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Steve O’Meara sees Panama’s astronomy enthusiasm grow

Posted 13 years ago by Karri Ferron

Astronomy columnist and contributing editor Stephen James O’Meara spent the past few days in Panama as the guest of the U.S. Embassy on a Speakers Grant to attend the 1st Congress of Panama Amateur Astronomy 2011. He was kind enough to share Panama’s growing astronomy enthusiasm with our readers: I arrived in Panama January 13 and was met by Alison Brown of the Cultural Affairs office and taken to my base at the Marriott hotel. The next morning, I joined Alison and Shaleen White, cu...

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American Astronomical Society meeting: January 13, 2011

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

Thursday was my last day (or really hour) at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. I went to the morning invited talk, which is usually a great way to figure out what theories, and what scientists, are big in the field right now. Eric Agol of the University of Washington spoke about exoplanets. He focused on one type of detection method, transits, which occur when a planet crosses in front of its star and thus blocks light according to our view. In particular, Agol talked about what...

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American Astronomical Society meeting: January 12, 2011

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

Wednesday was another busy day at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. I ran into a few contributors to Astronomy magazine (it’s always great to meet the people I talk to on the phone) and my roommate from a summer research internship I did nearly a decade ago. OK, back to the science. At the first press conference of the day, scientists announced all sorts of crazy stuff happening within the Crab Nebula (aka M1). Actually, they focused on the Crab’s pulsar — a ste...

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American Astronomical Society meeting: January 11, 2011

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

The Planck science team released their early results today. While the mission’s main purpose is to study the Big Bang’s “light echo” (the cosmic microwave background, or CMB), it hasn’t yet compiled and analyzed enough data to report on CMB findings. However, as the satellite surveys the radio sky looking for leftover radiation from the Big Bang, it also observes the “stuff” between the CMB and us. On Tuesday the team announced discoveries found in that ...

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American Astronomical Society meeting: January 10, 2011

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

A few exoplanet discoveries kicked off the press conference portion of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting. (Worlds around other stars is a hot topic.) The first presentation came from a study that didn’t find what it was supposed to find. Edward Guinan of Villanova University announced that an undergraduate research project to determine the age of planet-hosting stars turned into quite the discovery. The team found out that there’s a lot of magnetic interaction between o...

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American Astronomical Society meeting: January 9, 2011

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

After arriving in Seattle Sunday, I went to the conference center to get my American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting badge and the giant book of abstracts for the next few days. (And I ran into a friend from grad school!) Since then, I’ve been paging through the press meetings, talks, and posters to figure out which ones to attend today. It’s insane how much research scientists present each day at AAS. To give you an idea, the poster abstracts take up 22 pages with some 15 on eac...

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American Astronomical Society January 2011 meeting preview

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

On Sunday the 9th, I’ll head out to Seattle, Washington, to represent Astronomy magazine at the 217th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. I haven’t been to one since 2009, so I’m pretty psyched (plus, Seattle is a wonderful city). More than 2,700 astronomers will attend the meeting, which will cover topics ranging from planetary science to the history of astronomy to high-energy astrophysics. There are nearly three dozen press announcements scheduled, so expect...

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Lowell Observatory offers customized field trip program to astronomy clubs

Posted 13 years ago by Karri Ferron

Guest blog by Michael T. Kitt What could be more exciting than an inside look at an astronomical research facility? Lowell Observatory, located in Flagstaff, Arizona, is now offering a program developed specifically for astronomy clubs and groups. The field trip will provide a unique opportunity to visit Lowell’s satellite research facilities, which include the state-of-the-art 4.3-meter Discovery Channel telescope now being readied for first light, and the 72-inch Perkins telescope used ...

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Calling all astronomy clubs! Astronomy magazine announces Discover the Universe program

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Help spread the fun of amateur astronomy! Astronomy magazine, in conjunction with the Astronomy Outreach Foundation, is announcing a new program of sponsoring star parties across the United States and the world. We would like to enlist you, experienced amateur astronomers and astronomy club members, as an army of enthusiasts to help spread the joy of amateur astronomy. Carl Sagan once told me that 99 percent of all human beings are born, go through their lives, and die without realizing their pl...

