Blogs

  • Blog Post: Michael Bakich on KMOX in St. Louis Sunday night

    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...
  • Blog Post: Michael Bakich on KMOX radio in St. Louis Sunday night, 09.21.08

    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...
  • Blog Post: <i>Astronomy</i> editor discusses MESSENGER flyby with reporter

    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...
  • Blog Post: David H. Levy to join Astronomy magazine as Contributing Editor

    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...
  • Blog Post: Astronomy editor to be regular guest on new radio program

    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...
  • Blog Post: A wider WorldWide Telescope

    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...
  • Blog Post: National Geographic Channel’s Storm Worlds premieres Sunday

    This week, I had the opportunity to preview a new three-part series from the National Geographic Channel, Storm Worlds . It premieres Sunday, May 16, at 8 p.m. EDT. If you’re interested in all the craziness that exists in our solar system and what would happen if, hypothetically, Earth had some of the...
  • Blog Post: Astronomy magazine article up for award

    We just heard that Contributing Editor Bruce Dorminey’s January 2010 article , “What galaxy superclusters tell us about the universe,” is up for an award. (I’m pretty excited about it, as I served as the project editor for this article.) Specifically, it’s on the shortlist for the Aerospace Journalist...
  • Blog Post: The end of the beginning

    One of the best parts of my job is reading the kinds of news stories and articles I used to read just for fun. “ Death Of The Big Bang, Or The Problem Of Time’s Beginning ” by frequent Astronomy contributor and astrophysicist Adam Frank on NPR’s blog 13.7 is such a story, about...
  • Blog Post: The “Star Hustler” dies

    Jack Horkheimer, America's stargazer. Bill Wisser photo I just heard some sad news. Jack Horkheimer, the astronomy television celebrity who went by the nickname “Star Hustler,” passed away in his Florida home this morning. I’m afraid I don’t have many more details, but I did confirm the initial report...
  • Blog Post: Strange new worlds

    One Ring Zero’s latest album, Planets , includes the always controversial "Pluto," as well as the often controversial accordion and theremin. One Ring Zero We all enjoy looking at the planets, but how often do we get to hear them? The new album Planets by the genre-defying band One Ring Zero...
  • Blog Post: Falling stars: Remembering Jack Horkheimer … a personal perspective

    I had the honor of traveling the United States as a NASA Teacher-in-Space finalist following the 1986 Challenger accident. My audiences ranged from primary school classes to civic organizations. And more often than not, I had an invitation to speak at an astronomy club, museum, or planetarium. That’s...
  • Blog Post: Astronomy.com gets an upgrade

    As with so many things in life — phones, cars, computers, etc. — websites occasionally get worn out, so they require an upgrade — a new look, more features, and better organization. And that’s what we’re planning to give you when we unveil a new Astronomy.com October 26. Our editorial team, as well as...
  • Blog Post: Upgraded Astronomy.com goes live October 26

    If you haven’t already heard, Astronomy.com is getting an upgrade October 26 — a new look, more features, and better organization. To get the new site up and running, there will be a transitional period where Astronomy.com is down on the 26th, but it will return that same day. The Community area (Blogs...
  • Blog Post: A new and improved Astronomy.com

    As I’m sure you’ve already noticed, Astronomy.com has gotten a makeover. We’ve done some reorganizing, added new content, and, above all, tried to make the site a more dynamic and user-friendly place to visit. We hope you’ll spend some time exploring it, and below I’ve listed...
  • Blog Post: On-the-go Astronomy goes live

    Your smart phone just got even smarter thanks to the launch of Astronomy magazine’s new mobile site. In tandem with our newly updated website, www.astronomy.com, which launched this week, Kalmbach’s crack team of cyber gurus also created a new site optimized to deliver our most popular content...
  • Blog Post: A new Star Gazer steps up

    Like millions of Americans, I was a fan of the late Jack Horkheimer’s PBS show, Star Gazer . His enthusiasm and passion shone through the television screen, making even the most ardent couch potato want to get out of the house and “look to the stars.” After Horkheimer’s death...
  • Blog Post: CBS morning news covers astronomy — and shows Astronomy magazine

    The other day, the Astronomy staff came across a cool bit of national news. There’s a fellow by the name of Frank Kovac who built a globe planetarium in his backyard. The Kovac Planetarium is in northern Wisconsin, in the small town of Monico. (I guess you could say it’s local to us in Milwaukee...
  • Blog Post: Astronomy magazine's sketching gallery goes live

    Calling all observers who ever put pencil to paper while peering through an eyepiece. Astronomy magazine’s 10th area in its Online Reader Gallery is now up and running. [caption image="/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/astronomy.Misc/0876.Rupes_2D00_Recta_2D002800_the_2D00_Straight_2D00_W...
  • Blog Post: The truth? You can't handle the truth!

    There are times when I just throw up my hands and wonder if civilization is making any progress. One such time took place last night. I was innocently watching the Bears-Vikings game, having given up on the total lunar eclipse about to take place. You see, in Milwaukee, we are getting pummeled with a...
  • Blog Post: Horoscope horror

    By now you probably have heard the story that you might not have the astrological sign you thought you did because of Earth’s gradual precession (or wobble), changing where constellations appear in the sky over time. Disappointed and sometimes hostile Internet comments along the lines of “I...
  • Blog Post: Astronomy mobile adds daily observing events

    Astronomy magazine’s mobile-friendly website just added another reason you should immediately bookmark http://m.astronomy.com in your smart phone’s browser. Already offering on-the-go access to the latest astronomy and space news, staff blogs, and our jaw-dropping Photo of the Day, Astronomy...
  • Blog Post: We’re on Blueshift!

    I know I work for a big famous magazine with thousands and thousands of readers, but it can be weirdly easy to forget that fact. Working in an office, seeing the same co-workers, receiving a new issue every month — sometimes it can feel like we’re the only ones who have anything to do with...
  • Blog Post: Unexpected astronomy

    Whenever New Year’s Day comes and goes, many publications will take the time to look back and list some of the top things (people, photos, stories) of the previous year. (And of course, we’re no exception .) When lexicographer Grant Barrett compiled a list of 2011’s catchwords for The...
  • Blog Post: “Overnight America” expands

    The popular early-morning radio program “ Overnight America ,” hosted by Jon Grayson, which runs from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern time, has recently expanded from five stations to 25. It originally aired on stations in St. Louis, Missouri; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Orlando, Florida; Roanoke...