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

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Thinking small makes an astronomical difference

Posted 15 years ago by Dick McNally

Is a big telescope better than a small one? Well, it all depends on what you want to use it for and how much the cost difference is. As with airplanes, bigger isn’t always better. A little two-place airplane works just fine for training pilots in the initial stages, thank you. A six-place jet can often conduct research aloft just as effectively as a big Boeing 747, and at a much lower cost. So it is with telescopes. This size and cost issue is so important that the American Astronomical ...

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New Video: The Big Bang explained

Posted 15 years ago by Liz Kruesi

In my newest video, I give you an overview of the Big Bang Theory (the cosmology theory, not the television show), and help clear up a few common misconceptions. Hopefully the crazy world of cosmology will make a bit more sense after you’ve watched the production. This clip is the first in a series called Cosmology 101. Over the next few months, you’re invited to tune in to watch me discuss additional cosmology topics. Watch the video, Cosmology 101: The Big Bang. ...

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April 17-24, 2009: The Spring Triangle, the Mini Coathanger, and irregular galaxy NGC 4449

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Spring Triangle, the Mini Coathanger, and irregular galaxy NGC 4449 this week. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome — to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets for you to see: One object you ca...

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AT LAST! The next-next big thing in space telescopes?

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Astronomers eagerly anticipate the final Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission, set to blast off May 12 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And they are already hard at work designing the observatory that will take over after Hubble sees its final light. Hubble is, in the lingo of telescope engineering, a UVOIR instrument: Its 2.4-meter light-collecting mirror samples wavelengths of light in the ultraviolet (UV), optical (O), and near-infrared (IR). The James Webb S...

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Check out this crescent Moon

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Amateur astronomer and imager Pete Lawrence of Selsey, England, just sent me a fabulous lunar mosaic he created. This image is so incredible that I wanted to share it with all of you.The amount of effort Pete expended to create this image astounds me. He captured the individual frames April 2 when the Moon was at First Quarter phase. He shot through a 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at prime focus (f/11). In all, 166 frames make up the final image. Each of those frames originated ...

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April 10-17, 2009: The Y of Virgo, globular cluster M3, and spiral galaxy NGC 4731

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Y of constellation Virgo, globular cluster M3, and spiral galaxy NGC 4731 this week. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome — to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets for you to see: One objec...

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“400 years of the telescope” documentary airs

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Telescopes have extended the human senses to unimaginably distant and inhospitable parts of the universe. A documentary beginning to air this week on public television stations in the United States tells the story of the telescope and its unveiling of the cosmos — starting with that simple little tube Galileo pointed at the Sun, Moon, and stars. The 60-minute documentary is called 400 Years of the Telescope: a journey of science, technology, and thought. Writer/director Kris Koenig of Interste...

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Lunar soft-sell

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

I just received a link to a video of lunar images put together by British amateur astronomer Bruce A. Kingsley. He serves as the Lunar Photographic section coordinator for the British Astronomical Association. The video contains no narration, only a small bit of text, and lots of images. I enjoyed it, so I thought I’d share it here. About the video, Kingsley says, “It is artistic as much as scientific but has recently been used as part of my local astronomical society’s outreach projects for ...

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Star party in West Texas

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

On Friday, April 24, the first Dark Sky Party at Sierra la Rana will take place. Activities will begin at 7:30 P.M. and continue until 11 P.M. Organizers’ goals are to expose the public to the marvels of astronomy and the importance of protecting dark skies, not just for astronomy, but also for area wildlife. Sierra la Rana is a dark-sky friendly community (as evidenced by the dark-sky map at right) with an Astronomy Village and a common area with telescope pads for stellar viewing. The Dark ...

