If so, you just might be able to win the bidding for Alexei Leonov’s flown space suit from the Apollo-Soyuz Test Mission, July 15–19, 1975. It’s just one item among many dozens of space-related memorabilia in an auction to be held May...

Every day you are alive on planet Earth, there’s a big philosophical question you have to deal with many times. How do you determine what is the truth? What thought process or processes do you use to decide what constitutes reality? Do you use different...

Little did Steve Walther know that his brainchild would turn into the greatest magazine about astronomy in the world. At 29, the ambitious graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point launched a periodical about his first love, the stars. The...

On April 4, 2011, the New York Times ran a story called “ Black-Market Trinkets from Space ” in which writer William J. Broad lashed out at amateur meteorite collectors and dealers for practicing their hobby. “An illegal sales market...

You know, I noticed on the calendar when I came into work on Friday that April 22 was Earth Day. That’s great, and I fully support Earth as a good planet and a nice place to be. Sure beats the chills you would get on Mars, the trouble you would...

As many of you know, Astronomy magazine took a tour group of 22 to Tunisia to hunt for meteorites and explore historical and archaeological wonders back in March. We found abundant, albeit small, meteorites at Tataouine. En route to our meteorite hunt...

When in New York the past few days, I spent a great deal of time at the American Museum of Natural History. Among the numerous collections on view at the institution are the specimens in the Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites. I spent a great deal of time...

Following the Northeast Astronomy Forum in Suffern, New York, I traveled to New York City to work on a couple stories for future issues of the magazine. I won’t divulge exactly what they will be, but let me share a few photos of the day I had at...

The second day of the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) got underway early with a meeting of the board of the Astronomy Outreach Foundation (AOF), a group of telescope manufacturers that is assembling programs to promote the hobby. Working with partners...

The first day of the 2011 Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) got off to a big start on the morning of Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Eugene Levy Fieldhouse at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. More than 140 vendors were on hand, including...

On the eve of the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) in Suffern, New York, the nation’s largest astronomy expo, I’d like to reflect on telescopes. The history of amateur astronomy is filled with many memorable moments in scope technology. Those...

Tomorrow, I will fly east to Newark and then drive up to Suffern, New York, to attend the 20th anniversary of the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF), America’s premier astronomy expo, which takes place at Rockland Community College April 16 and 17...

Lots of buzz shot across the Web yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s celebrated 108-minute spaceflight. That event ushered in a new era, and it’s amazing that we now have a half-century of space exploration under our belts...

Have you ever been watching a movie late at night when you’re interrupted by one of these inane commercials for magnetic bracelets? You know, the ones that show people wearing a magnetized piece of metal on their wrist or as a pendant and somehow...

Astronomy’s roots in human culture run deep, and rarely more so than with nomenclature for our days of the week. Origins of the days of the week date to Sumerians around 5,000 B.C. The Romans revised them in A. D. 321. The Romans named weekdays...

Welcome to "Dave’s universe," the new blog by Dave Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine, and astronomy and science popularizer. I’ll be bringing you new thoughts about astronomy, cosmology, nature, the hobby of astronomy, the sometimes...

Welcome to “Dave’s universe,” the new blog by Dave Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine, and astronomy and science popularizer. I’ll be bringing you new thoughts about astronomy, cosmology, nature, the hobby of astronomy, the sometimes...

Welcome to “Dave’s universe,” the new blog by Dave Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine, and astronomy and science popularizer. I’ll be bringing you new thoughts about astronomy, cosmology, nature, the hobby of astronomy, the...

Welcome to “Dave’s universe,” the new blog by Dave Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine, and astronomy and science popularizer. I’ll be bringing you new thoughts about astronomy, cosmology, nature, the hobby of astronomy, the sometimes...

Welcome to “Dave’s universe,” the new blog by Dave Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine, and astronomy and science popularizer. I’ll be bringing you new thoughts about astronomy, cosmology, nature, the hobby of astronomy, the sometimes...