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The gauntlet has been flung

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

Do you like seeing new objects when you’re out observing? Well, a wonderful new reference, Cosmic Challenge — The Ultimate Observing List for Amateurs (Cambridge University Press, 2011), just arrived on my desk. Written by experienced observer Phil Harrington, this highly illustrated work is a comprehensive guide to 187 observing targets suitable for the naked eye, binoculars, and telescopes. For each of the challenges, Harrington (a contributing editor to Astronomy magazine) gives ...

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The truth? You can't handle the truth!

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

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 steady flurry of snow. Enjoying the online coverage in lieu of the real thing, I called up CNN’s lunar eclipse story on my laptop. Following a rational quotation from U.S. Naval Observatory ...

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Become a Planet Hunter!

Posted 13 years ago by Bill Andrews

What a busy week in astronomy! With last week's Geminid meteor shower, tonight's total lunar eclipse, and the winter solstice tomorrow, it's easy to overlook another event that may not be as big, but could be just as much fun. On December 16, Planet Hunters (www.planethunters.org) launched, allowing anyone to search for planets beyond our solar system from the comfort of their own living room — or wherever they keep a computer. The citizen science project comes from the Zooniv...

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Behind the scenes of "Cosmic Adventures"

Posted 13 years ago by Bill Andrews

We just launched the first episode of our new video series, “Liz and Bill’s Cosmic Adventures”! We’re so excited, we used an exclamation point. This project has been about 4 months in the making (although it feels like 14), so it’s fantastic and a great relief to see the first episode, shiny and new, on the Web. As attentive viewers might notice (and longtime readers of Astronomy magazine’s Cosmic Grid might remember), the two of us have fairly diverse appro...

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Things are happening on the giant planets

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

I just received two images that will convince anyone that astronomical objects — especially planets — are not stale, dead places. The first image shows Saturn, and it’s from Anthony Wesley of Murrumbateman, Australia. He took it December 14, at 18h31m52s UT, and it shows a storm that appeared the previous day. In this image, the storm is the bright, elongated white spot in Saturn’s atmosphere above the rings. Some imagers have called this the “Dragon Storm.”...

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Astronomy magazine's sketching gallery goes live

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

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. “Sketches from the Telescope” joins such popular posting areas as “Sun and Moon,” “Nebulae,” and “Planets.” To post an image, just become a registered user at Astronomy.com. It’s free! Then, from the home page, select “Multimedia” and click on “Re...

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Astronomy magazine visits Yerkes Observatory

Posted 13 years ago by Chris Raymond

Did you know that the world’s largest refracting telescope is located less than an hour from Astronomy magazine’s headquarters? Founded in 1897, Yerkes Observatory sedately sits on the shore of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. On December 3, 2010, the staff of Astronomy, its publisher, and its senior graphic designer received a behind-the-scenes tour of this historic facility. While Yerkes houses several large scopes of varying size, it’s the 40-inch refracting telescope...

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Road trip: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, part 2

Posted 13 years ago by Rich Talcott

When you hear the name Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, or Fermilab for short, cosmology likely isn’t the first thing to cross your mind. But Fermilab researchers are busy building an astronomical camera that could help confirm that dark energy rules the current universe — or the unsettling alternative that scientists don’t understand gravity very well. The Dark Energy Camera was the reason Associate Editor Liz Kruesi and I made the trek to Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois,...

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CBS morning news covers astronomy — and shows Astronomy magazine

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

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.) The Early Show on CBS featured the planetarium and Frank Kovac November 29 in its “Assignment America” series. And there’s a scene where Frank is reading through the Octob...

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Road trip: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, invited press and amateur astronomers to visit on November 17 and view a camera it’s building for a dark-energy study. Senior Editor Rich Talcott and I jumped at the chance to see the lab. Fermilab is about 2.5 hours south of Astronomy magazine’s headquarters, and we arrived with plenty of time to spare before the dark-energy event got under way.After the information session, the 20 or so visitors loaded into a bus to se...

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A new Star Gazer steps up

Posted 13 years ago by Bill Andrews

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 in late August, Chris Trigg of the Miami Science Museum temporarily took over on Star Gazer, but the show’s producers will soon begin trying out hosts to permanently fill the slot. The fir...

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Astronomy magazine’s 2010 editorial retreat

Posted 13 years ago by Karri Ferron

Yesterday, Astronomy’s editors, art staff, and publisher left the office to hang out at Editor Dave Eicher’s house for our annual staff retreat — a major component of how we bring you new ideas each year via the magazine and the website, and something the staff always looks forward to. Article ideas, thoughts on our recently updated website, potential special issues, design tweaks, and much more formed the day's agenda, and the group of 12 talked, talked, and talk...