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The quiet Sun

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Last summer, my colleague Michael Bakich, a senior editor at Astronomy, kindly gave me a special filter that fits on the front of my 4-inch Celestron NexStar, thus allowing me to observe the Sun without turning my eyeball into a poached egg. I looked at the Sun with the new setup. Nada. Nothing! Thanks to this cool graphic just released by NASA, it’s clear why the Sun is so, well, boring to look at lately. We are in a deep “solar minimum,” a period in the 11 (or so) year sunspot cycle wher...

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April 3-10, 2009: Broken Engagement Ring, globular cluster M68, and the Helix Galaxy

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Broken Engagement Ring, globular cluster M68, and the Helix Galaxy this week. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome — to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets for you to see: One object you can...

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Naked-eye supernova in Sagittarius! Duck!

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

OK, April Fool’s Day is over. Some pretty clever pranks bounced around the Net yesterday, including a rumor that Admiral Adama of Battlestar Galactica fame is being considered for the post of NASA administrator. And then there was the one about the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and Pluto. This tidbit apparently originated on the internal computer system of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: "Based on new observational evidence of more objects of significant size in the outer ...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy, Day Six

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

On Wednesday, April 1, our group of Astronomy magazine travelers on the Galileo tour experienced our last day of enjoying Italy’s sights. We concentrated on several more spectacular areas of Florence, setting off in the morning for the famous Uffizi Gallery (pictured at right), one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Editor's note: We've posted more images from Dave's trip in our Online Reader Gallery's "Trips and Tours" gallery. Click on "Italy: Galileo...

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Special Galileo issue web extras for subscribers

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

Now that your May 2009 issue of Astronomy is in hand, we’ve updated Astronomy.com with our newest web extras to give subscribers exclusive complementary information on this special collector’s edition that celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning his telescope to the sky. Take a sneak peek inside the May 2009 Astronomy magazine. If you subscribe to Astronomy, make sure you’re registered with Astronomy.com so you can access these great extras. Here are the highlights: Associate ...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy, Day Five

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

On Tuesday, our fifth major day of activities, Astronomy’s Galileo our group set out on an ambitious and long day focused squarely on Galileo himself. We began by traveling about a half hour outside Florence to Arcetri and the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, an institution founded in 1872. We explored the observatory’s grounds, discussed astronomical subjects with some of the institution’s astronomers, and explored the 14-inch refractor (image at right) — taking a quick peek by solar projecti...

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April IYA2009 events

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

April includes a key Cornerstone Project for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), which commemorates the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning the telescope to the heavens. Here’s what’s in store for you: April 2009 NASA Theme: Galaxies and the distant universe Featured object in the sky: The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) April 2-5: Spend time trying to bring astronomy to a worldwide public with the 100 Hours of Astronomy IYA2009 Cornerstone Project. There are global events as w...

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World’s strongest astronomer!

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

When you see a photo like this, you stop and look. And you wonder: What’s that guy’s story? Who is this kilt-wearing fellow with the big stone ball on his shoulder? And what does this have to do with astronomy? Let me introduce you to Mike Sidonio, former competitor for the title of World’s Strongest Man and award-winning astrophotographer. (In case you’re wondering, the ball is sandstone and weighs 337 pounds [153 kilograms]). I’ve been working on a new department for Astronomy that...

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The northern lights in 3-D

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

I just received a copy of Prelude Lake (Nightscapes 3-D Publishing, 2008), a coffee-table book that showcases great images of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. In addition to the night sky photography by Bryan Rich White, the book also comes with a music CD by Jonn Serrie. Prelude Lake also contains more than 60 stereo images. Each is a 7-inch wide “card” with a left and right image. The author included a handheld image fuser called a lorgnette with the book. To create a stereo image, ...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy, Day Four

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

Well, a few hours in Florence convince you why it’s one of the most historic and beloved spots on the planet. Our Astronomy Galileo tour group of 19 enjoyed our first day in the historic city Monday, and it was a long one. We were on the move, walking briskly and efficiently, moving from site to site, like a well-oiled machine. Editor's note: We've posted more images from Dave's trip in our Online Reader Gallery's "Trips and Tours" gallery. Click on "Italy: Galile...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy, Day Three

