Astronomy Articles

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Planet Nine

Winners Propose Name for Planet Nine!

The Old Farmer’s Almanac sponsored a fun contest to name that elusive Planet Nine. For your...
Mercury and Venus in the West

See Planet Mercury!

April 2016 is the year’s best time to see planet Mercury as an evening star. It’s strangely...
Night Sky Blunders

10 Sky and Space Blunders

See ten common astronomy blunders that we’ll help you avoid! Let’s start with the equinox. We read...
Spring Grass

Early Spring Weather Warmer Than Normal

This year, the early spring weather really is warmer than normal. Nope, you did not imagine it! You...
Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon

Non-Eclipse of the Worm Moon

It’s a lunar eclipse! Get ready for an eclipse of the full Moon! Should we call our friends? Wake...
Spring Comes Early

The Earliest Spring of our Lives

Spring will be off to a very early start in 2016, thanks to leap day weirdness! Have you noticed...
The Full Snow Moon Meets Jupiter

Suffering From Conjunction-itis

Let me prove how easy and fun astronomy can be.  And how dramatic.  All you need is a mostly clear...
Planets in March Sky

Sky Maps (Star Charts): March 2016

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for March 2016 as well as a printable...
The Planet Mars, Earth's Neighbor

The Planet Mars, Earth's Neighbor

Named after the Roman god of war, the planet Mars was probably associated with the deity Mars...
Constellation Leo the Lion

Sky Maps (Star Charts): February 2016

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for February 2016 as well as a...
Pleiades

Sky Maps (Star Charts): January 2016

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for January 2016 as well as a printable...
Stargazing from Earth

Sky Maps (Star Charts): November 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for NOVEMBER 2015 as well as a...
Stargazing from Earth

Sky Maps (Star Charts): December 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for December 2015 as well as a...
Northern Lights Tour in Alaska

What It's Like to See the Northern Lights

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to see the Northern Lights (aka Aurora Borealis), I had the...
Leonids Meteor Shower November EXTRA!

Leonids Meteor Shower

Get under the shower! The Leonids meteor shower, that is. This dependable event, which peaks around...
Crescent Moon at Dawn

Spectacle at Dawn

Can I convince you to wake up just before dawn?  What if I tell you it’s the greatest planetary...
Neuron Star

Should We Care about Magnetism?

The sun is the most powerful object in our neighborhood. Its nuclear furnace creates blistering...
Total Lunar Eclipse

Don't Miss! The Mega Harvest Total Lunar Eclipse

It’s the headline sky event of 2015: The total eclipse of the Harvest Moon. Also called the...
Blood Moon Eclipse

Mega-Harvest-Blood Moon Total Eclipse!

Get ready for the … Mega-Harvest-Blood Moon Total Eclipse! It’s coming up—one of the biggest sky...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): September 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for SEPTEMBER 2015 as well as a...
Planet Neptune

Neptune: The Other Blue Planet

This week, planet Neptune hovers at its nearest to Earth for the whole year. This giant blue gas...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): August 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for AUGUST 2015 as well as a printable...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): July 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map for JULY 2015 as well as a printable...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): June 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map (star chart) as well as a printable...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): May 2015

Find your way around the night sky! Below is a free sky map (star chart) as well as a printable...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): April 2015

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astronomer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Noctilucent clouds

A Space Weather Garden

Dreaming of a garden? Here is a chance to have totally unique flowers and plants. You can now buy...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): March 2015

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): February 2015

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): January 2015

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): December 2014

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): November 2014

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): October 2014

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): September 2014

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Sky Watch

Sky Maps (Star Charts): August 2014

These free, printable Sky Maps (star charts) by astrononer Jeff DeTray will help find your way...
Night Sky Garden

The Night Sky Garden

I love attending garden tours and shows. This past summer, I was entranced by an astronomy garden...
Chopping Herbs

Making an Herbal Salve

Herbal salves (a term often used interchangeably with ointments, creams, balms, and unguents; I've...
The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Whirlpool Galaxy, or M51, is a massive spiral type galaxy that is positioned beautifully face-...
Solar Storms

Friday the 13th and the Not-So-Scary Space Storms

The space storms are coming! The space storms are coming! Call out Paul Revere! Hide the women and...
Meteor Shower

Boom! Boom! Boom! It's Raining Rocks

If you're one of the many who endured a tough winter this year, consider yourself lucky. In...
Sun's Magnetic Crochet

The Sun’s New Hobby

Everyone needs a hobby. On March 29, we saw the Sun’s newest hobby. It knit a “Magnetic Crochet”...
Solar Flare

Solar Storms: A Scary Near Miss!

Most people noticed how hot July was back in 2012, but most people don’t realize how close we came...

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