Feb 13, 2025 | Focal Plane
Europa, one of Jupiter’s four biggest moons, appears to harbor a liquid ocean not far beneath its bright, icy surface. Is there life there? NASA plans to fly the Europa Clipper spacecraft to orbit Jupiter and, making frequent flybys of Europa, will study the...
Feb 13, 2025 | Focal Plane
As stargazers, we look out across space at objects floating in what is mostly vast emptiness. The light we see travels at its breathtaking speed through a vacuum, only now and then perhaps encountering some wisps of gases and dusts. To an observer on our Moon, or to...
Jan 30, 2025 | Focal Plane
The Artemis project is our follow-up to the Apollo missions. In Greek mythology Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo. The goal is to not be a repeat of Apollo, but to achieve a sustainable long-term presence at the Moon. Artemis 1 launched November 16, 2022 and...
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...
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...
