Night Sky: Five-minute wonders
This is a good time because the moon is absent this weekend. And there’s a bunch of cool stuff to see and it’s all very easy to find. I’ll prove it.
All posts by Bob Berman
Carbon dioxide explained
If you know any skeptics regarding carbon dioxide, or who are not freaked by the earth’s still-new milestone of hitting 400 parts per million, just point upward any night, and show them how it operates elsewhere in the universe.
The moon meets the planets
Unlike this spring and most of the summer, all four of the classic bright planets are now hovering close to their maximum possible brilliance. But just to make things unnecessarily easy, the moon is about to highlight each one by hovering alongside it.
Jupiter meets Saturn from Kingston
Jupiter came closest to our planet arth just a month ago, so it will continue to dominate the sky the rest of the summer and fall. Jove is in Sagittarius, but its brilliant presence really has the look of a dazzling star just above a teapot. We could tell you it’s low in the southeast, but such directions are overkill. Simply look around the sky any time after nightfall and find the very brightest star. It’s astronomy made simple.
Danger from the summer meteors
When we reach the nights of August 11 and 12, we will see a meteor every two minutes or so, especially if we’re away from the lights of town. But there’s a secret sinister untold story behind these lovely shooting stars. It involves their origins.
Tips for spotting Neowise in the Hudson Valley
It’s the best comet since Hale-Bopp graced our skies in 1996. And it’s easy to find. From any location with an unobstructed view toward the northwest – just right of where the sun set – look about a quarter of the way up the sky at 10 p.m..
Star-gazing is a safe activity in the time of Covid
This summer offers lots of Covid-safe entertainment in the night sky. And the price is right.
Night Sky: Don’t believe the hype
Click-bait articles try to get readers excited about non-events like lunar eclipse and unremarkable meteor showers. Don’t be fooled.
Farewell, my lovely
It’s almost over. Venus has been dazzling and delighting us for months now, the best apparition of the evening star since 2004. It’s still amazingly bright in the northwest during the first couple of hours after sunset. It’s hard to believe that this will now change so rapidly.
The evening star at its very best
This week, Venus has reached its greatest separation from the sun while standing high above where the sun set. These are rare perfect conditions that make Venus appear as high up as is ever possible. But on top of that, Venus is also at its most brilliant.