How soon after sunset can you see stars with your eyes alone? Here’s a self-test to perform one evening: how soon can you see the star Arcturus after sunset? I picked Arcturus because it’s bright and nearly overhead. Find Arcturus one evening as the sky is growing dark approximately a half-hour after sunset and mentally […]
This is the best week to see all the planets, plus the moon, lined up in the morning sky. Astronomy blogs are making a big deal about it and I will too. The novelty is in seeing ALL planets at once, including Uranus and Neptune if you have at least binoculars, but additionally all the […]
How low is your southern horizon? At the latitude of southern Utah we can see far into the sky’s southern hemisphere, all the way down to the northern part of the constellation Centaurus. From the Southern Hemisphere this is a magnificent constellation with many bright stars, including Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our solar […]
All the planets are in the morning sky, leaving the evening sky full of stars and the moon. The two very bright stars that are in the south at around 10 p.m. are Spica, and above it, Arcturus. Spica is in Virgo and Arcturus is in Bootes. Notice their contrasting colors: Spica is pure white […]
In 2007 I was alerted to a brief meteor shower that *might* happen one night, so I went out to look – and was treated to a wonderful shower of many meteors that lasted only 20 minutes. There’s a possibility that something similar will happen again at about 11 p.m. on Monday the 30th. Again, […]
Here’s a link to read a well illustrated article in EarthSky about the meteor storm that could happen over North America this coming Monday night, between 10:45 PM and 11:20 PM, Mountain Daylight Time. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/tau-herculid-meteors-may-intense-shower/ It’s a fascinating blend of history and science on meteors and this particular show, the Tau Herculids. A few active […]
As has been true all spring, the action remains in the morning sky because that’s where the planets are, and this week the moon joins them. The sun has been rising earlier each day so now you have to get up fairly early to see a still-dark sky, but it’s worth it. Look 45 minutes […]
Even though cloudiness appears to be increasing, SVO remains on track to host a lunar eclipse party as planned, beginning at 8:30 PM tonight in Kanab, at the Jackson Flat Reservoir boat launch parking area. Hopefully, we’ll be rewarded with good views of the spectacle in between the clouds. Totality occurs just after 10 PM. […]
When the moon, which is one day past full, rises at roughly 10 pm. on the 16th it will be 2½° from the bright red star Antares, the heart of Scorpius, the Scorpion. This is the closest that the moon will come to so bright a star this year and you’ll see the two together […]
By Rich Csenge, President, Stellar Vista Observatory Have you ever seen a total eclipse of the moon? It’s a marvelous yet uncommon experience that everyone should aim to witness. For some, to view a total lunar eclipse through an astronomical telescope can elevate the experience to a treasured lifetime memory! A total lunar eclipse takes […]
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