1969 — The Space Race and a Little Space Cadet Like most little boys in the 1960s, I was totally obsessed with the NASA space program. The early NASA space flights dominated my entire childhood. I was born in April, 1961 — 13 days after Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, but 10 days before American … Continue reading
Faith and the Bible in the Apollo Moon Program – Classical Astronomy In honor of the 40th anniversary of the historic first moonwalk of Apollo 11, we will take a look at the prominent role played by faith and the Bible in the Apollo Moon program. Indeed, it can be hard to explain to a young person today the … Continue reading
SPRING BEGINS at 4:58PM EDT on March 20. This is the moment of the vernal equinox, when the Sun is centered on the celestial equator, where traditionally day and night are balanced. Some know-it-all types like to mention “equilux” instead of “equinox.” This is some newfangled pedantry that presumes to correct the traditional definition of “12 equal hours of day … Continue reading
EARLYBIRD SPECIAL!!! Are you up before sunrise? Then be sure to check out the Old Moon this week as it passes near three bright planets — Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. Continue reading
WINTER SOLSTICE: Winter begins for the northern hemisphere on December 21 at 22:23 UT (5:23 PM EST). This is the precise moment when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of the year. For this reason, December 21 is the shortest day of the year. As seen from the northern hemisphere, the noon Sun is lowest in the sky of … Continue reading
Mars has had a great year! After reaching blazing brilliance this summer, the Red Planet has still been a conspicuous object through the fall, hanging high at the meridian after sunset. The waxing crescent Moon will pass close to Mars in conjunction on Friday evening, December 14. This pair will be close the “circlet” asterism in Pisces and the “water … Continue reading
GEMINID METEORS — THIS WEEK!!! The Geminid meteor shower runs from December 6-19, and peaks this Thursday night, December 13/14. But the Geminids are one of the most active showers of the year, and in recent years, have been more active than the more-famous Perseids in August. You can see the meteors in any part of the sky, but they … Continue reading
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS: It’s that time again! This Sunday, we all get back that extra hour of sleep that we lost back in the spring. At 2:00 AM Sunday morning, the clocks “fall back” an hour. Daylight Savings Time (DST) ends and we revert back to standard time. Enjoy that extra hour! But the evening darkness will now arrive early, which … Continue reading
ORION RETURNS! Everyone’s favorite constellation is Orion the Hunter. Orion cuts a dramatic figure in the heavens, easily spotted by the three stars of Orion’s Belt, frozen in his timeless celestial battle with Taurus the Bull. Though best seen in the cold months, Orion is invisible during the summer, between the months of May through July, hidden behind the bright … Continue reading
FALL BEGINS at 1:54 UT on September 23, which is 9:54 PM EDT on September 22. At this moment the Sun is centered over the celestial equator. The Sun’s rays graze the North and South poles, and everywhere in between experiences equal 12 periods of daylight and nighttime. This is thus the first day of fall for the northern hemisphere, … Continue reading
