I’ve never been a fan of Home Depot. My typical experience involves trying to locate an employee for assistance, only to find an apathetic teenager who doesn’t know a coupling from a chicken coop. I do my best to avoid Big Orange in favor for my local mom-and-pop hardware store. Despite my disdain for Home Depot, I have to tip my hat to Big Orange. The chain recently agreed to provide a new roof for the Custer Institute in Southold, New York. The...

Scott Roberts with the apochromatic refractor telescope presented to National Young Astronomer Award winner John Hodge. Explore Scientific, LLC Most amateur astronomers are familiar with Scott Roberts. During his days with Meade Instruments , he was a common visitor to dozens of annual star parties and would often talk with observers on the phone to answer questions regarding telescopes and accessories. Roberts left Meade earlier this year, but promised...

Several astronomy clubs send us their newsletters covering group activities and upcoming sky events. I recently received “Desert Skies” from the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association . While perusing it, I came across the story concerning rattlesnake alerts for observers. Holy cow! Now that is an observing site danger. Here in Wisconsin, I think the only wildlife danger at an observing site would be blood loss from mosquito attacks. I suppose it is...

Have you downloaded Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope (WWT)? If not, you can find it here , free of charge. Once you kick the tires, be sure to join our community. WWT communities provide tours, images, and other information relating to the night (and day) sky to members. So far, our community features tours covering galaxies, orbiting observatories, our impending (meaning long after you're gone) merger with Andromeda, and naked-eye open star...

I have something to look forward to on the idiot box. OK, Battlestar Galactica returns this week with the launch of season four, so two things, actually. The other: PBS will rerun Timothy Ferris ’ 60-minute masterpiece on stargazing, Seeing in the Dark , June 11 (check your local listing for times). When the special first ran last November, I didn’t know PBS aired a high-definition broadcast. Imagine, scanning deep-sky images on a crystal-clear, big...

If there is a hoax involving anything in the sky, Astronomy staff members will receive questions about it. Do you remember the “ Mars as big as the Full Moon ” prank? Lately, I’ve received a few inquiries asking if “moonvertising” is real. This comes from recent billboard and web advertising from the firm Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. This tongue-in-cheek campaign claims Latrobe Brewery Co. will use a ginormous laser to place the Rolling Rock...

One of the most flattering tribute you can pay to an invention is, “Why didn’t I think of that?” It comes close to a backhanded compliment, but the praise acknowledges the practicality, efficiency, and solution provided. I recently tested a product that provided that slap-in-the-forehead moment. Manufacturer i-Cuffs has created eyecups specifically for binoculars and telescopes. Eyecups are nothing new to optics, but these stand out. I took two i...

What’s your idea of roughing it? Staying in a 5-star hotel and NOT ordering room service? Or climbing inside a dead camel’s carcass to stay warm, like Bear Grylls of Discovery Channel ’s “Man vs. Wild”? If you lean closer to Grylls’ side and are into the night sky, I have your next vacation plan. Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) offers a low-tech, back-country hiking experience with its “ 7-Day Desert Astronomer ” course. In late May 2008, students...

Location, location, location. This maxim isn’t only reserved for real estate, but also holds true for vendors at star parties. This year, Astronomy holds another great position at the Winter Star Party (WSP). Best of all, right next door is Tele Vue ’s booth, commanded by the company's founder, Al Nagler. For amateur astronomers, the name “Nagler” is synonymous with “high- quality optics.” Nagler’s latest masterpiece, the Ethos, has been the rage...

The Southern Cross Astronomical Society is the gracious host of the Winter Star Party (WSP). Many folks you run into at the WSP come from this group or another of the several astro communities throughout Florida. However, participants aren't limited to the Sunshine State. Walking through the camping grounds, you find flags celebrating astronomy groups from California to Connecticut. Among the parked cars, license plates range from Quebec to Texas...