We’re one step closer to taking vacations in space, it seems, after Virgin Galactic showed off its latest launch vehicle Tuesday at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Named WhiteKnightTwo but nicknamed Eve, the plane resembles the hull of a catamaran, with the space between its booms intended to carry the still-in-development SpaceShipTwo, and its paying customers, into space as early as 2011. (Presumably...

Tomorrow I’ll leave for a 10-day trip to Italy along with 25 Astronomy readers and our tour partner, Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates. In this magical year of celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first observations , we’ll explore sights in Rome, Florence, and Pisa associated with Galileo and the amazing ancient and Renaissance history of Italy. Within Rome, we’ll explore the Vatican — St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the grandeur...

The year 2010 is going to be a big one for eclipses. Not only is there the summer total eclipse that many of us will be traveling to, but also a great annular eclipse in January. Astronomy will sponsor a tour, along with Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, to see the January eclipse in Kenya. While we’re there, we’ll also take in a big-game safari adventure like none you’ve ever seen before. We have a special web page now set up to describe " The...

Thursday was my third and final night at Rancho Hidalgo in Animas, New Mexico. Daytime hours saw only a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky. After sunset, we decided to let the 30-inch Starmaster reflector cool until moonset. That's when we'd start observing. I walked back outside as the Moon was setting in the west. I watched the thin crescent disappear behind the low mountains, but, as it did, I saw another nice sight. The earthshine...

Tuesday the 27th is a big day for me. I’m headed once again to observe from the pristine skies of Rancho Hidalgo in Animas, New Mexico. During the three nights I’m there, I’ll be using developer Gene Turner’s magnificent 30-inch Starmaster reflector (pictured at right with Astronomy Editor David J. Eicher). I have compiled an observing list of challenging winter deep-sky objects that would make most observers’ mouths water. I also created lists of...

Once a week I’ll pick an image from a recent trip of mine that will cast some light on an astronomical subject — or maybe sometimes it’ll just be a cool image that will stray a little from astronomy. To start things off, here’s an important place: St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. The tower shown at right is the Campanile of St. Mark’s, the (reconstructed) tower where Galileo first demonstrated his brand-new telescope. It’s an amazing story: Stunned...

Astronomy magazine Editor David J. Eicher filed this report from his trip to Arizona Sky Village: Friday opened up great adventures on our journey to the Arizona Sky Village (ASV). Senior Editor Michael Bakich and I continued our stay at Rancho Hidalgo, the newest development of ASV creator Gene Turner and his associates. The ranch lies just across the New Mexico border from ASV near the little town of Animas. Gene and his girlfriend, Loy Guzman,...

“The skies on our first night did not disappoint. Armed with the group’s 30-inch f/4.4 Starmaster Dobsonian reflector and a computer-controlled database, we went after dozens of deep-sky objects.” After flying from Milwaukee to Denver to Tucson, Senior Editor Michael Bakich and I arrived at the eastern arm of the Arizona Sky Village (ASV) yesterday and immediately began an on-the-spot star party with a group of ASV owners. Instead of going to the...

Later today I’m heading west, along with Senior Editor Michael Bakich , to a desolate area southeast of Tucson, Arizona, to visit the Arizona Sky Village (ASV). Michael and I will spend the next few days observing, observing, and observing. We’ll be fortunate enough to be guests of Gene Turner, founder of the ASV. The Arizona Sky Village is a development project near Portal, Arizona, tucked at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains, and it offers a...

From July 18 through August 2, 2008, Astronomy magazine had the pleasure of hosting a total eclipse expedition — along with MWT Associates — to visit Russia and witness the August 1 total solar eclipse . It was great fun, made so largely by the fantastic organization and energy of Melita Thorpe, president of MWT. I accompanied Senior Editor Rich Talcott , our readers, and travelers from Chicago's Adler Planetarium and the Astronomical Society...