astronomy

The Best Apps for Stargazing

The Best Apps for Stargazing

Stargazing used to mean staring at the sky and consulting a guidebook to decipher the stars, or acquiring an expensive telescope to see them more clearly. Now, dozens of stargazing smartphone apps make it easy for anyone to enjoy and learn about the cosmos. Generally, they entail holding your smartphone up to the sky, and […]

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    Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks December 13-14, Here’s How to See It

    Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks December 13-14, Here’s How to See It

    The Geminid meteor shower, one of the most reliable and active meteor showers of the year, will peak on the night of December 13 into the early morning of December 14. The Geminids display can produce over 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. “The Geminids, which stem in name from the constellation Gemini, are […]

    Comet Leonard Does Rare Earth Flyby This Month, Here’s How to Spot It

    Comet Leonard Does Rare Earth Flyby This Month, Here’s How to Spot It

    A comet discovered on January 3 of this year by astronomer and senior researcher at the University of Arizona Gregory J. Leonard is visible from Earth this month. The comet was first observed at the Mount Lemmon Observatory just outside of Tucson, Arizona. When Comet Leonard was first discovered it was near the orbit of […]

    How to Watch the Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse in 580 Years

    How to Watch the Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse in 580 Years

    Sky nerds are in for a treat this Thursday night or Friday morning. The Earth will witness the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years, with the event set to last a full 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds, according to NASA. “There hasn’t been a longer partial lunar eclipse since February 18, 1440 […]

    How to Watch the ‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse This Week

    How to Watch the ‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse This Week

    Happening just after the “supermoon, red blood moon, lunar eclipse” last month, astronomy lovers can get excited for another celestial event on June 10 — the “ring of fire” solar eclipse. Those living in northern and eastern sections of North America will be able to witness the eclipse as it overlaps with the sunrise, according […]

    Bright ‘Fireball’ Meteor Seen Over Vermont

    Bright ‘Fireball’ Meteor Seen Over Vermont

    People across New England witnessed a dramatic celestial event Sunday night. A bright meteor known as a “fireball” streaked across the sky over northern Vermont and made a loud banging noise when it entered the atmosphere, the Burlington Free Press reported. “I actually thought my apartment was being knocked off its foundation,” one resident of […]

    2021: What Astronomical and Space Events Await Us This Year?

    2021: What Astronomical and Space Events Await Us This Year?

    By Dirk Lorenzen 2021 begins as a year of Mars. Although our red planetary neighbor isn’t as prominent as it was last autumn, it is still noticeable with its characteristic reddish color in the evening sky until the end of April. In early March, Mars shines close to the star cluster Pleiades in the constellation […]

    What Is the Summer Solstice? An Astronomer Explains

    What Is the Summer Solstice? An Astronomer Explains

    By Stephen Schneider The summer solstice marks the official start of summer. It brings the longest day and shortest night of the year for the 88 percent of Earth’s people who live in the Northern Hemisphere. People around the world traditionally observe the change of seasons with bonfires and festivals and Fête de la Musique […]