This Week's Amazing Sky
February 3, 2020
Ever noticed how snow will disappear without melting? Even in sub-freezing weather, the frost on your car or the snow bank will get smaller. How does this happen? It’s called sublimation. Bob explains …
On a cold sunny day, you may have noticed that the huge piles of snow pushed onto the edges of parking lots by plows sometimes look as if they’re steaming. This is one sign that sublimation is underway.
The snow is turning from a solid directly to a gas, bypassing the liquid watery stage.
More... more
January 31, 2020
Groundhog Day. Just a bizarre tradition involving rodents? Or, rather, marmots? Actually, Groundhog Day is based in astronomy and full of amazing sky-related stuff. Let’s have some shadow fun!
Midpoint of Winter
If you now count the days between winter’s start on the solstice of December 21, and the beginning of spring on March 19, you’ll see that, yes, February 2 comes very close to being the midpoint. If it’s not exact, that’s because the precession of the equinoxes caused by Earth’s wobble... more
January 19, 2020
All of Orion’s stars are easy to spot in the winter sky. We’re in a period of dark, moonless, evening skies, so let’s do some old-fashioned stargazing, and go hands-on under the sky.
Of the 88 constellations, most are incoherent, hallucinogenic smatterings. Orion is different. Along with the Big Dipper (best seen in the spring) Orion’s easily identified belt is often the first celestial pattern a child will notice.
Viewing the Orion Constellation
More than merely obvious, the three-stars-in-a-... more
January 18, 2020
This past week, the star Betelgeuse (Orion’s “left shoulder”) dimmed. Most reports jumped on the supernova angle. What really happened? There’s nothing like a space mystery to spark interest …
For a quick background: A burst of gravitational waves was detected near the star Betelgeuse. At the same time, Betelgeuse has mysteriously dimmed in recent weeks. So, many folks wondered if the red supergiant was about to explode. Gravitation waves are often related to big cosmic events happening in ... more
January 8, 2020
It’s escaped no one’s attention that this year’s name is also the term for sharp vision—2020. So let’s check out your vision in the sky! Plus, here are some fun facts about how long it takes for our eyes to adjust to darkness and whether your night vision is affected by your eye color.
The human eye is amazing and uses different modes to see during the daytime and to see at night, and can also
Living in Full Color: Photopic Vision
People who move from a city into a rural area are often spooked... more
January 8, 2020
The year 2020 promises some unusually fine celestial fireworks. Here are the top most noteworthy night sky events to look forward to: three amazing meteor showers (not washed out this year), a spectacular year for Mars, and the finest planet conjunction of our lives as Jupiter meets Saturn on the winter solstice. Take a look …
Quadrantid Meteors on Display (January 3-4)
The year kicks off with great conditions for the Quadrantid meteor shower since the Moon sets well befor dawn that night. See... more
December 29, 2019
Want a cosmic way to ring in the New Year? On New Year’s Eve, the brightest star visible from our planet, Sirius, reaches its highest point in the sky as the clock strikes midnight (or, near to it).
Simply step outdoors on New Year’s Eve, as local midnight approaches.
Look toward the south and you’ll easily see the brightest star, Sirius, also known as the “Dog Star” or “New Year Star.”
Since neither the Moon nor any bright planets are around at that time, the Dog Star dominates with its... more
December 13, 2019
You’ve probably weather forecasts say “80% chance of rain.” What does this really mean? Probably not what you think. Here’s an easy translation of weather speak for all you star gazers.
If you’re a sky watcher, the first step in observing the sky is having decent weather. We probably all check the forecast from time to time. But relatively few of us know how to make sense of it.
If you heard an “80% chance of rain,” would you assume this mean you had an 80% chance of getting rained on? Not... more
December 8, 2019
The most active meteor shower of the year peaks the night of Friday, December 13. These are the Geminids, the sky’s “Old Faithful.” Their trustworthy, one‑a‑minute frequency has created reliable December sparklers for the past century.
In 2019, the Geminids occur just two nights after December’s full Moon. Unfortunately, the Moon’s brightness will likely wash out some meteors. Nonetheless, it’s still worthwhile to venture out into the night and scan the sky for those wonderful Geminids! We’ll... more
December 4, 2019
When is the earliest sunset of the year? Many folks think it’s on the winter solstice. But the darkest days are actually now—in early December! Bob Berman explains.
This puzzles people, but in fact it’s a reliable yearly sequence. First comes the earliest sunset, in early December. Then there’s the winter solstice half a month later on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest minutes of daylight. Finally, another two weeks later, in early January, we get our murkiest... more
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Welcome to “This Week’s Amazing Sky,” the Almanac’s hub for everything stargazing and astronomy. Bob Berman, longtime and famous astronomer for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, will help bring alive the wonders of our universe. From the beautiful stars and planets to magical auroras and eclipses, he covers everything under the Sun (and Moon)! Bob, the world’s mostly widely read astronomer, also has a new weekly podcast, Astounding Universe!
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