Here’s an “extra” for those of you who saw the nice conjunction December 1 featuring Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent Moon. Amateur astronomer Ian Sharp, who lives in Ham, England, just sent me two videos . The first shows the Moon (you can’t really see it, but trust me, it’s there) covering the shimmering disk of Venus. The second video shows Venus reappearing from behind the Moon’s edge. Astronomers call such an event an occultation. In this case...

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see Jupiter, M57, and NGC 1 during the next few days. Targets for August 22–28 Naked eye: Jupiter Small telescope : M57, the Ring Nebula 8-inch or larger telescope: NGC 1 --Begin transcript-- Just starting out? Let’s get started with this week’s naked-eye object. And it’s an easy one — Jupiter . All you have to do is look toward the south after sunset. If your sky is clear, you’ll spot Jupiter blazing...

I just finished the second edition of Observing the Moon — the Modern Astronomer’s Guide by Gerald North ( Cambridge University Press , 2007). Nice. If you fancy yourself a lunar observer, have made a commitment to one day observe the Moon, or even if you’re thinking about checking the Moon out once in a while, I highly recommend this book. North produced the first edition of Observing the Moon — the Modern Astronomer’s Guide in 2000, and that version...

One of the real celestial treats through any size telescope is the giant planet Jupiter. Even a 2-inch scope will let you view its main markings and four largest moons. By watching the moons change their positions night after night, you can experience “real-time” astronomy. That would be a good start. If, however, you want to go deeper into Jupiter observations, I recommend Jupiter and How to Observe It by John W. McAnally (Springer, 2008). Even before...

This week, the SciFi Channel is running a miniseries called Tin Man . I haven’t watched it (you can view all three episodes at www.scifi.com ), but one of my astronomy friends tells me tonight’s episode features a double solar eclipse — two moons covering the fictional planet’s two suns. This got me thinking about eclipses, both past and future. On August 1, 2008, I’ll be in Novosibirsk, Russia, enjoying 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality. This promises...

Not all light passing in front of our beloved stars and deep-sky objects is bad. Sometimes cosmic dust motes enter our atmosphere, super-heat, and create streaks called meteors. And the more, the merrier. When lots of streaks come from the same point in the sky, astronomers call the event a meteor shower. Amateur astronomers observe lots of meteor showers. This type of observing is easy: You don't need any special equipment; it's cheap; it's...

Happy Thanksgiving! Many of us will take this holiday as an opportunity to reunite with family and friends. We'll cook, enjoy a variety of food, nap, and watch our favorite football teams. Ok, then what? I have a suggestion. If it's clear, pull out your telescope. Better yet, have it already set up and ready to go. If you're like me, you won't be helping out much in the kitchen. Not that I don't want to, mind you. My talent just...

I love baseball, and I love observing. Unfortunately, you won't find any constellations honoring the boys of summer; at least, no traditional constellations. During October, as the fall classic decides baseball's champion, go out one clear night and find the Baseball Diamond in the sky. To form the Baseball Diamond, find the Great Square of Pegasus, which lies high in the sky during mid-fall. The Great Square's northwestern star (Beta...