Mike Lynch

1 week ago | republicanherald.com | Mike Lynch

Life is full of trade-offs, and stargazing is no different. Nights are certainly warmer, but you have to stay up much later to set off on your astronomical adventures. I think it is worth the wait, although to be brutally honest, spring stargazing is not quite as thrilling as winter. Most of the exciting, bright winter constellations sink below the western horizon shortly after sunset, not to be seen again in the evening until late next autumn.

1 month ago | twincities.com | Mike Lynch

All winter long the great constellation Orion the Hunter has roamed our skies, with its bright belt of three stars in nearly a perfect row. Orion isn’t alone, either. He’s surrounded by a tight group of bright constellations that are home to some of the brightest stars we see any time of the year. I lovingly refer to them as “Orion and his gang”.

1 month ago | twincities.com | Mike Lynch

It’s stargazing turnover time! Nighttimes are shrinking, and you’re forced to wait longer into the evening to begin your stargazing. The good news is that the nights are getting warmer. To kick off April, the new crescent moon will be keeping some good company. On Tuesday, April 1, in the low western sky, it’ll be close and personal with the Seven Little Sisters, otherwise known as the bright Pleiades star cluster.

1 month ago | twincities.com | Mike Lynch

Binoculars never get enough credit when it comes to stargazing. They don’t have as much light-gathering ability and magnification as telescopes do, but binoculars have definite advantages. For one thing, if you’re interested in stargazing but not sure you want to invest in a telescope quite yet, start out with binoculars. Make them your “first telescope.” Binoculars for the most part are less expensive than telescopes and much easier to use.

Jan 19, 2025 | timesunion.com | Mike Lynch |Adirondack Explorer

At 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11, whitish pillars of light rose into the sky over the barn at Donnelly’s Corners in Harrietstown. Rising from northern hardwood forests in Lake Clear, they glowed above the mountains. In his Jeep, parked at the Upper St. Regis Lake boat launch, amateur photographer John Faltus slept beside his tripod and camera. Article continues below this adAn exhausted Faltus had spent most of the night hoping to capture the aurora borealis.