November ’24 Focal Plane – Discovering the Stars

For millennia, humanity has looked up at countless tiny points of light in our night sky – and wondered.  What are the stars, and how did they get there? How far away are they, how big are they, why do they shine? In the last few centuries, astronomers have learned a...

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, but with light pollution the sky is still not dark enough for targets to come out. Are you in your yard with family waiting to share your hobby with them?...

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. Our August fundamentals will focus on some white and red dwarf stars. Although each of these stars are dwarf stars, they are more...