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Oct 30, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
Travel to the faraway and long ago by riding a quasar’s beam. Sometimes you just need to get away from it all. Quasars are good for that. At the tilt of the telescope they transport the viewer to the far ends of the universe. Traveling great distances also means going back in time.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
We check in with the brightest comet of the year and see what’s next, plus an update on Comet ATLAS (C/2024 S1), which still shows signs of life. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been wonderful. I've rarely seen so much interest in a comet, with first-time skywatchers getting such a kick out of photographing it with their smartphones. I'll admit I was skeptical when it first returned at dusk on October 11th. I couldn't even spot it with the naked eye. Did the astronomical community oversell the goods?
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
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Oct 3, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
Observers across the northern and central U.S. may see the aurora two nights in a row in the wake of one of the Sun’s most powerful flares this solar cycle. The Sun unleashed a giant X7.1 flare on October 1st — the second-largest of the current cycle of solar activity, which is now at its maximum. That flare is now forecast to have picturesque repercussions here at Earth on both Thursday and Friday nights, October 3rd and 4th.
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Oct 2, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has delighted observers across the world for the past two weeks, but its morning run was only a warm-up — wait till you see what’s coming. I'm mostly a nighttime observer, but Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) has turned my schedule upside down. For the past 10 days, I've been up at dawn, peering through the horizon murk for brief views of the comet, then sticking around for an extra hour to see sunup.
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Sep 25, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
As Saturn’s rings narrow, now’s the time for its moons to shine. Saturn passed opposition on September 8th and is now well placed in the southeastern sky at nightfall in Aquarius. I can still recall the first time I found the planet from my front yard in the winter of 1965. It was situated in almost the same location you'll find it tonight, a few degrees northwest of the "crooked fingertip" asterism formed by the three Psis — Psi1 (ψ1), Psi2 (ψ2), and Psi3 (ψ3) Aquarii.
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Sep 13, 2024 | 
pineandlakes.com | Bob King |Bob King
We've only had two lunar eclipses this year. The first occurred on March 25 when the moon passed through Earth's outer shadow, the penumbra. The next one happens on Tuesday evening, Sept. 17, during the Harvest Moon — the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. The upcoming eclipse will be partial because the moon treads only partway into the umbra, the dark core of Earth's shadow.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
Terry Lovejoy captured the latest ground-based photo of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) on September 11th. He used a 135mm f/1.8 telephoto and photographed from Wellington Point, Queensland, Australia. Terry LovejoyWe're all hungry for news about C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. Well, I've got some. First, Australian amateur astronomer and six-time comet discoverer Terry Lovejoy posted the first ground-based photo of C/2023 A3 since it was overcome by solar glare in mid-August.
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Sep 9, 2024 | 
parkrapidsenterprise.com | Bob King
I've been conducting a little experiment the past couple of weeks to determine the minimum Kp index and maximum positive Bz required for the aurora to show at Duluth's latitude of 47 degrees north. Although I've described Kp and Bz in previous posts, let's refresh. A magnetic field generated in Earth's molten outer core extends into outer space and envelops the planet like an invisible cloak. It's the reason the magnetized needle of your compass points north.
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Aug 28, 2024 | 
skyandtelescope.org | Bob King
Did you know you can see the International Space Station even when it’s in Earth’s shadow? We explore possible reasons why. One of things I love about being an amateur astronomer is the freedom to set my own schedule and look at whatever interests me. I can spend an entire observing session with the Moon, hunt for carbon stars, or beat a path to ancient Berkeley clusters. There are so many choices, so many avenues to explore.
