How many stars can you call by name? Unless you are a devotee of the night sky, the number will likely not require more than one hand to count. Betelgeuse perhaps, simply because its pronunciation brings to mind a movie starring Michael Keaton. Polaris if you remember that it is the North Star. Alpha Centauri [...]
(This post has been edited slightly from the original to include the MESSENGER mission to Mercury and to correct a misstatement about galactic black holes.) As the end of calendar year 2011 approaches, I thought my readers might enjoy a look back at some of the key events of the year in astronomy. The usual caveats [...]
There is a reason why most of the major observatories in the U.S. are west of the Mississippi River. The clouds and rain we have had in Virginia for the last several weeks have reduced our view of the heavens to about 10,000 feet above us. I know my friends and loved ones in Texas would love [...]
Traveling to the southern hemisphere is a treat for anyone, but for astronomy enthusiasts, it holds a special appeal. The center of the Milky Way, hidden in near-horizon murk for those of us in the northern hemisphere, shifts to an overhead position early in the evening in mid-July. The greatest concentration of visible star clusters [...]
…then I have the site for you. Astrobites (http://astrobites.com/) is the “astrophysics reader’s digest”, a role which it fills admirably. (Full disclosure: one of the writers for the site is the daughter of a friend and professional colleague.) Astrophysics graduate students summarize research posted elsewhere, writing in a manner designed to be accessible to undergraduates. It [...]
One of the many things we have learned from doing more than a year of public outreach events at the observatory is that there are some celestial sights guaranteed to evoke the “wow!” reaction from our guests. The first sight of the surface of the moon as it would appear from less than 800 miles [...]
