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Carl, we hardly knew ye ...

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since Carl Sagan died. As you know if you've been interested in astronomy for a long time, Sagan brought an enthusiasm for spreading his passion for astronomy to the public like no other astronomer in recent times. Had he lived to defeat the cancer...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 03-30-2007
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Currently visible comets

Backyard astronomers long for the next really bright comet. There's hardly anything to equal a brilliant comet's magnificence in the sky. For those who caught a glimpse of Comet McNaught in the January twilight sky, the view was great. But you have to go back to comets Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 03-23-2007
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Go for the dream!

This past week was a special one watching television at the Eicher household. Yeah, The Office was on again, the much-treasured Curb Your Enthusiasm reruns and travel shows on European destinations for next year. But something really special was also on: Tuesday night's episode, March 13, on the...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 03-16-2007
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The forgotten art of astronomical sketching

David J. Eicher Back in the day, I would go out to a cornfield astride the neighborhood where I grew up with my 8-inch scope, my dog Oscar, a box of cookies, a star atlas, and a pad of paper. We would explore the sky all night long, uncovering deep-sky objects that, it seemed, no one had ever heard of...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 03-02-2007
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The Arizona Sky Village

Astrophotographer Jack Newton was one of Arizona Sky Village’s first inhabitants. His attached observatory houses a 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Newton routinely photographs the Sun and searches for supernovae. Michael E. Bakich In an era when really dark skies are increasingly hard...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 02-18-2007
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The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

Each February thousands of people flock to Tucson to attend the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show , where mineral, gem, and meteorite dealers offer specimens for collectors to take home. The event consists of several overlapping shows held at numerous hotels spread throughout the city, and offers collectors...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 02-12-2007
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Rating deep-sky objects

What are the best objects to observe in the sky, outside our solar system? For years, the front runners were always, invariably, the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy. Telescopes, technology, and observers' information sources have changed so much over the past several years, however, that I...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 01-27-2007
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The universe the way we see it

Humans now live in a world of complete oversaturation. You see it everywhere you go. Everyone wants to drive faster, get places, do things, see people, make deals, move on down the road. We can't go anywhere without the latest cell phone, need 24/7 access to CNN and iPods and SIRIUS Radio, and God...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 01-18-2007
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Winter deep-sky challenges

The next time you're out observing and you find yourself checking out the same objects one too many times, consider branching out into some new territory. Find a level of object that pushes your equipment and your observational skill, and draw up a list of new things to see. Try sketching the objects...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 01-13-2007
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The Planetary Society offers $$$

On Wednesday afternoon at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, the Planetary Society announced a major award for "asteroid tagging." The $50,000 prize will be awarded to the winner of the Society's Apophis Mission Design Competition , which asks participants to submit...

Posted to Astronomy.com blog (Weblog) by David Eicher on 12-13-2006
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