Astronomy.com blog : media

A wider WorldWide Telescope

Michael Bakich — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:38:00 GMT

Those of you who are fans of Microsoft Corporation’s WorldWide Telescope (WWT) software will soon have some new friends. At the fifth annual Latin American Faculty Summit in Buenos Aires May 13, Microsoft announced the global availability of WWT’s Spanish user interface release.

WorldWide Telescope is a virtual observatory that allows you to explore the universe from your computer. You can study celestial objects in multiple wavelengths, thanks to the many observatories that have made their images available. Traveling from one object to another is easy and seamless. As a user, you even can script tours (with soundtracks, if you choose to add them), which other users can view.

All versions of WorldWide Telescope are available online at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/. Users who previously installed WWT on their computers but would like the Spanish language update will have that option when they open the program.

Astronomy editor to be regular guest on new radio program

Matt Quandt — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:37:00 GMT

Senior Editor Michael Bakich will be a monthly guest on “Overnight America with Jon Grayson,” a new radio program that originates from KMOX (AM 1120) in St. Louis. Michael used to be a monthly guest on Jon’s previous show, “Reality Check.”

“Overnight America” airs weeknights starting at midnight. The program is broadcast on a few CBS Radio stations throughout the country. Specifically:

WBZ, 1030 in Boston
WCCO, 830 in Minneapolis
KDKA, 1020 in Pittsburgh
KMOX, 1120 in St. Louis

Michael typically talks with Jon for about 15 minutes about Astronomy magazine, the latest astronomy-related news, and observing tips.

We’ll let you know when Michael makes his debut.

****Update: Michael recorded an interview with Jon Grayson January 19, 2009, and it will air sometime during "Overnight America's" January 20 broadcast. According to Grayson, each of the broadcast partners offers LIVE online streaming. So if you're a night owl, tune in to listen to the two men talk about Venus' current brightness and Michael's article in the February 2009 issue, "Can we win the war on light pollution." For those of us not up between midnight and five o'clock in the morning, I'll let you know about the availability of archived episodes.****

David H. Levy to join Astronomy magazine as Contributing Editor

David Eicher — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:47:00 GMT

In January 2009 world-renowned amateur astronomer and comet discoverer David H. Levy joins Astronomy magazine as a Contributing Editor. Levy will write a monthly column for the world’s most popular magazine on astronomy, which has a circulation of more than 125,000 monthly issues. Levy’s first column will appear in the June 2009 issue.

Levy is most famous for discovering 22 comets over his long career, including the co-discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which broke apart and slammed into Jupiter in 1994. He is the author or editor of 35 books and products, has served as Science Editor for Parade magazine, and has written for most of the popular astronomy magazines in existence, including Sky & Telescope and Deep Sky.

Levy also won an Emmy for his 1998 participation on the writing team for the Discovery Channel documentary Three Minutes to Impact.

Anyone who has been around for a long time as an amateur astronomer knows how entertaining Levy is as a speaker. He has given more than 1,000 lectures and popular astronomy talks and has appeared on a wide variety of television programs to promote astronomy, including The Today Show, ABC’s World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and other shows. Levy is the recipient of five honorary degrees from various institutions.

He lives with his wife Wendee in Vail, Arizona, where they operate the Jarnac Observatory, surveying the sky for comets and promoting astronomical education.

Astronomy magazine editors are especially proud to add Levy to a distinguished group of popular columnists that includes Bob Berman, Glenn Chaple, Phil Harrington, and Stephen James O’Meara.

(photo) David H. Levy with Obadiah, his largest automated telescope (credit: Wendee Levy)

Astronomy editor discusses MESSENGER flyby with reporter

Matt Quandt — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:40:00 GMT

Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich spoke with a reporter from TechNewsWorld about the upcoming Mercury flyby. Read Michael's comments and learn more about the flyby in "NASA Craft to Make Second, Closer Swing Past Mercury".

We've put together a nice package that includes a preview of the flyby, various news from MESSENGER's mission so far, a blog wrap-up, and podcasts: MESSENGER's second Mercury flyby.

Michael Bakich on KMOX radio in St. Louis Sunday night, 09.21.08

Matt Quandt — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:56:00 GMT

Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich will talk with Jon Grayson of KMOX radio (AM 1120) in St. Louis Sunday night at 9:10 Central. Jon invited Michael to be a monthly guest on the station's "Reality Check" program. Their conversation typically lasts 15-20 minutes. They discuss articles from the latest issue of Astronomy, what objects are visible in the sky this month, and other space-related topics.

You can listen to Michael's previous conversations by visiting the program's web site and scrolling through the audio archive.

There are times we can get KMOX's signal up here in Wisconsin, so if you're in the Midwest, tune in to KMOX (AM 1120) at a little after 9:00 p.m. Sunday. You can also listen live on the Web.

Potential topics for Sunday's conversation include Venus' appearance in the evening sky and articles from the November 2008 Astronomy magazine, which appears on newsstands September 30.

Michael Bakich on KMOX in St. Louis Sunday night

Matt Quandt — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:39:00 GMT

You can listen to Michael's previous conversations by visiting the program's web site and scrolling through the audio archive.

There are times we can get KMOX's signal up here in Wisconsin, so if you're in the Midwest, tune in to KMOX (AM 1120) at a little after 9:00 p.m. Sunday. You can also listen live on the Web.

Potential topics for Sunday's conversation include Venus' appearance in the evening sky, Michael's new weekly observing podcast, Cassini's discoveries at Saturn, and the Go-to telescope pull-out guide that's bound into every copy of the October 2008 issue.

Editors help promote awareness for Perseid meteor shower

Matt Quandt — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:49:00 GMT

Reporters from across the country consulted Astronomy magazine editors about the annual Perseid meteor shower that peaked August 12.

Here are links to a few of the Perseid stories:

"Nature's Fireworks," The Virginian Pilot, Lee Tolliver (Lee also blogged about watching the meteor shower. Read his preview, "Set the alarm for nature's fireworks" and his reaction "An awesome show")

"Perseids are coming," Austin American-Statesman, Mike Leggett

"Stay up late, get away from town to see meteors," The News Tribune

"Perseid meteor shower will be most visible about 3 a.m." The News-Press, Kevin Lollar

"Showtime in the sky: Perseid meteor shower to reach its peak over night," The News-Times, Robert Miller

UPDATE: "Meteor showers on the way," The Ann Arbor News, Amanda Hamon

Astronomy magazine sent out a press release about the Perseid meteor shower's peak. It also prepared a podcast and a video about how to observe the meteor shower:

Press release: "Perseid meteors shower the August night sky"

Podcast: "The Perseids"

Video: "How to observe meteor showers"