By GERRY LEBING
The Night Sky: Early June is good for planet viewing
The Night Sky: May will be good month for observing the ‘red planet’ By GERRY LEBING
Mars will be at opposition on May 22. Opposition occurs when the sun and Mars are on opposite sides of the earth. That means Mars will be the brightest it’s been in 11 years, with a magnitude of -2.1. This is the great opportunity to observe the “red planet.” Jupiter will be well above the […]
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The Night Sky: Tracking the planets and a meteor shower in April
April will start with Jupiter (magnitude -2.6) well above the eastern horizon at sunset. You should be able to spot it just after sundown. If you view it with a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you should be able to see its bands. On a good night, you might spot several of its larger […]
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The Night Sky: March will continue to feature planets
Venus (magnitude -4) will continue to be the bright morning star close to the eastern horizon during March. With a little luck, you’ll be able to see Mercury between Venus and the rising sun. Look for both planets around 6 a.m. If you’re up that early, you can also look for Saturn and Mars […]
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The Night Sky: Five planets now visible just before dawn
By GERRY LEBING The five planets that are visible to the naked eye will be in the skies simultaneously for most of February. Jupiter starts the month rising in the East at about 8:30 p.m. Mars will follow at 1 a.m., Saturn at 3:06 a.m., Venus at 5:09 a.m., and Mercury at 5:30 a.m.. Astronomical […]
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Guest Column: Light pollution issues plague island villages
By GERRY LEBING Recently, my wife and I spent some time with my son in Washington, D.C. We were at the Kennedy Center waiting for a late show to start, and knowing it was the peak of the Geminids Meteor Shower, we decided to step out into the clear night skies and enjoy the celestial […]
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The Night Sky: More meteor showers for November
The Draconid meteor shower on Oct. 8 proved to be less than spectacular. I spotted three faint shooting stars. On the other hand, in the early morning of Oct. 23, I saw a very bright meteorite shoot across the body of the Orion Constellation! On the same morning, the light show of Venus, Jupiter, and […]
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The Night Sky: Look for two meteor showers in October
September started off well, and I was able to take this image of the Lagoon Nebula (M8). M8 is about 6,500 light years away. It is located in the constellation Sagittarius, which can be found slightly above the southern horizon. The last week of September was plagued by high winds, clouds, and rain. The weather […]
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The Night Sky: Stargazing tips for August
Far and away the most notable astronomical event of July was the New Horizons fly-by of Pluto on the 14th. This was the first reconnaissance of Pluto, and the 10-year wait from launch to rendezvous has proven worthwhile. The New Horizons has discovered a hazy world of flowing ice on Pluto. If you haven’t visited […]
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The Night Sky: Stargazing tips for July
June had its ups and downs for observing the stars. Some very clear nights were plagued by three problems — wind, high humidity, and light pollution. It’s pretty easy to use a telescope when the wind is blowing less than 10 mph. It’s a whole different story trying to make observations in a 25 mph […]
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