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

Astronomy’s Galileo tour group left Rome this morning and stopped today in Orvietro, in southwestern Umbria, where we explored a fascinating and often-overlooked town that was built up originally as an Etruscan fortress. The town (pictured at right) then changed hands repeatedly, with the Romans taking over until Goths and Lombards preceded a self-governing commune that took over the town in the 10th century. Editor's note: We've posted more images from Dave's trip in our Online Rea...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy, Day Two

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

Our second full day of touring Italy concentrated on ancient Rome. We started with the Piazza del Popolo, where the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo provided sensational views of art created by the likes of Carravaggio, Carracci, Bernini, and Raphael. We later saw other churches, including Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs) in part of what was the mammoth Baths of Diocletion, and San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), which contains ...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy, Day One

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

After traveling from a variety of cities across the United States, our modest group of 19 travelers assembled in Rome to begin our quest for Galileo’s Italy, some 400 years after the scientist’s first telescopic observations. For some of us, this is a return trip, as Rome in particular is a place that, once visited, draws you back magnetically. Others looked forward to their first tour of the fabled city. Editor's note: We've posted more images from Dave's trip in our Online Reader ...

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Darker observing, help our Earth

Posted 15 years ago by Liz Kruesi

Turn out your lights tomorrow night for 1 hour to show support for the Earth Hour campaign. All across the globe, people, businesses, and cities will go dark on Saturday, March 28 from 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. local time. Earth Hour is the World Wildlife Fund’s global initiative to show support for action on climate change. Last year, 50 million people across the globe participated in Earth Hour. Not bad for its second year. This year, the campaign hopes 1 billion people will participate in the...

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March 27-April 3, 2009: Coma Berenices Star Cluster, the Stargate, and spiral galaxy M99

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see Coma Berenices Star Cluster, the Stargate, and spiral galaxy M99 this week. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome — to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets for you to see: One object you can find ...

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Join the pulsar hunters and work from home

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

“Wanted: a few hundred thousand computers with a little spare time on their hands.” That’s the basic job qualification if you (and your personal computer) want to join Einstein@Home, a massive international project that uses donated personal computer time to crunch data for real scientists. The project has been going on for several years. This week, Einstein@Home announced it will begin to analyze data from a new source: the giant radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. It’s ...

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Star struck

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

I was watching the Science Channel with my family this past weekend when a promotional ad for the channel came on. I wasn’t paying much attention until suddenly a face I recognized popped up. “I know her!” I excitedly told the room and proceeded to explain that Laura Danly, the curator of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the woman who just appeared on our TV screen, was going to be in our June edition of “Astro Confidential,” which I had just been doing the final edits on the previous wee...

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WorldWide Telescope adds Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Megacorps are practically lining up for the privilege of disseminating fantastic volumes of astronomical images to you, John and Jane Q. Public. Recently Google added a “Live from Mars” function to its 3-D visualization of Mars within Google Earth. The feature allows you to see images from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Now Microsoft says it will let you explore images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO, pictured at right) within its web-based astronomy application, WorldWide Telescope ...

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On the road: Galileo’s Italy

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

Tomorrow I’ll leave for a 10-day trip to Italy along with 25 Astronomy readers and our tour partner, Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates. In this magical year of celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first observations, we’ll explore sights in Rome, Florence, and Pisa associated with Galileo and the amazing ancient and Renaissance history of Italy. Within Rome, we’ll explore the Vatican — St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the grandeur of everything associated with this unique p...

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How many stars can you see?

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Those of you who know me or have read some of my stories realize I’m kind of a crusader against light pollution. I’ll take any opportunity to rail against it or to let you know of a worthwhile project that will help decrease it. Well, I’ve found another one. For the past several years, a project to determine the darkness of our night sky has been underway, and you can help. The Globe at Night project invites people from all over the world to go outside an hour after sunset and compare a set o...

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