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Australian astronomy

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

I was out of the office quite a few days last month. My wife had to speak at a conference in Melbourne, Australia, and I wanted to go with her to show my support … and to see some of the land Down Under. It was one of the few trips I’ve taken over the past couple of years that wasn’t astronomy (or Astronomy) related, but I still had high hopes for a stellar experience. This was, after all, a country that proudly includes the Southern Cross on its flag — surely there wou...

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Guest blog: The Bucket List Astronomy Tour Class — the Very Large Array and onto Australia

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

The past few days have been busy for the Bucket List Astronomy Tour (BLAsT) Class, a group of 10 Sam Houston State University undergraduate students on a journey to witness some of the best astronomical events of a lifetime. The students finished up their time in the Southwest and moved on to Sydney, Australia, where they will view next week’s transit of Venus. One of their professors, C. Renee James, updates us on the BLAsT Class’ visit to a famous radio array and their first reacti...

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Discover the Universe: Ottawa, Canada, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

As I’m sure we all remember, International Astronomy Day this year was April 28, and I’ve been hearing from lots of clubs about how they spent this special day as part of Astronomy’s Discover the Universe program. I especially enjoyed hearing from Jim Thompson of the Ottawa Valley Astronomy & Observer’s Group about its event, the group’s second with the program. The Ottawa Valley Astronomy & Observer’s Group (OAOG) held its annual Astronomy Day event ...

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Guest blog: The Bucket List Astronomy Tour Class — Lowell Observatory

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

The Bucket List Astronomy Tour (BLAsT) Class continues for 10 Sam Houston State University students and their two professors, Dr. Scott Miller and Dr. C Renee James. And although the class gets to visit fantastic astronomical sites (and are hopefully inspired by what they see), they still have work to do. James and two students provide an update of their activities, including some time under the night sky at Lowell Observatory. Thursday, May 24, was largely a lab and lecture day for the student...

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Guest blog: Bucket List Astronomy Tour Class -- Meteor Crater

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

The Bucket List Astronomy Tour (BLAsT) Class continues for 10 Sam Houston State University students and their two professors, Dr. Scott Miller and Dr. C Renee James. The group is still in Arizona soaking up the many astronomical sites that state has to offer. James and a student provide an update of their activities. On Monday afternoon, Dr. Scott Miller spent some time with the students discussing the history of impacts in the solar system, attempting to explain just how much energy is involve...

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On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 22, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Rich Talcott

The final day of the MWT Associates, Inc., tour to see the major astronomical sites of Arizona and New Mexico — and last Sunday’s annular solar eclipse, of course — was just as beautiful as the previous four. Sunny skies have been the rule, with only a few stray clouds that didn’t bother us at all. Tuesday was a bit warmer than we’ve experienced, however, with highs in Albuquerque reaching the low 90s. Yesterday, the other 32 tour members and I spent most of the da...

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After the annular eclipse, part 2

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here are some further thoughts about the annular eclipse of May 20, 2012, which I viewed with a group of some 20 friends (if you haven't, read part 1 first). 5) The eclipse itself was a spectacle. Granted, it was not a total eclipse, but there was majesty nonetheless. I've observed several annular eclipses, but during this one the Moon stood farthest from Earth. This meant a thick annulus (ring) of solar disk surrounded the Moon at maximum coverage. For whatever reason (maybe because it was so ...

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Guest blog: Bucket List Astronomy Tour Class, May 20-21, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

Currently, 10 Sam Houston State University undergraduate students are traveling the world to witness some fantastic astronomical phenomena for the Bucket List Astronomy Tour (BLAsT) Class, led by astronomy professors Dr. Scott Miller and Dr. C. Renee James, a frequent contributor to Astronomy magazine. They’re currently in Arizona and New Mexico, as they spent Sunday beneath the “ring of fire” of the 2012 annular eclipse. As part of the BLAsT Class, the students are writing blo...

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On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 21, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Rich Talcott

One thing you learn when visiting Arizona and New Mexico: It takes a long time to get from one place to another. Fortunately, Monday’s long drive was worth it. The destination for our MWT Associates, Inc., tour was the Karl Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), recently renamed for one of the pioneers of radio astronomy. The array has been doing cutting-edge research for more than 30 years, but it may be best-known as the observatory that first heard signals from E.T. in the movie Contact. The a...

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Guest blog: 2012 annular eclipse from Bryce Canyon

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

Astronomy’s fantastic illustrator, Elisabeth Roen Kelly, traveled south from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, over the weekend to witness her first solar eclipse. She, like Senior Editors Rich Talcott and Michael Bakich, had perfect skies for this awesome celestial event. Here is her recap: For many years, I’ve created diagrams and star charts of eclipses for Astronomy magazine. But on Sunday, I had the opportunity to experience one live for the first time. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, w...

