Entries filed under 'astronomy'

First of 2 Noteworthy Comets in 2013 Expected to Come into View This Week

Attention, sky gazers: Space.com forecasts 2013 to be a good year for comets, and one of the A-list celebrities is due to appear this week. Comet C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS is said to be worth a look in North America starting on or near March 7. ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on March 5, 2013 3:15 PM & Tagged astronomy and comets | permalink | Comments



Heads Up: Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

One of the year’s 2 biggest meteor displays, the Geminid meteor shower, reaches its peak tonight (Dec. 13) and Friday (Dec. 14). Is it worth stepping outside to view it? A USA Today article quotes Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. “The Geminids are one of the best performers among the meteor showers of the year," he says. ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on December 13, 2012 12:15 PM & Tagged Geminid Meteor Shower, NASA, astronomy, night sky and stargazing | permalink | Comments



After the Supermoon: 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse on Display in Western U.S. May 20

Did you catch a view of Saturday's Supermoon? Why it was cool: • It was a perigee moon, a full-moon phase that brings the moon more than 15,000 miles closer to earth than during other phases. • It appeared around 30% brighter and 14% larger than customary. If you missed it, scroll through a boffo online collection of Supermoon photographs assembled by The Atlantic, or watch the following report below that aired Sunday on NBC Nightly News. (Sorry about the lead-in ad.) While the moon is ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on May 7, 2012 5:04 PM & Tagged astronomy, national parks, solar eclipse and supermoon | permalink | Comments



Busy Week for Nighttime Skywatchers

Enjoy a little late-night skywatching? Well then, these are interesting times. For starters, the annual Perseid Meteor Shower is underway now. According to this article in Space.com, this year's show will be most visible in the predawn hours through Thursday, Aug. 11. Meteor shower activity actually peaks this weekend (Aug. 12-13), but it will be competing with a full moon on those days. The brightness of the moon will considerably reduce the visibility of the meteors. It's still worth a look, ...

Posted by Steve T on August 12, 2011 4:43 PM & Tagged astronomy, aurora borealis, northern lights and perseid meteor shower | permalink | Comments



Interview with the Dark Ranger of Bryce Canyon

The REI Blog asked "Dark Ranger" Kevin Poe to discuss the origins and aspirations of the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. The festival, which includes nightly stargazing through an assortment of 50 telescopes along with other family-oriented events, runs through July 10. Q: How did the Astronomy Festival get started? A: A fellow by the name of Patrick Wiggins, who for the last 25 years has been driving down from SLC to give an astronomy presentation 1 night ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on July 7, 2010 9:04 PM & Tagged Astronomy Festival, Big Bend, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Kevin Poe, Natural Bridges, astronomy and zion | permalink | Comments