In August, we asked you if astronomy should be included in middle school or high school curriculums through our Astronomy.com Online Poll. The results overwhelmingly favored including astronomy as either a mandatory or an optional course. Well, even though...

The third night at the Great Lakes Star Gaze (GLSG) started out clear but turned cloudy around 11 p.m. That’s too bad, because lots of observers were waiting for some great objects to climb high in the sky. Editor's note: Visit the online photo...

The day after we had a wonderful night of observing at El Camino Real, the Enchanted Skies Star Party slowed down a bit. Attendees spread out doing a variety of things during the day. Editor's note: View the photo album, Enchanted Skies Star...

Now that I have Internet access, I can report the first two nights at the Great Lakes Star Gaze (GLSG) were clear. Unfortunately, they also were quite humid. Editor's note: Visit the online photo album, " Astronomy on the road: Great Lakes...

Trillions of miles way, disks and gas and dust encircle baby stars just a few million years old. Rocky planetary cores form, then sweep through the disks, accreting additional material around themselves like a cardboard tube swirling through a carnival...

Getting a multi-hour, behind-the-scenes tour of the Very Large Array radio telescope is a very enriching experience — and that’s exactly what a group of 10 of us from the Enchanted Skies Star Party experienced yesterday, Thursday, September 25. Our expert...

Yesterday I spent a bit of time reading through the scientific paper regarding the flow of galaxy clusters pulled by possible dark matter beyond the universe’s horizon. I don’t know what it is about cosmology, but I find it fascinating. It’s weird stuff...

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see Great Square of Pegasus, globular cluster M15, and Stephan’s Quintet during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll...

As Matt Quandt told you yesterday , I’m on the road in Socorro, New Mexico, this week at the Enchanted Skies Star Party. Although it’s a relatively small gathering, the star party is a great one and an event you should consider attending next year. The...

On Thursday, I’ll leave Milwaukee and drive around Lake Michigan to the Great Lakes Star Gaze (GLSG), near Gladwin, Michigan. This will mark the 6th year of this annual event. In 2008, GLSG runs from September 25–28. As the invited speaker, I won...

Astronomy magazine Editor Dave Eicher is traveling to the Enchanted Skies Star Party in Socorro, New Mexico, September 24–27. This event boasts pristine observing conditions ... a welcome departure from the Midwest’s fall skies. I attended this star...

Now that subscribers have the November issue in hand, we’ve updated Astronomy.com with our newest Web extras, which complement the articles you are starting to read (that is, if you haven’t already read the magazine cover-to-cover over the weekend). And...

From July 18 through August 2, 2008, Astronomy magazine had the pleasure of hosting a total eclipse expedition — along with MWT Associates — to visit Russia and witness the August 1 total solar eclipse . It was great fun, made so largely by the fantastic...

We have a section on Astronomy.com where you can download stunning astroimages to put on your computer desktop wallpaper . Each month, we add a few more to the collection. Choose from stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets, observatories, comets, and other...

Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich will talk with Jon Grayson of KMOX radio (AM 1120) in St. Louis Sunday night at 9:10 Central. Jon invited Michael to be a monthly guest on the station's "Reality Check" program. Their conversation...

So, I’m back at Astronomy magazine after a 2-year hiatus. Because some of that time was spent away from the field of astronomy (aside from looking up at the night sky and reading the big news stories), I’ve spent much of the last few days catching up...

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see Venus, the Dumbbell Nebula, and NGC 7006 during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some...

In my blog on June 18, planetary scientist Alan Stern commented on the recent reclassification of Pluto and other outer solar system bodies as “plutoids” instead of planets. We’ve been talking again, this time in response to a conference, "Great...

It’s easy to love magazines when you work at a magazine publishing company, and I LOVE magazines. A few subscriptions here at the office, and a few at home, keep my nose in some publication during most of my free time — which is significantly less now...

A frequent contributing artist for Astronomy , Lynette Cook has recently completed a project about the historical 1843 outburst of Eta Carinae for the Gemini Observatory. In a sequence of seven images, her conception of the expanding blast wave from Eta...

I spent Day 2 at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) mostly talking. I talked to manufacturers about new products, I talked to amateur astronomers about our magazine , I chatted with astroimagers about their photography, and I interacted with...

Today, I'm at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). Because this is the first time PATS has occurred, I really didn't know what to expect. Wow! There are a lot more dealers here than I thought would attend. Big ones like Celestron,...

This weekend, I’ll attend the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) in Pasadena, California. This promises to be a biggie, and I’m looking forward to seeing the latest telescopes, eyepieces, and accessories. Many of Astronomy magazine’s contributors...

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the constellation Delphinus, the Double Double, and the Blue Snowball during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll...

For those of you physics and cosmology enthusiasts who are into learning through alternative methods (or you’re just someone who likes some clever music and lyrics), you’ve got to check out the Large Hadron Rap video on YouTube. Of course, that’s if you...