Posted on behalf of the Uwingu team; Astronomy magazine is a proud partner of this effort to raise funding for space science At Uwingu , we want to find new ways to connect people to space and the sky, and to use that interest to fuel a new way to...

In June of this year, news broke that NASA had received two space telescopes from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Both instruments hold mirrors 2.4 meters across, the same size as the Hubble Space Telescope. However, both have shorter focal...

If you a) have recently lamented the arts-sciences disconnect, b) would like to make your coffee table look smarter, c) enjoy thinking about all the satellites staring down at us, and/or d) think Earth is a cool place to live, consider checking...

Care to take part in the astronomical education of an editor? I recently joined the Astronomy staff as the managing editor, helping to guide and manage the ship but not bringing any formal astronomy background along with me. Being a lifelong lover of...

Now that I'm back from Australia and stuffed with turkey, I can share the details of the end of my trip. On the day after the total solar eclipse, the Astronomical Tours group was on cruise control. We'd seen the eclipse, so it was time to visit Australia...

In 1962, astronomers from five European countries decided to build a telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, where there were not yet any large observatories but there was an abundance of interesting sky objects, like the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky...

If you, like me and many others across the globe, weren't able to travel Down Under to witness the November 13/14 total solar eclipse, worry not. NASA has saved the day. Check out this two-minute video the space agency captured of totality from the northern...

The big day arrived for the Astronomical Tours group with the same tension that grips a rookie NFL player in his first Super Bowl. In four days of touring Australia, we'd seen lots of clouds and numerous short but soaking rain showers. Such events tend...

On November 12, we enjoyed a natural Australian attraction as famous as the Grand Canyon is in the United States: the Great Barrier Reef. We took a boat that held more than 200 people out to a part of the giant wonder. It was a long ride (about two hours...

The first day of my trip to Australia for the November 14, 2012, total solar eclipse was a blast, despite the long trip before it. I'm here in the land Down Under as part of a group organized by Astronomical Tours. While my wife, Holley, and I were...

Posted on behalf of Geoff Marcy, Alan Stern, and Pamela Gay from Uwingu “This is where you come in, and make it possible for Uwingu to change the equation of space funding." It’s often been said the sky is full of stars, but hidden from...

The big astronomy event of 2012 — and, in my opinion, an example of the most dramatic event you can witness — is only a week away. Next Wednesday, November 14, observers in the right locations will witness a total solar eclipse . That’s...

When Kim Hawtin of South Australia joined theSkyNet, a citizen science project headed by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), he wasn’t doing it to win anything. He just wanted to participate in a project that helped process...

The 44th annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society continued on Wednesday in Reno, Nevada (my final full day at the conference). Among the many talks were ones discussing the latest activities of...

The 44th annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society continued Tuesday in Reno, Nevada. Science talks ranged from studies of the atmospheres of planets as close as Mars and Jupiter to those hundreds of light...

There must be something about the fall weather that inspires astronomical outreach. Not only is it time again for Astronomy’s 2012 Out-of-this-world Award to begin accepting applications, but I’ve also just heard about another program that...

The 44th annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society started with a bang October 15. Planetary scientists from around the world are gathering at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada, this week...

Astronomy enthusiasts have long thought their favorite subject represents the most beautiful science. All celestial targets, from Saturn’s spectacular rings to the Andromeda Galaxy’s magnificent spiral arms, put true natural splendor on display...

Most of us are pretty aware, at least on an intellectual level, of how big the universe is. Even light, traveling at the fastest possible speed something can go, takes eight minutes to reach Earth from the Sun’s surface. And that distance is nothing...

I’m once again headed to Pasadena, California, to attend the fifth annual Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). This manufacturers show, to be held Saturday and Sunday, September 22–23, at the Pasadena Convention Center, exists on three...

I’m just going to come right out and say it: I don’t like the Olympics. The incessant coverage, the ridiculous posturing, the overt commercialization, the faux patriotism (oh, yeah, you really cared about the American badminton team five months...

On August 26, the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona discovered a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) that now has the designation 2012 QG 42 . This space rock measures approximately 1,000 feet (300 meters) across. Astronomers classify any asteroid as a...

Well, Jupiter’s done it again. The biggest planet in the solar system was the site of a bright impact early Monday morning, similar to collisions in the summers of 2010 and 2009 . Scientists and observers aren’t sure exactly what hit Jupiter...

One of the reasons Astronomy chose the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) as its 2010 Out-of-this-world Award winner was its clear dedication to outreach. That’s why I was happy, but not surprised, to see the group’s interest in joining...

Magazine editors can be excused if they sometimes can be heard muttering aloud, “If our readers only knew what went into making this issue.” That thought has occurred often to me in the last two months after I came over from The Writer magazine...