Articles
- Focal Plane (26)
- One Good Target (32)
- Rick's Picks (33)
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Astronomy Fundamentals: Finding Good Targets in Twilight
Many times, we are at the telescope waiting for the sky to get darker. The Sun had set about a half hour to go,…
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A Dark Nebula in Aquila (Barnard’s E)
August 2024 · With side trips to a couple binocular doubles, a pretty yellow and blue pair, and an easy-to-find carbon star
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August ’24 – Rick’s Picks
All month: the planets continue their slow and hesitant return to the evening sky this month. As August opens, Mercury is a mag +0.9…
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Astronomy Fundamentals: The Astronomer & the Seven Dwarfs
Dwarf stars are the most plentiful in our sky. But as their name suggests, they are smaller in mass and thus less intrinsically bright.…
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Astronomy Fundamentals: Family Fun Night
Every year, the Naperville Astronomical Association hosts Family Night during one of our fundamentals in the summer. This year’s Family Night will be held…
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The Space Elevator: From Science Fiction to Engineering
Space Elevators appear in many science fiction novels, but they may not be as much fiction as faster than light warp or hyperdrive. Space…
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A Lopsided Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus (M62)
July 2024 · With side trips to a light red Mira star, a classic asterism, and a pretty yellow pair
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July ’24 – Rick’s Picks
All month: the morning people begin to release their hold on the planets, as Venus now joins Mercury as an evening star, beginning a…
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Solving Big Problems with Tiny Experiments – Quantum Sensors for Astrophysics Applications
Scientists are using several methods to determine the nature of dark matter, indirect searches, laboratory experiments, and direct searches. Indirect and direct detection search…
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A So-So Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus (M107)
June 2024 · With side trips to a challenging red carbon star and a glorious double pair
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June ’24 Rick’s Picks
All month: morning people continue their selfish monopolization of solar system observing this month, with Mercury (which will reach superior conjunction on June 14)…
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History of Eclipse Calculations with Some Math
The earliest record of an eclipse in human history may have been from around 3,340 B.C.E. The consistent record of eclipses over the years…