Jan 30, 2025 | Focal Plane
The Winter season brings some of the brightest stars in view. And with those stars, some bright deep sky objects. The season brings a chance to observe M42, M44, and M45, as well as the Winter Milky Way through Cassiopeia. However, the same old objects every year may...
Jan 30, 2025 | Rick's Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the solar system overwhelmingly favors evening observers again this month, but very early risers can still spend quality time with Mars, and both Saturn and...
Dec 30, 2024 | Rick's Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the solar system is primarily an evening show again this month. Mercury is one of the exceptions: its gibbous disk graces the morning sky for the first half of...
Dec 4, 2024 | Focal Plane
December brings a mix of emotions for amateur astronomers. The nights are longer, so there is more time available for viewing. In addition to longer nights, winter also holds some bright stars and constellations. But it comes at a price. The weather at night will be...
Dec 4, 2024 | Focal Plane
The history of planetariums can be traced back to ancient civilizations. In Greece, Archimedes created mechanical devices to illustrate celestial movement. In 1229, Emperor Frederick II used a tent with holes to represent stars, and rotated the tent to mimic the...
