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1 week ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
Serpens the Serpent is unique among the constellations because it’s separated into two parts with Ophiuchus the Serpent-bearer between them. Serpens Caput (the head of the serpent) lies to the west of Ophiuchus, and Serpens Cauda (the tail of the serpent) lies to the east. Serpens Caput is the larger of the two, taking up roughly 67 percent of the area. Together, they comprise the 23rd-largest constellation, which takes up about 1½ percent of the sky. But size doesn’t equal brightness.
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1 week ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
Here’s a fun list of facts about the Moon. It’s not just for lovers, you know. #1. The Moon is not a star or a planet, it’s a satellite. In fact, it’s Earth’s only natural satellite. (We distinguish the Moon from the vehicles we launch into space by calling them artificial satellites.) So, planets (like Earth) orbit stars (like the Sun), and satellites orbit planets.
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1 week ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on Friday, June 20, at 10:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. This annual event, known as the June solstice, marks a specific point in Earth’s orbit. And it happens because our planet is tilted. Earth maintains a tilt of approximately 23.5° on its axis. As the planet orbits the Sun, this tilt causes different hemispheres to receive varying amounts of direct sunlight throughout the year.
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1 week ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, was born on the date I’m posting this article (June 17) way back in 1800, in York, England. Astronomers know him as the person who built (OK, he supervised the construction) and used the largest telescope in the 19th century. It wasn’t surpassed in aperture until the construction of the 100-inch Hooker Telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1917.
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2 weeks ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
Every 11 years, activity on the Sun peaks. More sunspots, prominences, flares, and other phenomena are seen on our star’s face, plus, there’s an uptick in visible aurorae here on Earth. This time period is called the solar cycle, and we’re in the middle of the peak of the current one, solar cycle 25. These periods are not exactly 11 years long. They vary in length from 8 to 14 years, with the average being 10.7 years.
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2 weeks ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
Ah, spring. Finally, it’s warm enough for even thin-blooded observers (like me) to break out their binoculars and telescopes. If you’re new to astronomy, however, you’ll want to become familiar with the constellations and bright stars that populate this season’s night sky before looking through the eyepiece. Then, when you read that a sky treat is in Boötes or near Regulus, you’ll already have a frame of reference.
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3 weeks ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
One of the most important factors to amateur astronomers is seeing, which is defined as the steadiness of the atmosphere at your observing site. You can tell how good (or bad) the seeing is by viewing a reasonably bright (2nd magnitude) star near the zenith. If it’s twinkling wildly, the seeing is bad. But if the image is relatively steady, your seeing is good. And while the overall seeing might be good or even great, you may still see its effects when you look through your telescope.
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3 weeks ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
There have been times through the years when I’ve gone observing and have been unprepared. Whether it was an action I should have taken, an item that I forgot, or some bit of observing wisdom that would have made my session better. Hopefully, the following list will better prepare you for when you next head out under the stars. Morning cautionOn nights when you’re staying until morning, when you quit, point your telescope to the west, away from the rising Sun.
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3 weeks ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
It’s difficult for amateur astronomers to fully share the wonders of the night sky with a visually impaired child. Well, that task has gotten a bit easier thanks to All About Orion, the new book by Dean Regas. This large (8½” by 11″) book contains 24 pages full of information about most people’s favorite constellation. It’s published by Clovernook Press, a division of Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Cincinnati.
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3 weeks ago | 
astronomy.com | Michael E. Bakich
One of the earliest recorded eclipses is found in in the Shijing, a collection of ancient poetry whose compilation is also credited to Confucius. The eclipse in question occurred during the Zhou dynasty. Though the exact date is uncertain, some astronomers have pointed to the total eclipse of June 4, 781 B.C.E. (though this would have only been a partial eclipse in Zhou territory). Another candidate is the eclipse of Nov.