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More aurorae, and the North Cape

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

On Tuesday, November 9, 2010, Astronomy’s travel group was nearing the end of our ship-bound journey on the MS Midnatsol, cruising northward along the Norwegian coastline looking for bright shows of aurora borealis. Monday night, we saw aurorae lighting up the horizon in the north, and Tuesday we awoke to a clear blue sky for the first time on the trip. Thus, the group is hopeful to see a few more displays before heading home. Speaking of heading home, this is the final blog I will write...

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Visiting the most northerly substantive city

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

On Monday, November 8, 2010, Astronomy’s travel group of 15, along with MWT Associates’ Melita Thorpe, continued cruising north along the Norwegian coastline aboard the MS Midnatsol. We've had little luck spotting bright shows of aurora borealis due to pesky cloud cover and significant snow. Nonetheless, last night we saw glimpses of aurorae lighting up the horizon underneath the Big Dipper, and we hope for more before heading home, which for most of us is the United States. La...

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We cross the Arctic Circle

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

On Sunday, November 7, 2010, Astronomy’s travel group of 15, along with MWT Associates’ Melita Thorpe, continued on our ship-bound journey on the MS Midnatsol, cruising northward along the Norwegian coastline. Our objective, spotting bright shows of aurora borealis, has been slow to start due to pesky cloud cover and snow showers. Nonetheless, we are hopeful for clearing as we continue northward and meanwhile are soaking up the sights of Norwegian history. Sunday morning we crossed...

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They call this working? (reviewing the Vixen AXD mount)

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Wednesday and Thursday nights, I was conducting a test of Vixen Optics’ AXD mount at the Observer’s Inn. This astronomy bed-and-breakfast facility sits in Julian, California, 22 miles as the crow flies from Palomar Observatory. Julian is a town of some 350 (I found that out during a conversation at the inn with the local sheriff) in the northeastern part of San Diego County. The Observer’s Inn is the creation of Michael and Caroline Leigh, and it would have been a highlight eve...

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Waiting for aurorae, visiting St. Olaf

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

On Saturday, November 6, 2010, Astronomy’s travel group of 15, along with MWT Associates’ Melita Thorpe, continued on our ship-bound journey on the MS Midnatsol, cruising northward along the Norwegian coastline. Our objective, spotting bright shows of aurora borealis, has been slow to start due to pesky cloud cover, intermittent rain, and, today, our first snow showers. Nonetheless, we are hopeful for clearing as we continue northward and are meanwhile soaking up the sights of Norweg...

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Astronomy in Norway rolls on

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

On Friday, November 5, Astronomy magazine’s group of 15 travelers, led by Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, carried on our Norwegian vacation in search of aurorae. Although we have thus far been plagued by wet weather as we cruise on the 674-berth MS Midnatsol, we have heard that to the north, away from the rainy areas, observers have spotted fantastic aurorae over the past couple nights. Early yesterday morning we set off from Florø, trekked to Måløy, crossed the Stadha...

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The quest for aurorae begins

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Few times in my life have I thought, “OK, I’m starting off on vacation, but first I’ll put my winter coat on.” But that was the case this morning as our group of 15 Astronomy magazine readers, accompanied by me and escorted by Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, commenced our journey to see aurorae from Norway. On November 3, I recovered after flying from Milwaukee to Chicago to Newark to Copenhagen and finally to Bergen, Norway. Yesterday, we boarded MS Midnatsol, our cru...

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California dreaming (about equipment)

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

For the third time in about 6 weeks, I’m headed to California. The first two trips involved me attending the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show in Pasadena and the Advanced Imaging Conference in San Jose. Today, I fly to Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, from which I’ll make a 2-hour drive to the Observer’s Inn, located in Julian, which lies in the northeastern part of San Diego County. Once there, I’ll be testing the new AXD mount from Vixen Optics. I’m...

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On-the-go Astronomy goes live

Posted 13 years ago by Chris Raymond

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 in a mobile-friendly fashion.Regardless of which flavor smart phone you use, just point your browser to http://m.astronomy.com (and make sure you bookmark it for easy future access). There, you...

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