Local Group - Astronomy Magazine - Interactive Star Charts, Planets, Meteors, Comets, Telescopes

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Celestron and Granite Gap team up for dark skies

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Celestron Community Relations Coordinator Kevin Kawai (right) delivers a Celestron CGE Pro 1400HD telescope to Gene Turner for his new astronomy development, Granite Gap near Animas, New Mexico. Kevin Kawai photoWe all crave easy access to truly dark skies to whet our observing appetites. And for years, developer Gene Turner has opened up the inky-black Southwestern skies to the amateur astronomy population with locations like the Arizona Sky Village near Portal, Arizona, and Rancho Hidalgo in A...

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Falling stars: Remembering Jack Horkheimer … a personal perspective

Posted 13 years ago by Mike Reynolds

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 where I first met Jack Horkheimer. Florida amateur astronomers Don Parker and Tippy D’Auria, both of whom I had known for some time, suggested to Jack that I come to the Miami Space Tra...

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Calling all astroimagers to the 2010 Astroimaging Contest

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

Rogelio Bernal Andreo's wide-field view of the nebulae in Orion the Hunter won 2009's Deep-Sky category. Rogelio Bernal Andreo If you don’t know about it already, you should be aware of Astronomy’s 2010 Astroimaging Contest. The October 1 deadline is less than 6 weeks away, and that period only includes one more New Moon (a consideration for you deep-sky imagers). We’ve divided the competition into three categories: Deep-sky, Solar System, and General. If you don’t quite know which...

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A senior editor’s lifelong observing list

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Astronomy Senior Editor Michael Bakich’s new book, 1,001 Celestial Wonders to See Before You Die, is just out from Springer. It is a paperback that, in my opinion, will add significantly to the bookshelves of astronomy enthusiasts. The book (479 pp., New York, 2010, ISBN 978–1–4419–1776–8) forms part of Springer’s “Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy” series and contains voluminous descriptions of the many objects Bakich serves up along with color photos and basic data for each of the objec...

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Strange new worlds

Posted 13 years ago by Bill Andrews

One Ring Zero’s latest album, Planets, includes the always controversial "Pluto," as well as the often controversial accordion and theremin. One Ring ZeroWe 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 aims to aid in that task, honoring the near centennial anniversary of that other planetary musical suite by Gustav Holst. With an official release date of September 7, the album features the band’s ...

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Life as an astroimager

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

Anthony Ayiomamitis was trying to image this stunning supernova remnant in Cygnus, CTB 80, which the Hubble Space Telescope captured in 1997. NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)During the past week or so, I’ve received two e-mails from Athens, Greece, astroimager and longtime Astronomy contributor Anthony Ayiomamitis. As you’ll see, not every attempt at imaging is a resounding success. Michael, I am already set up outside to image CTB 80 — a stunning supernova remnant in Cygnus. T...

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The “Star Hustler” dies

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

Jack Horkheimer, America's stargazer. Bill Wisser photoI 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. Astronomy featured Horkheimer in its January 2006 issue. Read the PDF format of "America's stargazer" by clicking on the link. Astronomy.com will have a full story when more det...

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The Advanced Imaging Conference 2010

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

Lisa Frattare of the Space Telescope Science Institute is one AIC 2010's guest speakers. STScI photoThe seventh incarnation of the Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC) promises to be the best one yet. The 2010 event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, California, October 22-24. Two of this year’s guest speakers are Zolt Levay and Lisa Frattare from the Space Telescope Science Institute. They will be talking about (and presenting clips from) their contributions to the recent...

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Brilliant minds meet for SETIcon

Posted 13 years ago by Karri Ferron

This past weekend, August 13–15, debuted the first SETIcon, which gathered more than a thousand participants in Santa Clara, California. The event — “the first-ever public convention focused on the search for life in the universe in science fact and science fiction” hosted by the SETI Institute (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) — helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of SETI research, the 80th birthday of SETI champion Frank Drake, and the 25th anniversary of the institute itself. Meli...

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The end of the beginning

Posted 13 years ago by Bill Andrews

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 various alternatives to the Big Bang. The article isn’t attacking the concepts of the universe expanding over 13.7 billion years or general cosmic evolution. Instead, according to Frank, &...

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One observer’s great Perseid meteor shower

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

This Perseid meteor streaks through the summer Milky Way August 13, 2010, at 2:17:12 CDT. Near the bottom of the image, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) glows, and below and to the left of center you can see the tiny image of the Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC 869 and NGC 884). Darren Trizzino photoI just received this report (and the impressive picture on this page) from longtime subscriber and Dallas, Texas, resident Darren Trizzino: Michael, we had a fantastic trip to Fort Davis, Texas, to see the...

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Sketching at the Telescope: Michael Sheehan’s Mars

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Mars sketched by Michael T. Sheehan using a 6-inch f/5 reflector at 324x with a #25A red filter and a #58 green filter, October 10, 1988, from 9:10 to 9:40 CDT. The sketch is centered on Solis Lacus, at 130° CM. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of th...

