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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! If you're not about to get buried under a blanket of snow, then why not spend some time out under blanket of stars with this weekend's stellar project? This four star adventure is sure to warm you up. Need more? Then I'll show you were to look for a comet and a "snow ball" of stars! Of course, we've got plenty to learn about the history and mystery of what we're looking at, so whenever you're ready? I'll see you in the backyard… Read more…

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Now that the Moon is absent from the early evening picture, are you ready to journey around a black hole? It's not an easy observation, but it is one that doesn't require highly specialized equipment and its not difficult to find. Can you identify Capella? Then let's rock… Read more…

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We're seeing reports popping up on the internet of a huge fireball spotted over Ireland at around 6pm local time on Feb. 3, 2010. There was a video posted to You Tube which claimed to be footage of the event, but it now seems that was old footage, so we have removed the embedded video. (We'll post any new verified images or videos when they become available.) Any Irish readers out there see anything? The Irish Times said members of the public throughout the country have been reporting sightings of the fireball. The Times quoted Tommy David Moore from Astronomy Ireland: “A major explosion happened in the sky over Ireland. We think it’s a fireball, that’s a rock from space the earth has slammed into and they burn up as huge shooting stars. This one appears to have lit up the whole country. The phones here in Astronomy Ireland are going crazy.”
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Twitpic of Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA from the ISS on Jan 30, 2010. Credit Astronaut Soichi Noguchi

“Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco, CA. Beautiful shadow ,” tweeted Astronaut Soichi Noguchi along with a live image he shot from space from inside the International Space Station.

The 5 man crew comprising Expedition 22 aboard the ISS now have the capability to transmit live, unfiltered views and comments from space. And whats more is that starting on Feb. 1 they’ll be streaming live video from the outpost, orbiting some 220 miles above the earth while speeding along at 17,500 MPH. Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Astrophotos, Earth Observation, NASA, Observing, Science, Space Station | 1 Comment »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! The Full Moon and Mars… the Full Moon and Mars… Will they be as big as each other? Or dance with the stars? Be sure to take time out of your busy evening to at least step outside to check out this relatively close visual pairing. You might not need a telescope for the weekend conjunction, but be sure to bring one along as we check out some very special stars along the way! Now, let's wait on the Sun to set and I'll see you in the back yard…. Read more…

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An almost full Moon on Jan. 27, 2010. Credit and copyright: Alan Walters

If your skies are clear on Friday night, January 29, 2010, take advantage of one of the skywatching highlights of the year. A full Moon and Mars will be putting on a show, and the pair will be prominently close to each other in the sky. Plus, this Friday night's full Moon is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year. It's a "perigee Moon," as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than other full Moons you'll see later in 2010, according to Spaceweather.com. And, even though you've likely not gotten an email from an excited acquaintance relaying that Mars is really close to the Earth now — that is the case. Mars is at opposition on the 29th, which means it lines up opposite the Sun and is now the closest to Earth their orbits, and so will shine brighter.

The image above of the not-quite-full Moon from January 27, 2010 is shared by Universe Today reader Alan Walters, from Florida. You can see more of his wonderful photography of the night sky, launches and shuttle landings, Florida wildlife and more at Alan Walters Photography.
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Artists rendition of the recurrent nova RS Oph Credit: David Hardy/PPARC

Today, two amateur astronomers from Florida detected a rare outburst of the recurrent nova U Scorpii, which set in motion satellite observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, Swift and Spitzer. The last outburst of U Scorpii occurred in February of 1999. Observers around the planet will now be observing this remarkable system intensely for the next few months trying to unlock the mysteries of white dwarfs, interacting binaries, accretion and the progenitors of Type IA supernovae.

