Jupiter is named after the king of the Roman gods, and with its massive size, it definitely holds the title of king of the Solar System. NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around the gas giant in July of 2016. Due … Continue reading
Want to go to Mars? You’ll have to fly there on a monster. Fortunately, this monster is being designed to carry and care for humans, not eat them! A Space Launch System, or SLS, is actually not a new idea, … Continue reading
On June 3 Saturn will be at opposition, which means it will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons because it will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. Continue reading
Early this month on the night of May 5 and 6 the Eta Aquarids meteor shower will peak. It is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, however most of the activity will be seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach only about 30 meteors per hour. Continue reading
On the night of April 22 and 23 the Lyrids meteor shower will peak. It is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak, although some meteors may be seen any time from April 16 to 25. It originates from dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861. Continue reading
This month will have a lot of astronomical events starting on March 8, when Jupiter will be at opposition. The gas giant will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This means that it will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. Continue reading
On February 7 Mercury will be at greatest western elongation of 25.6 degrees from the Sun. This makes it the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Continue reading
On the night of January 3 and 4 the Quadrantids meteor shower will peak. It is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at peak, although some meteors can be visible between January 1 and 5. The meteors originate from dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003. Continue reading
On the night of December 13 and 14 the Geminids meteor shower will peak. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. This is why it is known as the king of meteor showers. Some meteors can also be seen anytime from December 7 to 17. Continue reading
On October 8 we will witness the Draconids meteor shower. It is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour originating from dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. Continue reading