Dave's Universe - Astronomy Magazine - Interactive Star Charts, Planets, Meteors, Comets, Telescopes

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Queen/Brian May Stereo Cards Contest winners!

Posted 3 days ago by David Eicher

Over the past month, we’ve run a hugely successful contest in which readers of the magazine could enter to win one of five autographed sets of astronomical stereo cards, along with an OWL stereo viewer, signed by Queen guitarist, Ph.D. astrophysicist, and Astronomy magazine Editorial Advisory Board member Brian May. We asked readers to write a 200-word essay on their favorite Queen song, establishing what it means to them and why. We received quite a few great entries, and the judging was ...

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Comet ISON approaches the Sun

Posted 11 days ago by David Eicher

The time is approaching fast. Within 24 hours, we’ll see how Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) will weather its closest encounter with the Sun, which by the way happens during halftime of the Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions football game tomorrow. I wish I could be happier about that, but with a woeful defense and missing Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are horrible. But that’s another story . . .The comet story, the one that matters for tomorrow, will be quite interesting, especially with all the r...

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Dave Eicher to write big astrophysics book for Cambridge University Press

Posted 11 days ago by David Eicher

Following my recently released book COMETS! Visitors from Deep Space — (I hope you have your copy!) — from Cambridge University Press, I’m now embarking over the next year to write a detailed, full-color, hardcover summary of astronomy, cosmology, and planetary science for the same publisher. The book will contain 100,000 words, 100 color photos and illustrations, and be written for smart general readers. The book will be titled THE NEW COSMOS: Answering Astronomy’s ...

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How to see Comet ISON in the end of November!

Posted 13 days ago by David Eicher

The big week is finally here! Not necessarily the best week to view the comet — that may be coming next week. But this is the week astronomers have been talking about for months as it is on Thursday that Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) will pass closest to the Sun, a mere 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers) away from our star’s photosphere, its glowing “surface.”As astronomers who have been watching the comet know, however, the past few days — and the next f...

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Re-watch the Google Hangout: Countdown to Comet ISON

Posted 14 days ago by David Eicher

Last Thursday, I joined Senior Editor Rich Talcott, Associate Editor Sarah Scoles, and Discover's Editor at Large Corey Powell for the magazines' first ever Google Hangout discussion. This one covered everything you need to know about Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) before it makes its closest approach to the Sun a week from today. We discussed how comets work, the history of comets (both ancient and recent), what observations of Comet ISON has told observers and scientists so far, how to view the celest...

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The 2013 Southwest Astrophotography Seminar

Posted 16 days ago by David Eicher

Almost lost in the shuffle of the Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo (ASAE), held in Tucson last weekend, was the first annual Southwest Astrophotography Seminar, which preceded ASAE and lasted for two days. I wasn’t able to attend the astrophoto seminar because my trip was already booked when this “prequel” to ASAE was announced. But Warren Keller, a good friend, astroimagers, autor, and the astrophoto seminar’s organizer, contributes a guest blog on the activities:...

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Watch the discussion: Countdown to Comet ISON

Posted 17 days ago by David Eicher

At 2 p.m. CST today, I'll be joining Senior Editor Rich Talcott, Associate Editor Sarah Scoles, and Discover's Editor at Large Corey Powell for a Google Hangout discussion on everything you need to know about Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) before it makes its closest approach to the Sun a week from today. If you can join us, great! http://bit.ly/ISONhangout If not, you can watch the event live below or come back later to re-live the excitement of this celestial visitor again and again. Enjoy! cs_se...

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Announcing the Comet ISON Family Photo Contest!

Posted 18 days ago by David Eicher

The much discussed Comet ISON reaches perihelion, its brightest moment, on November 28, Thanksgiving in the U.S. By then it will be only a short distance from the Sun in the daytime sky. You’ll probably be busy watching football and enjoying family and perhaps not observing the comet when it’s extremely close to the Sun’s disk. But in the days running up to perihelion and those afterward, you and your family can interrupt holiday fun to view this celestial visitor. Our Comet I...

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A big day at the Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo

Posted 20 days ago by David Eicher

Sunday, November 17, 2013, marked the second day of the second annual Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo, organized by Alan Traino and featuring more than 100 exhibitors, many interesting talks and presentations, and hundreds of amateur astronomers flocking to the Tucson Convention Center in the middle of the city. The day began a little more slowly than Saturday had but soon picked up, and the booths of telescope manufacturers and dealers were crowded with those who wanted to shop, talk, and ce...

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Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo kicks off in Tucson

Posted 20 days ago by David Eicher

The second annual Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo kicked off Saturday morning, November 16, 2013, in the Tucson Convention Center in the heart of America’s astronomy capital. Organized by Alan Traino, for years a driving force behind the Northeast Astronomy Forum in New York, the show attracted more than 100 exhibitors, outstanding speakers, solar observing and other activities, and hundreds of astronomy enthusiasts who flocked into the event by midmorning. I was privileged to attend o...

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Inside the mineral vault at the Natural History Museum

Posted 27 days ago by David Eicher

On Astronomy’s August tour of London, some 25 readers and I had the great pleasure of seeing many important astronomical sites in England.At the Natural History Museum in London, the famous mineralogist Jolyon Ralph met me for a few video walk-throughs showing highlights of the collection. Now, if you’re wondering what minerals have to do with astronomy, the universe makes minerals as elements, and compounds are attracted by electrical charges and form what most folks call ...

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More specimens from the vault at the Natural History Museum

Posted 27 days ago by David Eicher

On Astronomy’s August tour of London, some 25 readers and I had the great pleasure of seeing many important astronomical sites in England.At the Natural History Museum in London, the famous mineralogist Jolyon Ralph met me for a few video walk-throughs showing highlights of the collection. Now, if you’re wondering what minerals have to do with astronomy, the universe makes minerals as elements, and compounds are attracted by electrical charges and form what most folks call ...

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How to see Comet ISON this week — November 11-17, 2013

Posted 27 days ago by David Eicher

Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), the much-anticipated visitor from the distant depths of the solar system, continues to brighten and this week should reach naked-eye visibility as seen from a dark sky, away from city lights. The comet was discovered more than a year ago and has sparked big interest from those who think it may be terrifically bright and also from some who believe it will be nothing special. The burst of excitement came from the realization that ISON will swoop quite close to the Sun on No...