Tag archives for stargazing
Sky-watchers this week get a chance to go eye to eye with a cosmic scorpion and witness a magnificent meeting of three neighboring worlds in the evening skies.
The lunar wall comes into view, three planets huddle, and the moon joins the Leo constellation in this week’s best sky events.
Straggler meteors, a solar eclipse, and the return of Venus are among the best sky events to watch this week.
Halley’s comet glides across the starry skies back in March 1986, shedding particles that will eventually approach Earth as Eta Aquarid meteors. Credit: NASA Halley’s Comet won’t swing by Earth for another 48 years, but you won’t have to wait that long to watch bits of the iconic comet zip across our skies. That’s…
Posted by In January, we posted a “dreamlapse” video made in Death Valley by Sunchaser Pictures. Some 9,600 Facebook users clicked the “like” button. Today, I received notice from Sunchaser’s Gavin Heffernan that part 2 has just been released (view above). In an email, Heffernan wrote: “This time our timelapse adventure took place at the infamous sliding…
Although much of our work in Water Currents focuses on our watery world, we sometimes look at the absence of water, and what that means for human beings and the other species we are privileged to share the planet with. Few places say “absence of water” more than Death Valley, the national park that straddles California and…
National Geographic’s Top 10 Tweets of 2012
Posted by Ted Chamberlain on December 13, 2012 
What did National Geographic Twitter followers retweet most in 2012? Intriguing transmissions on strange emissions—from the sun as well as wombats—subatomic science, and stargazing. Lots of stargazing.
Night Sky News: Moon Joins Bright Stars and Planets
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on July 22, 2011 
For early bird skywatchers willing to look up before dawn the next few days, the Moon will be putting on a great show. On Saturday, July 23, about an hour before your local dawn face east to find the Quarter Moon. Joining our celestial neighbor will be what looks like a creamy colored, bright star which is…
“Somewhat Beauty and Poetry”: Remembering Maria Mitchell
Posted by Alyson Foster on June 30, 2011 
This week marks the 122nd anniversary of Maria Mitchell’s death. This talented and unconventional astronomer not only discovered a never-before-seen comet, she helped blaze a trail for women who wanted a life in science.
Night Sky News: Tiny Mercury Easy to See This Week
Posted by Andrew Fazekas on March 14, 2011 Of the eight planets in our solar system, five are visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Known since ancient times, these naked-eye planets appear similar to stars, but they “wander” across the sky instead of staying in fixed positions relative to each other. Knowing where a planet will pop up…
Posted by Welcome to the first of a weekly column dedicated to that most ancient form of astronomy: stargazing! Veteran sky-watcher and science writer Andrew Fazekas will be giving us the skinny on what’s hot in the night sky, including when, where, and how to see some amazing cosmic sights from the comfort of your backyard. This…
Bored by chocolates and jaded with roses? Give your sweetie the gift of the heavens for Valentine’s Day this year. I’m talking about the Valentine’s Day star, which graces the skies with its brilliant red glow each year in early February. —Image courtesy A. Dupree (CfA), R. Gilliland (STScI), NASA Now, this isn’t exactly a…
The planets (plus Pluto) in an approximate size, but not distance, comparison —Image courtesy NASA/Lunar and Planetary Laboratory The astronomy gods are giving me a pretty nice birthday present this year: a planetary reunion. On December 1 at 7:36 p.m. ET, Venus and Jupiter will be in conjunction, the astronomical term for “really close together…