One of the remarkable things about this outburst is it was predicted in advance by Dr. Bradley Schaefer, Louisiana State University, so observers of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) have been closely monitoring the star since last February, waiting to detect the first signs of an eruption. This morning, AAVSO observers, Barbara Harris and Shawn Dvorak sent in notification of the outburst, sending astronomers scrambling to get ‘target of opportunity observations’ from satellites and continuous coverage from ground-based observatories. Time is a critical element, since U Sco is known to reach maximum light and start to fade again in one day.

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! I don't know about everyone else, but most observations here have been of the big M0. Clouds, clouds and more clouds! Perhaps we're really in a nebula? However, for those fortunate few that do have clear skies, let's take a look at what's happening on the lunar surface each night. And, since we've got to deal with a little "Moonlight Sonata", we'll also inspect some bright stars and alternative catalog studies to add to your knowledge and pleasure of the night sky! Whenever you are ready, dust off your optics and I'll meet see you in the backyard…. Read more…

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Image courtesy of K. Itagaki

Are you ready for some excitement that won't take an observatory telescope to spot? Then get out your binoculars, because according to CBET 2128 there's a new object showing its stuff off in the constellation Ophiuchus… Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It's a dark weekend and time to get out and rock the night… If you're up to the challenge, one of the finest and most exciting objects we'll study here isn't a Messier… it's a comet. And not just any comet – but one that fits right into this time frame in history! Not up to hunting a moving object? Then we'll take a look at two objects that could resemble comets and not only present a challenge, but add to the fun! Whenever you're ready, dust your optics off and I'll see you in the backyard…. Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! While the skies don't change a whole lot from year to year, how you approach astronomy and what you can do with your "astronomy time" certainly does! We begin the weekend with a variable star and a great galaxy. Ready for more? Then why not tackle an historic learning project with Mars? No scope or binoculars? No problem. There's still lots of cool things you can do when you know where to look! Whenever you're ready, I'll see you in the backyard…. Read more…

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Although there has been plenty of moonlight to go around and frigid temperatures in many parts of the world, that's not going to stop what's happening in the sky. Not only is Mars back on the observing scene, but it's also getting close enough that details are becoming more and more clear. Would a little frost have stopped Percival Lowell? Darn right it wouldn't…. And it hasn't stopped John Chumack either. Read more…

Filed under: Astrophotos, Mars, Observing | 4 Comments »

If you've been helping out with the Citizen Sky project to monitor Epsilon Aurigae, then congratulations – the first of the results are in! Donald W. Hoard, a research scientist at Caltech announced the findings at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C. this morning. We invited our readers to participate in monitoring the star in August of 2009, and combined with observations from Spitzer, a 200-year old mystery has potentially been solved. Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! What a wonderful weekend we have coming up. On clear nights, the diamond-bright stars of the Winter constellations have been simply beautiful with the crown jewel of Jupiter headlining the early evenings. Although the Moon will gently return over the next few days, it's a spectacular time to enjoy those new optics you may have lurking about underneath a cloak of colorful paper and ribbons. Don't shake the boxes too hard, but ask to take them out! We've got wonderful objects discovered by Sir William Herschel, unusual star clusters not on regular lists, new binocular targets, sweet old favorites and even an asteroid. Not enough? Then how about of pairing of Jupiter and Neptune! Still mourning missing the Geminids because of the weather? Then smile and catch the peak of the Delta Arietid meteor shower. (told ya' this was a great weekend!) Whenever you're ready, I'll see you in the backyard… Read more…

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Colliding auroras photographed by THEMIS all-sky imagers (ASIs) on Feb. 29, 2008. Credit: Toshi Nishimura/UCLA

Scientists recently discovered something about auroras they never knew before. "Our jaws dropped when we saw the movies for the first time," said Larry Lyons of the University of California-Los Angeles,(UCLA) describing how sometimes, vast curtains of aurora borealis collide, producing spectacular outbursts of light. "These outbursts are telling us something very fundamental about the nature of auroras." These collisions can be so large, that isolated observers on Earth — with limited fields of view — have never noticed them before. It took a network of sensitive cameras spread across thousands of miles to get the big picture.
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