Mars sketched by Klaus Brasch using a 14-inch f/10 SCT at 430x and a #25 red filter, October 17, 1988. David J. Eicher library Today’s sketch of the planet Mars is by Klaus Brasch. Mars spends this Memorial Day weekend near Leo’s luminary, Regulus. (To...

Exploring the Solar System with Binoculars by Stephen James O'Meara is a handy reference that will become one of your favorites in no time. Astronomy magazine photo If you want a great new observing book for the onset of warm weather (where some of...

The poster sessions at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society proved just as fascinating as some of its talks, with the added bonus of the occasional coffee break! Bill Andrews photo After all the apocalypse, exoplanets, and solar talks...

M82 sketched by Dave Eicher using an 8-inch f/10 SCT at 170x. David J. Eicher library It’s time for another sketch of mine. This one features the starburst galaxy M82 in Ursa Major, also known as the Cigar Galaxy. To learn more about astronomical sketching...

This eerie close-up shot of the Sun in ultraviolet light demonstrates the kind of hauntingly beautiful, and scientifically rich, photos NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is capable of. NASA/GSFC/SDO photo Tuesday was the big day of the Solar Dynamics...

Comet West sketched by Richard Baum with the naked eye March 2, 1976, at 6:05 UT. David J. Eicher library Today’s “sketching at the telescope” edition features a beautiful illustration by English observer Richard Baum showing Comet West around the time...

Copernicus sketched by Phillip W. Budine with a 4-inch refractor at 214x, June 23, 1962, at 2:55 UT. David J. Eicher library Today’s sketch of the lunar crater Copernicus is by noted observer Phillip W. Budine, who for many years was active in the Association...

An excited crowd awaits the start of Monday’s public lecture at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, “The Solar Dynamics Observatory: Your On-Orbit Eye on the Sun.” Project scientist W. Dean Pesnell’s entertaining talk easily made it...

A yacht sails by as some of the attendees of the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society mingle, eat, and prepare for a fun-filled few days. Bill Andrews photo As I mentioned last time, I know a few folks here in Florida, so I arrived a day...

M74 sketched by David J. Eicher using an 8-inch f/10 SCT at 50x. David J. Eicher library This “sketching at the telescope” edition features a sketch of mine of the famous face-on galaxy M74 in Pisces. To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy...

Beth Nielsen Chapman, Rodney Crowell, and Marcus Hummon performing (with a bluebird projected onto the observatory dome) at Dyer Observatory, Nashville, Saturday, May 22, 2010. David J. Eicher photo On Saturday, May 22, 2010, I spent another full day...

The front side of Dyer Observatory offers an impressive view to visitors. David J. Eicher photo On Friday, May 21, I spent the day in Nashville with Rocky Alvey, director of Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory, and with an old friend — Edward Emerson...

Having finally caught up on the work I missed attending the 2010 Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF), I’m now getting ready to fly to Miami to cover the 216th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. While it will be a little more “sciencey” than NEAF...

The Mare Sirenum-Mare Cimmerium region of Mars sketched by Stephen James O’Meara with the 60-inch telescope at Mount Wilson, California. The dark albedo feature near the center is what O’Meara termed “Valhalla.” This observation was made August 7 of an...

C. R. “Bob” O’Dell, one of the great professors of astronomy of the last several decades, poses below a 1/5 scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope at Dyer Observatory. Not only is Bob the world’s leading expert on the Orion Nebula (among other things...

Jupiter sketched by Jim Phillips with an 8-inch refractor at 165x, 203x, and 252x, November 9, 1986, from 8:30 to 10:15 ET. David J. Eicher library The drawing I’ve chosen from my collection today is one by Jim Phillips of the king of the planets, Jupiter...

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M33) sketched by Jay Albert using an 11-inch SCT at 88x, 165x, and 224x, along with a Lumicon Deep Sky filter. David J. Eicher library This “sketching at the telescope” edition features a sketch by Jay Albert of the famous Pinwheel...

From the group that brought you Galaxy Zoo — the citizen science project where you help categorize galaxies — comes Moon Zoo . This project follows a similar premise: Members of the public help scientists analyze astronomical objects in ways that computers...

Primland’s Lodge, sitting on the summit of one of Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains, recently built a new attraction: an impressive observatory housed within a 4-story silo. Joann Dost photo Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, just across the...

The Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118) sketched by Chris Schur using a 12-inch f/5 reflector at 48x, February 1987. David J. Eicher library Today’s installment from a newly found cache of astronomical drawings (which had resided in a box in my basement for the...

This image, along with the three below, shows the immersion (disappearance) and emersion (reappearance) of Venus as the Moon moved in front of it during the May 16, 2010 occultation. The imager took this shot at 8h48m30s UT. Longtime Astronomy magazine...

The Orion Nebula (M42) sketched by Larry McHenry with a 13.1-inch f/4.5 reflector at 143x, March 21, 1988. David J. Eicher library Next from my basement cache of astronomical drawings comes a sketch of the Orion Nebula (M42) from Kentucky observer Larry...

Jupiter sketched by Patrick Moore with a 10-inch scope at 360x, February 13, 1967. David J. Eicher library With all the excitement over Jupiter's missing South Equatorial Belt , I picked a sketch of Jupiter by the famous English observer and television...

This week, I had the opportunity to preview a new three-part series from the National Geographic Channel, Storm Worlds . It premieres Sunday, May 16, at 8 p.m. EDT. If you’re interested in all the craziness that exists in our solar system and what would...

Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983d) sketched by Stephen James O’Meara using a 10-inch reflector at Prospect Hill Observatory in Somerville, Massachusetts, May 7, 1983. The top sketch shows the comet at 3:50 UT, and the bottom one shows 5:30 UT. David J. Eicher...