Astronomy

New Evidence For Fomalhaut Planets

April 15, 2012

The planetary system of the star Fomalhaut has been one of intense debate over the past few years. In 2008, it was announced that a large, Saturn mass planet shepherd a large dust ring and was spotted in visual images from Hubble. But in late 2011 infrared observations called the previous detections into question. Now [...]

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast – April 16-22, 2012

April 14, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s International Dark Skies Week and a great time to enjoy astronomy! We’ll start off with an impressive galaxy for even small optics and enjoy two meteor showers. There are planets and planetary nebula to explore, as well as some awesome globular clusters. If you’re in the mood, there’s some history to [...]

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See Big and Bright Saturn at Opposition This Weekend

April 13, 2012

Now is the time to take a look at the planet Saturn, as the ringed planet will be at opposition this weekend, making its closest approach to Earth on April 15, 2012. Its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun, so get out those telescopes, binoculars and your imaging equipment! We want to see [...]

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The Heavens are Ablaze With Blazars

April 12, 2012

From a JPL press release: Astronomers are actively hunting a class of supermassive black holes throughout the universe called blazars thanks to data collected by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The mission has revealed more than 200 blazars and has the potential to find thousands more.

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Great ISS Sightings – All Nights this Week of April 9

April 10, 2012

Calling all Skywatching and Space Fans ! This is a great week for observing the International Space Station (ISS), swiftly crossing the evening nighttime sky. All this week from Monday thru Saturday, folks all across vast portions of the United States and Canada will be treated to fabulous viewings of the International Space Station. And [...]

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast: April 9-15, 2012

April 7, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s shaping up to be a great week to enjoy astronomy. For both hemispheres, the Virginid Meteor shower is underway and its peak occurs late Monday night / early Tuesday morning. Need more celestial fireworks? Then keep looking up as the “April Fireballs” will be visiting, with their peak beginning about a [...]

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Timelapse: A Tribute to Sky Gazers

April 4, 2012

Sky Gazers If you’ve fallen for the enchantment of a night out watching the stars, you’ll relate to and revere in this new timelapse video. “This timelapse production is a tribute to all skygazers around the world who enjoy exploring the night sky with their telescopes,” said Babak Tafreshi, an astronomer, journalist and director of [...]

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast: April 2-8, 2012

April 1, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Despite the Moon, it will be a great week as the month of April opens with two meteor showers. The planetary action doesn’t stop, because Venus is about to become a “guest star” in the Pleiades! Need more? Then know it’s the right time of year to spot aurora – and to [...]

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Was This Ancient Monolith a Stone Age Astronomy Tool?

March 31, 2012

Is this 2-meter-high slab of lichen-covered rock in a UK park an astronomical marker used by Neolithic people? Researchers from Nottingham Trent University are suggesting that may in fact be the case, based on the stone’s alignment, angle and proximity to other significant Stone and Bronze Age sites nearby.

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast – March 26 to April 1, 2012

March 24, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Have you been following the supernova in M95 (R.A. = 10 43 53.76, Decl. = +11 40 17.9)? Who would have ever believed Mars could be considered “light pollution”? Take advantage of darker skies and catch it now! It’s another planetary showdown as the week begins with Jupiter, Venus, the Moon and [...]

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Speca – An Intriguing Look Into The Beginning Of A Black Hole Jet

March 21, 2012

Its name is SPECA – a Spiral-host Episodic radio galaxy tracing Cluster Accretion. That’s certainly a mouthful of words for this unusual galaxy, but there’s a lot more going on here than just its name. “This is probably the most exotic galaxy with a black hole, ever seen. It is like a ‘missing-link’ between present [...]

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast – March 19-25, 2012

March 18, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! The week starts off with new Moon and the perfect opportunity to do a Messier Marathon. The planets continue to dazzle as we not only celebrate the Vernal Equinox, but the March Geminid meteor shower as well! If that doesn’t get your pulsar racing – nothing will. It’s time to get out [...]

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How NASA Will Improve its Telescopes’ Vision

March 14, 2012

Most of us have experienced the frustration of pollution, fog, or clouds turning a night of stargazing into an exercise in frustration. Turns out, NASA has been dealing with the same problems since it started launching large telescopes. Even in orbit, telescopes can’t see too well through the dust that litters the inner Solar System. [...]

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The Care And Feeding Of Teenage Galaxies… And By The Way, They Need Gas

March 14, 2012

Got a teenager? Then you know the story. Go to look for your favorite bag of chips and they’re gone. You eat one portion of meat and they need three. If you like those cookies, then you better have a darn good place to stash them. And, while you’re at it, their car needs gas. [...]

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Venus-Jupiter Conjunction, March 15th, 2012

March 13, 2012

In case you’re the only person on Earth who hasn’t heard about it yet, Venus and Jupiter will be in conjunction on March 15th, 2012, passing within 3° of each other. The two planets have been getting closer and closer in the sky for the last month, and now it’s time to see them side-by-side. [...]

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast – March 12-18, 2012

March 11, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! What an awesome display of planets! Please take the time to walk outdoors just after skydark – regardless of where you live – and enjoy the bright display of Venus and Jupiter! However, this isn’t the only planetary action going on this week… Mars and M96 pair up, as well as Uranus [...]

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The Most Astounding Fact About The Universe

March 6, 2012

In a 2008 interview by TIME magazine, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked what he thought the “most astounding fact” about the Universe was. Never at a loss for words, the famed scientist gave his equally astounding answer. His response is in the video above, set to images and music by Max Schlickenmeyer. It’s the [...]

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Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast: March 5-11, 2012

March 4, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Our week begins with the dance of the planets and a gathering of asteroids. Keep watching as Mars makes its closest approach of the year – while Venus and Jupiter continue to get nearer. Celebrate the Full Worm Moon, interesting stars and beautful galaxies and clusters! Dust off those binoculars and telescopes [...]

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How to Avoid ‘Bad Astrophotography:’ Advice from Thierry Legault

March 2, 2012

Take a look at the collection of images above. All are high resolution astrophotos of different artificial satellites, taken by renowned astrophotographer Thierry Legault, using one of his 10″ telescopes and a simple webcam. The images have been sharpened and enlarged so that it’s easy to see small structures on the satellites such as antennas [...]

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Night Sky Guide: March 2012

March 2, 2012

Special thanks to Ninian Boyle astronomyknowhow.com for information in parts of this guide. March brings us some wonderful sights to see in the night skies for those who are armed with binoculars, telescopes or just their eyes. The brightest object in the night sky this month (apart from the Moon) is the Planet Venus. Venus [...]

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