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After the annular eclipse, part 1

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here are some of my thoughts after Sunday's celestial spectacle: 1) The location was fantastic. We set up in a public park on grass as lush as I have ever seen. The feel of that turf, plus the fact that solar radiation wasn't baking us from below, as it would have if we'd set up on asphalt, made the whole day a comfortable one. Thanks again to Carl Wenning and Jeff Hunt for finding that site. 2) The group, most of whom have participated in hundreds of public star parties, were fantastic hosts ...

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On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 20, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Rich Talcott

The Sun is dead! Long live the Sun!According to Navaho tradition, the Sun “dies” during a solar eclipse. People are instructed to stay inside and keep quiet. They also may not eat, drink, work, or even sleep. Violating these beliefs can lead to stomach problems and bring misfortune to the family.No one on our MWT Associates, Inc., tour followed this advice. Fortunately, the Navaho people allowed the National Park Service to open Canyon de Chelly National Monument for visitors to view...

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The day before annularity

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

Yesterday was the day before the Moon crosses directly in front of the Sun. Unfortunately, our lone natural satellite lies too far from Earth to totally block it's light. The result? An annular eclipse, at whose peak a ring of the Sun's disk still surrounds the Moon.After overnighting in Tucson, Arizona, at friends' Dave and Sunni White's home, the four of us (including my wife, Holley) set out for Flagstaff on Saturday. On the way, we enjoyed a great sit-down lunch at a fish taco place Dave kne...

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Guest blog: Meet the Bucket List Astronomy Tour Class

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

The Bucket List Astronomy Tour (BLAsT) Class is officially off and running. Led by Sam Houston State University astronomy professors Dr. Scott Miller and Dr. C. Renee James, a frequent contributor to Astronomy magazine, the class is taking 10 undergraduate students with widely varied backgrounds and aspirations to witness some of the best astronomical events of a lifetime (hence the name). Here's what James had to say about the trip so far:The students of the BLAsT Class are not astronomy expert...

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On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 19, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Rich Talcott

Approximately 50,000 years ago, a 150-foot-wide piece of an asteroid weighing some 300,000 tons slammed into northern Arizona at 26,000 mph. The impact released as much energy as 2.5 megatons of TNT — equivalent to 150 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs. The blast blew down almost every tree within a 5-mile radius and sprayed pulverized limestone and sandstone a mile from ground zero.Today, a crater nearly a mile across and more than 550 feet deep marks the spot. Known as Barringer Meteor Crater...

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On the road: Annular eclipse trip, May 18, 2012

Posted 12 years ago by Rich Talcott

Nature has dealt a nasty blow to Arizona these past few days. Near-record heat (Phoenix hit 107° Fahrenheit a couple of days ago) and massive wildfires have plagued the state, with no signs of relief in sight. But nature will offer an olive branch of sorts to residents and visitors to northern Arizona on Sunday. The Moon will pass directly in front of the Sun late that afternoon, creating an annular solar eclipse along a path nearly 200 miles wide. I’m here with MWT Associates, Inc., ...

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Annular eclipse: T minus 9 days

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

On Sunday, May 20, observers along a narrow line throughout the western United States will be able to see the Sun, the Moon, and Earth line up. Unfortunately, the Moon will be near its farthest point from Earth, so it won’t totally cover the Sun’s disk. At mideclipse, a ring of sunlight still will be visible. Because the Latin word for “ring” is annulus, we call this type of eclipse an annular eclipse. You can read all about this event in the Astronomy.com News secti...

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Discover the Universe: Sussex County, Delaware

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

Astronomy Day has passed, but it’s not the only time to introduce people to the skies. Astronomy magazine’s Discover the Universe program works with clubs all year to bring sidewalk astronomy to the astronomically challenged. Gerry Lyons, public outreach coordinator of the Sussex County Astronomy Society, sent me this report of the group's four most recent efforts: Friday night, April 6, was the Sussex County Astronomy Society’s (SCAS) first ever major public event. We had...

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Citizen scientists: Target an asteroid!

Posted 12 years ago by Karri Ferron

Last week, NASA announced a new outreach program that I’m sure some of you citizen scientists will want to take part in: Target Asteroids! The space agency is asking amateur astronomers to study various near-Earth objects (NEOs) from an initial list of some 74 that are at least 656 feet (200 meters) in diameter. The catalog will grow because observers are sure to discover more asteroids. Why? Target Asteroids! will support NASA’s robotic sample-return mission, OSIRIS-Rex, scheduled ...

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C2E2 was a real eye-opener

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) ran from April 13 through the 15th in the North Building of Chicago’s McCormick Place. I attended this year’s event, and I had a blast! I also learned quite a bit. The annual convention (this was the third one in Chicago) covers breaking news in comics, movies, television, toys, and video games. And while I attended panel discussions, walked through “Artist Alley,” and was part of the audience that judged costume competit...