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Watch the Milky Way move

Posted 13 years ago by Michael Bakich

To see the time-lapse video from imager Tony Rowell, click on the picture above.Recently, image contributor Tony Rowell from Bishop, California, sent me a short time-lapse video. He took this footage in May at Lake Sabrina, which lies east of Bishop in the Inyo National Forest. During Rowell’s visit, the lake was still frozen. The video shows a mountain range silhouetted by the center of our galaxy. Start the video and the stars rise and set until morning twilight causes them to disappear. You...

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Sketching at the telescope: Phil Harrington’s NGC 2301

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Open cluster NGC 2301 sketched by Contributing Editor Phil Harrington using an 8-inch f/10 SCT at 78x, January 8, 1986. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Tour Mercury in our new video

Posted 13 years ago by Liz Kruesi

Observers have known about Mercury's existence since antiquity, but it's difficult to study because of its position in the solar system. In the first installment of the "Tour the solar system" series, Associate Editor Liz Kruesi explores what scientists know about the innermost planet and what they're still hoping to learn in the future. Click on the photo to get to the video. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of WashingtonBe sure...

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Sketching at the telescope: Dave Eicher’s NGC 6781 from McDonald Observatory

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

NGC 6781 sketched by Dave Eicher with the 82-inch (2.1m) Otto Struve telescope at McDonald Observatory, June 4, 1989, during the 1989 Texas Star Party. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Jeff Corder’s Andromeda Galaxy

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and its two satellites, M32 and NGC 205, sketched by Jeff Corder using a 6-inch reflector at 30x, July 7, 1973. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: James P. Carroll’s Mars

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Mars sketched by James P. Carroll using a 10-inch f/4 reflector at 320x on June 17, 1988, from 10:00 UT to 10:20 UT. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Reconnecting with the night sky

Posted 13 years ago by Karri Ferron

This summer has been an especially crazy season for me, with weekends jammed-packed with visitors, festivals, weddings, reunions, and the like. I haven’t had the chance to get away from the city at all, so my connection to astronomy has mostly been through work and the Discovery and Science channels. But this past weekend, my friends and I planned a canoe trip in southern Missouri, and it was going to be my chance to reconnect with the night sky. Much to my delight, we were spending the n...

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Sketching at the telescope: Christian Legrand’s Dumbbell Nebula

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) sketched by Christian Legrand of Preaux, France, using an 8-inch f/6 reflector at 75x with an OIII filter. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Richard Baum’s Sun

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

The Sun with a sunspot group sketched by Richard Baum of Chester England, February 14, 1988 at 12:50 UT (left), February 21, 1988 at 11:20 UT (center), and February 23, 1988, at 9:20 UT (right). David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of t...

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Sketching at the telescope: Jay Albert’s Aristarchus Crater

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

The lunar crater Aristarchus and the Schröter Valley sketched by Jay Albert using an 8-inch f/10 SCT at 301x on November 27, 1982. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Dan Troiani’s Jupiter

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Jupiter sketched by Dan Troiani with a 10-inch f/6 reflector at 283x, January 24, 1981, 8:41 to 9:07 UT. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Chris Schur’s Jewel Box Cluster

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

The Jewel Box (NGC 4755) sketched by Chris Schur with a 6-inch f/5 reflector at 61x from Calaundra, Australia, in April 1986. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Larry McHenry’s Double Cluster

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

The Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884) in Perseus sketched by Larry McHenry with 11x80 binoculars, October 13, 1987. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Philip W. Budine’s Saturn

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Saturn sketched by Philip W. Budine with a 4-inch refractor at 250x, September 6, 1964, from 1h05m to 1h30m UT. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Glenn Chaple’s Double-Double

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Epsilon Lyrae, the famous star consisting of two double stars and called the “Double-Double,” sketched by Astronomy Contributing Editor Glenn Chaple using a 3-inch f/10 reflector at 120x. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at t...

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Praise for Webb

Posted 13 years ago by Karri Ferron

Every day at Astronomy, our editors, page designers, and writers work diligently to produce content that our readers find beneficial. The positive feedback we get for each issue makes our jobs worthwhile, and it’s an especially nice treat when we also get praise from the subjects of our articles for our coverage. So we’re excited that the folks working on NASA’s next big idea, the James Webb Space Telescope, are satisfied with September’s cover story, which explores the work the Webb engineers a...

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Sketching at the telescope: David H. Levy’s 1986 Comet Halley

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Comet Halley sketched by Astronomy Contributing Editor David H. Levy with a 16-inch reflector, March 25, 1986, at 12:30 UT. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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Sketching at the telescope: Dave Eicher’s Comet Halley

Posted 13 years ago by David Eicher

Comet Halley sketched by Dave Eicher using 20x80 binoculars, March 20, 1986, from Harrington Beach State Park, Wisconsin. David J. Eicher library To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video "Sketching from the telescope" and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column "Sketching 101." See the rest of the Sketching at the telescope series. ...

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