planets in the evening sky now, Mars and Saturn. Facing the southwestern sky just after local sunset on June 25 and 26 Luna will first be hanging just below…
Planets Line up at Dawn this Weekend
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on June 15, 2012 
This weekend Venus emerges from the sun’s glare to join a planetary lineup visible near the predawn horizon.
Night Sky News: New African Dark Sky Sanctuary
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on May 25, 2012 
Skywatchers wanting to experience some of the darkest skies anywhere in the world have a new dream destination in Africa. This week the Arizona-based International Dark Sky Association (IDA), a night sky preservation advocacy group announced that one of southern Africa’s largest privately own reserves, NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia is not only the world’s…
Shooting a Solar Eclipse
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on May 18, 2012 
This Sunday, May 20th an annular solar eclipse will race across most of western and central North America. With the solar disappearing act occurring in the late afternoon, early evening time period above countless picturesque landscapes, there will be tons of skywatchers wanting to capture that souvenir shot of the full or partial eclipse. Taking…
Watch Bits of Halley’s Comet Fall this Weekend
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on May 4, 2012 
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is set to peak over the weekend of May 5 and 6 however even with the full supermoon’s glare to contend with there may end up being more to see than you think. Favoring southern hemisphere observers, from a dark sky as many as 20 to 30 shooting stars can…
Celebrate the Night Sky this Weekend!
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on April 27, 2012 
Get set for International Astronomy Day on Saturday, April 28! This annual event, celebrating its 39th year, began as a high profile way of drawing public attention to the science and the hobby through star parties, indoor exhibits and activities. It has since mushroomed in size and scope and is celebrated in dozens of countries…
Great Time to Spot the Space Station
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on April 16, 2012 
Skywatchers across most of North America and Europe are getting a chance to see the manned International Space Station (ISS) make a series of very bright flybys in the evening sky over the next couple of weeks. As long as you have some clear skies through the 26th, the orbiting laboratory will appear as a…
Night Sky News: Earth Hour Stargazing Experiment
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on March 30, 2012 
As the lights go down during Earth Hour on Saturday , March 31 around the world, take advantage of the darkness and look up at the stars. Light pollution not only wastes energy, disrupts circadian rhythms of wildlife but also diminishes the beauty of the night sky. To see how much light pollution affects stargazing…