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What are you doing for International Dark Sky Week?

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

The importance of dark skies is surely something I don’t need to defend around here. Anyone interested in the night sky is likely all too aware of the decreased visibility and diminished views of stars that accompany light pollution — the flooding of artificial illumination into the heavens. But, while we might all be familiar with the value of a pristine sky, how many of us are involved in efforts to preserve it? We’re currently in the midst of International Dark Sky Week (ID...

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See you at C2E2?

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) starts Friday, April 13, and I’ll be there. With bells on. With press credentials. And with a burning desire to ask at least one comic book author, “What’s it feel like to create a whole race of extraterrestrials?” The 2012 C2E2 runs April 13–15. The convention, which, in addition to comics, also spans the latest and greatest in the worlds of movies, television, toys, and video games, is being held in the North Buil...

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A life of astronomy outreach

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

I’ve just heard from guest blogger Donald Lubowich of Hofstra University about his upcoming Astronomy Night on the National Mall, which takes place April 28 (with a rain date of April 29) in Washington, D.C., and which Astronomy magazine and the Astronomy Foundation will be sponsoring this year. Lubowich delights in this kind of large-scale astronomy outreach, so in addition to helping raise awareness about the event, I thought it’d be instructive to learn a little more about his eff...

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"Broken" Apollo 11 rocket engines found in Atlantic

Posted 12 years ago by Chris Raymond

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but, according to my parents, when I was a mere three years old and watching the Apollo 11 launch July 16, 1969, on our tiny low-def TV, my infant vocal cords supposedly uttered “Aw, he broke” after the first-stage Saturn V engine separation.That rocket, in case you don’t know, propelled three humans on their historic journey of some 240,250 miles (384,400 kilometers) to our only natural satellite. Two of them — Neil Armstrong and Edwi...

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Canon announces a new camera for astroimagers

Posted 12 years ago by Michael Bakich

To the delight of amateur astronomers everywhere, Canon just introduced a DSLR optimized for astroimaging. The EOS 60Da is the long-awaited successor to the EOS 20Da, the company’s former astronomy enhanced model. The 60Da offers a modified infrared filter and a low-noise sensor with heightened Hydrogen-alpha (Hα) sensitivity. These modifications allow the camera to capture magnificent photographs of emission nebulae and other cosmic phenomena that glow with a characteristic red colo...

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Book review: "Transit: When Planets Cross the Sun"

Posted 12 years ago by Chris Raymond

If you’re reading this, I hope you feel the same sense of luck as an astronomy enthusiast that I feel to be alive right now. In less than three months, you and I will have the chance to view one of the rarest of all predictable celestial events — the transit of Venus across the face of our star June 5/6, depending on where you live.Because of the geometry governing the orbital planes of our planet and our “sister planet” around the Sun, such events only happen twice every...

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Discover the Universe: Dayton, Ohio

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

Sidewalk observing, the heart of Astronomy magazine’s Discover the Universe program, is usually enough to keep an astronomy club busy during a fun outreach event. But if enough groups get together, it’s possible to feature a sidewalk star party as just one of many activities going on at a great astro event. Doug Kaupa of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) tells us more about a recent collaboration in Ohio: On January 20, at a local museum and not in a gala...

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Discover the Universe: Dorado, Puerto Rico

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

Astronomy magazine’s Discover the Universe program has helped groups all over the world inspire people with the power of the cosmos. Today’s international entry is extra special for me, however, because it marks the first update from my homeland of Puerto Rico. Gustavo Sánchez of the Astronomy Society of the Caribbean (Sociedad de Astronomia del Caribe) tells us more: Puerto Rico, a sunny Caribbean island of beautiful beaches and a yearlong warm climate, was the venue for two...

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Happy Pi Day!

Posted 12 years ago by Liz Kruesi

As you might know, today (March 14) is Pi Day, as in π, the mathematical constant of 3.14159… (If you’re curious about what it actually means, π is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It’s also an irrational number, meaning its value cannot be expressed as a fraction and the numbers after the decimal continue forever without repeating.) For years, we’ve celebrated this mathematical holiday at Astronomy magazine by bringing in circle-shap...

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Other 2011 out of this world outreach programs

Posted 12 years ago by Bill Andrews

We recently announced The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS) as the winner of Astronomy magazine’s 2011 Out-of-this-world Award for public outreach. We’re thrilled to give them the top honor, but as Astronomy Editor David J. Eicher said, it hard to pick just one winner. So I wanted to highlight some of the other great groups who made it into our final round. Last year, TAAS showed up on this list, so perhaps we’re looking at more than one future winner here. The Great Lak...

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