The Andromeda Galaxy, like all spirals, shows a population of older, redder stars near its center (lower right) and younger, bluer stars in its surrounding spiral arms. Walter Baade discovered the different populations through observations made during World War II. NOAO/AURA/NSF If you've been watching Ken Burns' World War II documentary, The War , this week, you've seen the key role science played during that global conflagration. But...

There I go again, nattering on about the dangers of spaceflight. Laugh if you will, but this is pretty interesting: Salmonella bacteria grown aboard the space shuttle turned out to be more harmful to its hosts — "virulent," for all the microbiology geeks out there. Salmonella is a leading cause of food poisoning in humans. Stock up on surgical masks. SARS and Swine Flu, stand aside. The REAL Andromeda Strain is here. In Michael Crichton's...

The specimen extracted from the Willamette meteorite. Bonhams If you ask any visitor who has ever wandered the halls of New York's American Museum of Natural History what his or her favorite piece is, you'll get a variety of answers. Some have fond memories of the 94-foot-long blue whale model, suspended from the ceiling. Others will celebrate the dioramas showcasing Earth-bound creatures. Overall, I'd wager most visitors, especially those...

Springer The definitive work on a famous list of deep-sky objects is now in print: The Herschel Objects, and how to observe them by James Mullaney (Springer, 2007). Why definitive? Because, in 1976, Mullaney was the first to propose an observing list based on Herschel's catalog. Mullaney packs an incredible amount of information into this 166-page book. He gives us a brief history of English astronomer Sir William Herschel (1738–1822), a list...

If you've been watching the Moon after sunset this week, you may have noticed it lies lower in the sky than usual (at least if you live at mid-northern latitudes). It's not your imagination — the Moon is figuratively scraping the treetops this week. Although this is no great mystery, it never hurts to remind yourself about the Moon's monthly and yearly cycles. The Moon's maximum altitude from any given location depends on its declination...

When asked about the importance of beating the Soviet Union to the Moon, then Vice President Lyndon Johnson replied, "What American wants to go to bed by the light of a Communist Moon?" Of course, unless you are a conspiracy nut, you know the United States landed a dozen men on the Moon, including the first ever. No other nation has stepped foot on our satellite. Winning this race must have placed a Texas-sized smile on Johnson's face...

One thing's for sure about being a reporter: You can go out of your mind trying to get to the heart of the most complex issue and, in the end, trip over the simplest facts. Eyepiece pioneer Al Nagler, CEO of Tele Vue Optics, Inc. , pointed that out to me today. My article about the pros and cons of laser eye surgery appears in the November issue of Astronomy . I enjoy medical reporting, and jumped at the chance to combine astronomy and medical...

Last week, I shared the first part of a short essay by one of my astronomy friends, Susan Carroll. Susan observes through an 18-inch Starmaster Dobsonian-mounted reflector. To read the first installment, click here . NIGHTFALL (part 2) by Susan S. Carroll, Bradenton, Florida Finally, the first stars in my deep southern object peek above the horizon; it won't be long now. I stare at them, hoping that I can raise them higher with my own eagerness...

On September 11, 2007, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity entered Victoria Crater on the rover's 1,291st martian day, or sol. NASA/JPL-Caltech Note to carmakers: Find out who the people were who built those fantastic rovers on Mars and hire them. They know how to make electric vehicles. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity have now been operating 40 months beyond their initial 3-month planned missions. Admittedly, NASA probably set the...

Here's something I'll strive to do with this blog every once in a while: provide you with suggestions for deep-sky observing. I'd like to suggest viewing some of my favorite objects, some of which are a little off-the-beaten-path. If you observe these objects, image them, or sketch them at the eyepiece, be sure to send us your material and we'll publish as much of it as we can in Astronomy or on our web page. Feel free to contact me...