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1 month ago | 
techfinancials.co.za | David Dickinson |Gugu Lourie
The Expropriation Act has triggered shrill protests and threats. This cacophony of criticism is diverting us from a key question we should be asking: Will the Act achieve its purpose? There is a fundamental difference between the old and new expropriation acts. The 1975 Expropriation Act only permitted expropriation for “public purpose” – when the state needed the land. The new Expropriation Act of 2024 allows for property to be expropriated in the public interest as well as for public purpose.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
universetoday.com | David Dickinson
DwarfLab’s new Dwarf 3 smartscope packs a powerful punch in a small unit. In the past decade, amateur astronomy has witnessed nothing short of a revolution, as smartscopes have come to the fore. In half a century of skywatching, we’ve used just about every iteration of GoTo system available, starting with the now almost prehistoric ‘push-and-point’ AstroMaster units of the 90s.
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
universetoday.com | David Dickinson
Now is the best time to observe Mars in 2025. January has an amazing parade of evening planets, well worth braving the cold for. We have brilliant Venus, high to the west after sunset, reaching greatest elongation on January 10th. Fainter Saturn sits just above Venus as the two meet on January 19th. Meanwhile, Jupiter dominates the eastern sky, fresh off of opposition in December. But stay awake just a bit longer after dusk, and you can see Mars rising in the east.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
phys.org | David Dickinson
What "may" be the best anticipated comet of 2025 is coming right up. Right now, there's only one comet with real potential to reach naked eye visibility in 2025: Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS. This comet reaches perihelion at 0.094 Astronomical Units (AU, 8.7 million miles or 14 million kilometers, interior to the orbit of Mercury) from the sun on January 13th, and "may" top -1st magnitude or brighter.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
universetoday.com | David Dickinson
Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS may put on a quick show this month. What ‘may’ be the best anticipated comet of 2025 is coming right up. Right now, there’s only one comet with real potential to reach naked eye visibility in 2025: Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS. This comet reaches perihelion at 0.094 Astronomical Units (AU, 8.7 million miles or 14 million kilometers, interior to the orbit of Mercury) from the Sun on January 13th, and ‘may’ top -1st magnitude or brighter.
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Jan 1, 2025 | 
sciencealert.com | David Dickinson
Ready for anotheramazing year of skywatching? The very first weekend of 2025 offers up a flurry of wintertime astronomy events, eluding a swift meteor shower, a January 'SuperSun,' and a lunar planetary pair up at dusk. This year, theQuadrantid meteorspeak on January 4thwith a respectable projected Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 80. This is versus a 27% illuminated waxing crescent Moon. Said slender Moon won't hamper observations, making 2025 an ideal year for the 'Quads'.
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Dec 31, 2024 | 
sciencealert.com | David Dickinson
How about that eclipse in 2024? Certainly, theGreat North American Eclipseof April 8th2024 was one for the ages, instilling the eclipse-chasing bug in many a new skywatching fan. Now, for the bad news: 2025 is a rare, totality free year, featuring only a pair of remote partial solar eclipses. The good news is, there's lots more in store to see in the sky in 2025, with a pair of fine total lunar eclipses, Mars at its best, and lunar occultations galore.
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Dec 31, 2024 | 
universetoday.com | David Dickinson
This Weekend: Catch the Quadrantids at their annual peak, Earth at perihelion and the Moon blotting out Saturn. Ready for another amazing year of skywatching? The very first weekend of 2025 offers up a flurry of wintertime astronomy events, eluding a swift meteor shower, a January ‘SuperSun,’ and a lunar planetary pair up at dusk. This year, the Quadrantid meteors peak on January 4th with a respectable projected Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 80. This is versus a 27% illuminated waxing crescent Moon.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
sciencealert.com | David Dickinson
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. The Geminids in 2024To be sure, the Geminids have a few strikes against them this year. Not only is it cold outside, but the Moon is near full, 98 percent illuminated waxing gibbous at the shower's max.
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Dec 3, 2024 | 
universetoday.com | David Dickinson
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. For an outer planet, we call this point ‘opposition’ as the planet sits ‘opposite’ to the Sun from our Earthly perspective.
