Space and astronomy news
Don’t let the bright Moon deter you from seeing the one of the best meteor showers of the year.
Update: Astronomer Gianluca Masi will carry the Geminid meteors live on December 13th, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project.
One of the best meteor showers of 2024 closes out the year this coming weekend. If skies are clear, watch for the Geminid meteors, peaking on the night of Friday into Saturday, December 13-14th.
Continue reading “Our Strategy to Catch the 2024 Geminid Meteors”
Now is the time to catch Jupiter at its best.
The King of the Planets rules the winter night skies. Early December gives sky watchers a good reason to brave the cold, as Jupiter shines at its best. Look for the regal planet rising in the east at sunset, while the Sun sets to the west.
Continue reading “Catch Jupiter at Opposition 2024 This Coming Weekend”
The Moon just brushes the umbral shadow of the Earth during Tuesday night’s partial lunar eclipse.
A shallow partial lunar eclipse is on tap for the night of September 17th/18th. The eclipse is a slight one to be sure, but will be noticeable as the northwestern limb of the Moon just slips past the dark inner umbral shadow of the Earth. The eclipse is just over 8% partial at its maximum, meaning the Full Moon will look a little ‘smushed’ on one side at mid-eclipse.
Continue reading “Earth’s Shadow Nicks the Moon During This Week’s Partial Lunar Eclipse”
September offers a number of fascinating lunar occultation events worldwide.
Chances are, there’s one near you this month. The Moon is certainly busy in September, as its passage covers up (occults) multiple celestial objects worldwide. If skies are clear, you may just get a chance to see one of these events listed below, as the Moon blocks out a star, planet or star cluster.
Continue reading “Catch a Fall Feast of Lunar Occultations in September”
A little known periodic comet graces northern hemisphere summer skies.
Short summer nights present a tough dilemma for nighttime astronomy: to stay up late, or wake up early? Summer 2024 gives you at least one reason to opt for the former, as periodic Comet 13P/Olbers graces the evening sky.
Continue reading “Catching Comet 13P Olbers This Summer”
Astronomy is a profession that, so far, has only been done at night, at least on Earth. Light from the Sun overwhelms any light from other stars, making it impractical for both professional and amateur astronomers to look at the stars during daytime. There are several disadvantages to this, not the least of which is that many potentially exciting parts of the sky aren’t visible at all for large chunks of the year as they pass too close to the Sun. To solve this, a team from Macquarie University, led by graduate student Sarah Caddy, developed a multi-camera system for a local telescope that allows them to observe during daytime.
Continue reading “A New Telescope Can Observe Even in Broad Daylight”
If predictions are correct, a key outburst star could put on a show in early 2024.
If astronomers are correct, a familiar northern constellation could briefly take on a different appearance in 2024, as a nova once again blazes into prominence. The star in question is T Coronae Borealis, also referred to as the ‘Blaze Star’ or T CrB. Located in the corner of the constellation Corona Borealis or the Northern Crown, T CrB is generally at a quiescent +10th magnitude, barely discernible with binoculars… but once every 80 years, the star has flared briefly into naked eye visibility at around +2nd magnitude.
Continue reading “A Nova in the Making: Will T Coronae Borealis Pop in 2024?”