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This Week's Amazing Sky
Who hasn’t heard of the Dog Star, Sirius? In February, it’s the brightest star in Earth’s night sky, parading overhead from nightfall until midnight. When viewing Sirius, we’re actually seeing the combined light of two stars. Learn how to find Sirius.
Sirius is the alpha dog of the Big Dog constellation (Canis Major) and the brightest star of February. This star was considered bad…
In most of the Northern Hemisphere, July is the hottest month. But when folks grumble about feeling uncomfortable, they often say, “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.” Want to know if it’s going to be humid? Look up to the skies! Here’s how.How Can You Tell That It’s Humid?You can quickly judge moisture by glancing up.A deep blue sky means dry air.A light blue sky with…
Normally, our sky explorations involve the Moon and planets. But the practical effects on our lives come from very different sky components—the ones called clouds. Wherever you are right now, let’s walk outside or look out the window for some cloud gazing.We take clouds for granted because the sky is part of nature and is always above us. But take a moment to watch these fluffy shapes…
On Friday, June 5, the Moon will pass through the edge of Earth’s shadow, resulting in a “penumbral eclipse.” It’s one of four penumbral eclipses in 2020! Yep, a weird penumbral quartet. What is a penumbral eclipse, anyway, and how does it occur? Bob Berman explains.
*Note: The June 5 eclipse is visible only from the western Pacific Ocean and parts of Australasia,…
In recent years, astronomers have discovered black holes that the media will say are “close” to Earth. Is there anything to concern us about this scary-sounding news? The truth about black holes is more fascinating than the hype. And let’s briefly explore it.Black holes are headline-grabbers and objects of public fascination, but they’ve had very bad “PR” – which makes people think a black…
What’s the most spectacular sky object? A bright comet is certainly on my top-five list. A few weeks ago, you may have heard about Comet ATLAS. If not, no matter. It fizzled. And you’ll probably hear about new comets in the skies, like Comet SWAN. But how often do bright comets truly appear?
Certainly, a bright comet is something amazing to behold. Of all the sky objects…
What are signs of spring in the sky? Perhaps you’ve noticed the earlier sunrises. Let’s observe a few more signs in the sky—including a springtime smile from our very own Moon.Once spring is under way, nature lovers can find it hard to keep up with the rapid day-to-day changes on the ground. Much less well-known is that the sky starts this process first.The Sun Shifts …
Mercury is now an evening star hovering at its most prominent position of 2020. It’s definitely worth taking a look. You don’t need a telescope or binoculars, and it’s not hard to find. Here are viewing tips plus a few surprising facts about planet Mercury.
Simply look toward sunset at around 6 PM any time for the the next couple weeks. As the fading light of dusk hugs the western sky,…
Ever noticed how snow will disappear without melting? Even in sub-freezing weather, the frost on your car or the snow bank will get smaller. How does this happen? It’s called sublimation. Bob explains …
On a cold sunny day, you may have noticed that the huge piles of snow pushed onto the edges of parking lots by plows sometimes look as if they’re steaming. This is one sign that…
This past week, the star Betelgeuse (Orion’s “left shoulder”) dimmed. Most reports jumped on the supernova angle. What really happened? There’s nothing like a space mystery to spark interest …
For a quick background: A burst of gravitational waves was detected near the star Betelgeuse. At the same time, Betelgeuse has mysteriously dimmed in recent weeks. So, many folks…
It’s escaped no one’s attention that this year’s name is also the term for sharp vision—2020. So let’s check out your vision in the sky! Plus, here are some fun facts about how long it takes for our eyes to adjust to darkness and whether your night vision is affected by your eye color.
The human eye is amazing and uses different modes to see during the daytime and to see at night, and can…
Are you a stargazer? After your Thanksgiving feast, in this season of dark skies, let’s look up—way up—at beautiful stars, planets, and the amazing universe around us. There are so many reasons to be grateful. Bob Berman gets us started …(Note: This is a reprint of Bob’s letter on Cosmic Gratitude.)It would be nice to hold a Thanksgiving star party, where we…
