Outreach programs sustain the hobby of astronomy. Typically, these have been hands-on activities at brick and mortar locations. Dedicated volunteers visit classrooms and hold open houses at venues ranging from observatories to planetaria to nature centers. Old school outreach still thrives, but some groups are popularizing astronomy through new media. Search the Internet and you’ll find dozens of groups that provide general web sites, blogs, podcasts...

On Saturday, March 22, friends and family bid farewell to science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who died March 19 at his home in Sri Lanka. Best known for the novel and screenplay 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Clarke wrote fiction that often juxtaposed themes as audacious as humanity’s destiny with prophetic visions of coming technology. Little wonder that his work influenced generations of scientists and engineers. “All of us who have been entertained...

In September 2001, I attended the Great Plains Star Party in Scopeville, Kansas. One night, as I was walking across the observing field, a friend called down from the top of his observing ladder. “Hey, Michael, I’ve run out of things to look at. Got any suggestions?” As I looked up, I realized he was using a brand-new 24-inch Starmaster Dobsonian-mounted reflector. He had the telescope, but he didn’t have a plan. Someday, you may find yourself in...

If there is a hoax involving anything in the sky, Astronomy staff members will receive questions about it. Do you remember the “ Mars as big as the Full Moon ” prank? Lately, I’ve received a few inquiries asking if “moonvertising” is real. This comes from recent billboard and web advertising from the firm Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. This tongue-in-cheek campaign claims Latrobe Brewery Co. will use a ginormous laser to place the Rolling Rock...

Arthur C. Clarke, one of the world’s most renowned science-fiction author, passed away March 19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Most people know Clarke from his book, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Beyond its literary value, his work greatly influenced public interest in space exploration during the 1950s and '60s. Recently, Clarke was excited about what he viewed as a golden age of space travel: the birth of commercial space flight. It is unfortunate he passed...

There’s no better place to find astronomy related software than the web archive created by Astro Events Group of Ostend, Belgium. “Our compilation will actually never be complete,” says Patrick Jaecques, a member of the group. “We have updates about every week. It’s also the only part of our Dutch web site that is translated into French, German and English.” There you’ll find hundreds of programs for a wide variety of computing environments, including...

In previous blogs, I’ve written about my love for meteorites, including my trip to the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University. I also have a small but enjoyable meteorite collection. As an observational astronomer, I enjoy viewng meteor showers. A recently published book combines these interests and adds a lot more. Meteors and Meteorites: Origins and Observations by Martin Beech ( The Crowood Press , 2006) begins in space with Chapter...

As NASA engineers prepare the gamma-ray observatory GLAST for launch in mid-2008, the agency has put out a call for help from the public: Please think of a better name for the high-tech space telescope. “Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope” aptly describes the satellite’s function, but doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue. “We’re looking for name suggestions that will capture the excitement of GLAST’s mission and call attention to gamma-ray and high...

It seems to me that Saturn’s moon Rhea is a leading candidate for Rodney Dangerfield of the solar system. I tell you, it doesn’t get much respect. Even in the Saturn system, where Rhea is the second-largest moon, it ranks pretty low. You hear about Titan, with its thick atmosphere and methane lakes. Enceladus is known for its liquid-water geysers and Iapetus for its strange black and white hemispheres. Even tiny Mimas, with its cute “Death Star” crater...

On November 7, Japan’s SELENE spacecraft captured this high-definition image of Earth rising over the Moon’s north pole. JAXA/NHK If prime-time television, National Geographic specials, and sports programming don’t get you pumped for seeing TV at the highest-possible resolution, then what else is there? Television may not be the “vast wasteland” it once was claimed to be, but you could make a good case that seeing incredible detail in TV’s moving...