Not eclipses are total. Many are partial, and some are annular. An annular eclipse takes place when the angular size of the Moon in the sky is smaller than the angular size of the Sun in the sky. What makes this happen? Distances! The further away something is from your vantage point, the smaller is... Continue Reading →
Jupiter and Saturn: This December’s Excitement
A few nights ago we had some clear evening skies. What to do? Grab the camera gear, head out and image the upcoming Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, of course! We took out two tripods and two Nikon D810 cameras, each with different lenses: one a 200-500 Zoom and the other a 28-300mm zoom. We wanted to grab... Continue Reading →
The July Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE: Quite a Show!
Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE was definitely the comet of the year, one of the best in a couple of decades. Hovering low in the morning sky before dawn, then, later in July making its evening appearance low in the northwest sky after sunset, it provided hauntingly beautiful views of the night sky. Not much impresses... Continue Reading →
Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE the July 2020 Surprise
This has been quite a year. Now, add to this a bright new comet, and it gets a little better, yes? Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE: Named after the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer’s asteroid hunting mission [https://neowise.ipac.caltech.edu/], this comet has become visible to the unaided eye, and, for now, is a morning object rising just... Continue Reading →
Betelgeuse is Fading
There has been a lot of buzz on the net about the star, Betelgeuse, Alpha Ori... the red supergiant in Orion's shoulder (or armpit as people might prefer). It is a well known, bright red, supergiant, and it is a well known variable with a long period. Of late, it has been fading rather unusually... Continue Reading →