This weekend, television viewers will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Gazer , a weekly astronomy short produced by Miami PBS station WPBT . For three decades, the one constant on the show has been the infectious enthusiasm of host Jack Horkheimer. Horkheimer, the executive director of the Space Transit Planetarium at the Miami Museum of Science , first appeared on WPBT in the early 1970s. His work was so popular that WPBT invited him to do...

While wandering through Barnes & Noble the other day, I saw a book 100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss by Neil Teplica. What, I wondered, would that list look like for amateur astronomers? Well, any observer's "top 100" list would contain lots of individual objects. Such catalogs vary according to the observer, and an inventory of 100 objects and events could grow tedious. That didn't stop me from making a list,...

It seems like some members of the media and disinterested public love it when NASA stumbles more so than when the agency succeeds. I suppose this is the case whenever big bucks are involved. There is a direct correlation between the dollar amount and expectations. Just like America’s sports fanatics. If a popular free agent doesn’t respond accordingly after a signing a multi-million deal in the off-season, talk radio, blogs, and water...

Usually professional athletes are targets of autograph seekers. This time, the adoring fan is the athlete. Prior to his trip to theInternational Space Station (ISS) for 6 months, Expedition 14 Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin autographed his crew photo for another famous Russian: National Hockey League star Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. A thrilled Ovechkin received the framed photo of the orbiting Tyurin following practice with his Washington...

Astronomy magazine is blessed with the good fortune to have an amazingly talented staff. The editors, designers, illustrators, and contributors are the best in the business, and your reaction to our product shows the confidence you have in them. The latest special product produced by Astronomy ’s staff, COSMOS , hit the newsstands a number of days ago. Featuring an Adolf Schaller illustration of a star cluster surrounded by gas clouds and the...

Robber Baron: The Life of Charles Tyson Yerkes (University of Illinois Press, 2006). Yerkes has some name-recognition among skywatchers ― his generosity established the world-famous observatory that bears his name in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Yerkes certainly earned the title “robber baron.” His life, thoroughly recounted by Franch, bares many similarities to contemporaries like Andrew Carnegie or J. P. Morgan. The lesson learned from Yerkes...

Driving home last night during twilight, I was taken aback by the appearance of our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon. The strikingly thin crescent hung low in the southwest, well away from the pretty pinks and purples clinging to the western horizon where the Sun had recently set. With a little effort, I also saw the star Antares a bit to the Moon’s right and brilliant Jupiter farther in the same direction. Earthshine beautifully filled...

When I first visited Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 2004, I was afforded a behind-the-scenes tour of the 24-inch Alvan Clark & Sons refractor. It’s a gigantic telescope housed in its original 1896 dome. I was graciously allowed to move the beast around and climb the ladder at the tube’s front end to peer inside. The lens I saw there is a masterpiece of craftsmanship — made even more remarkable because it’s...

In the last installment, I outlined the history of the constellations. Now it's time to learn them. Well, at least some of them. Start with no more than three major constellations per season. In no time at all, you'll know your way around the sky in a general sense. You can fill in smaller and fainter constellations later. Anybody really interested in the sky can learn a dozen patterns. As I write this, winter is around the corner, so let's...

Recently a learned scientist called me to tell me why we’ll never make it to Mars. According to this fine gentleman, humans will not be able to stand up to the assault of solar radiation while traveling to the Red Planet or while on Mars’ surface, especially because of the extended length of time such a mission would take. His argument made sense. It seems there is currently no way to adequately shield humans from the lethal radiation...