Head outside this evening, and you can't help but notice a Full Moon rising in the southeast. Nothing unusual about that — Full Moons occur, on average, every 29.5306 days. But if you look at your calendar for May, you'll see the previous...

On Tuesday morning, May 29, I sat in one of many of the week's paper sessions at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Not all of them turn out to be unusually interesting; this one did. "I'm going to talk about cosmic...

Astronomers have announced the discovery of a Local Group dwarf galaxy, designated Andromeda XII, that formed far out on the edge of the group and is falling into our system for the first time in its history. Jorge Peñarrubia of the University of Victoria...

This week, beginning Monday morning, the American Astronomical Society will meet in Honolulu, Hawaii. Vast numbers of scientific papers, press conferences, oral presentations, poster sessions, and commitee meetings will fill the next few days. No doubt...

The door of your observatory will get plenty of use. I suggest a solid-core door with good hinges, a tough lock, and a good seal. To improve security, add a dead-bolt. Some amateur astronomers who live in cold climates have attached a "warm room"...

Saturn’s rings tell a story regardless of their color. This image, created from Cassini spacecraft observations of stellar occultations, reveals ring particles clump together far more than astronomers previously thought. NASA/JPL/University of Colorado...

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), with a planned light-gathering surface 24.5 meters (80.3 feet) across, has a rival to the title of "biggest proposed telescope in Chile." Pieces of the GMT are under construction, and it's generally assumed...

Realistically, you have two options for flooring: wood or cement. A poured-cement floor is virtually maintenance free. Make certain you use (or demand) a high-quality grade of cement and a proper mix. I wish I had. The only complaint I had about my observatory...

The Personal Spaceflight Federation — space tourism's trade group — wants its customers to enjoy the thrill of a lifetime: a joyride into suborbital space. But if something goes wrong, no lawyers allowed. The Federation is currently advocating...

In 1959, British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow suggested that what slowed progress in solving the world's problems was a communications breakdown: scientists and artists no longer talked to one another. The title of his University of Cambridge...

From time to time, something happens during my work day to remind me what I love about my job. This week, it was a conversation I had with astronomical artist and animator Don Davis about a project he is working on. We spoke at length about one special...

Most amateur astronomers who select a dome purchase it ready-made from a manufacturer. If you go this route, you must decide whether to have the manufacturer install the dome or to do it yourself. This choice depends upon your construction skills and...

The Spitzer Space Telescope imaged a hot spot on the exoplanet HD 189733b. It marks the first feature ever seen on an exoplanet. NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Knutson (CfA) When you talk about beauty in the universe, the conversation almost always begins with Saturn...

Where I work, as at any daily, weekly, or monthly periodical, deadlines rule. We have a simple rule: Don't break deadlines. At NASA, deadlines rule, too. For some missions, like robotic explorations of the solar system, the most important deadline...

NASA Former astronaut Wally Schirra died May 3 at the age of 84. He was one of NASA's "Original Seven," the first crop of astronauts selected in April 1959, and the fifth man in space. Schirra was the only astronaut to fly in all three of...

This week, I'll address the size and type of your observatory. You'll need to take three considerations into account when considering your observatory's size. The first involves the available space. How big can you build? This was the limiting...

It's the first week of May, and that can mean only one thing to naked-eye stargazers: the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. Normally, that's a pretty big deal. After all, the Eta Aquarids' peak rate ranks fourth among annual meteor showers...

Bolts of lightning adorn the urban skies over Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 30, 2007. Daniel Pendick Last week I told you about my west window on the urban sky above Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sight of Venus and a crescent Moon above downtown at sunset was...

Just in case you've forgotten since last week's hoopla about the newly discovered exoplanet : It's called Gliese 581C. It's the third planet discovered around the star Gliese 581. It's about 50 percent bigger than Earth. It's 5...