ISS Transiting the Moon – Courtesy Andrew McCarthy on X @AJamesMcCarthy On December 4th, 1998, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off carrying some very special cargo: Unity, the first U.S.-built module of what would become the International Space Station. Two days later, NASA astronaut Nancy Currie skillfully maneuvered the shuttle’s Canadarm to capture Russia’s already-orbiting ZaryaContinueContinue reading “December 2025 – Occupy Space”
Author Archives: The Backyard Astronomer
November 2025 – Lunar Peculiarities
Imagine watching the formation of our Solar System some 4.5 billion years ago. From an omniscient view, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of planetoids are jockeying for position, carving out orbits around a newborn Sun. Smaller asteroids and comets ricochet through the chaos, colliding by the millions and leaving behind scars that will last for eons. Artist Rendering ofContinueContinue reading “November 2025 – Lunar Peculiarities”
October 2025 – Lions and Comets and Bears, OH MY!
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) as captured 9/24/2025 by Dimitrios Katevainis, courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Nearly every evening, the Steward Observatory’s 60-inch Cassegrain reflector takes thousands of photos, the same as it has for almost two decades. From their perch atop Mount Lemmon at over 9,100 feet of elevation, just a few miles north of Tucson, Arizona,ContinueContinue reading “October 2025 – Lions and Comets and Bears, OH MY!”
September 2025 – In the Shadow of Titan
Titan shadow on Saturn, Hubble Space Telescope, Courtesy NASA. It seems that discoveries across the Universe are announced almost daily. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, has been a workhorse in this effort, capturing and analyzing light in multiple wavelengths to probe the unknown. A growing suite of other instrumentsContinueContinue reading “September 2025 – In the Shadow of Titan”
August 2025 – Early Risers
The early bird may get the worm, but the early astronomer gets the universe. August 2025 belongs to the early risers—when the Moon leads the dance and the planets shine their brightest in the hours before sunrise. Watch as our lunar guide sweeps across the sky, spotlighting celestial wonders along the way. Beginning around theContinueContinue reading “August 2025 – Early Risers”
July 2025 – Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower
As summer unfolds over Prescott, Arizona, July brings two celestial events that promise to captivate both seasoned astronomers and casual skywatchers alike: the New Moon on July 24 and the Delta Aquariid meteor shower, peaking around July 30. These occurrences offer ideal conditions for stargazing, with dark skies and minimal moonlight interference. The New MoonContinueContinue reading “July 2025 – Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower”
June 2025 – Solstice Mesa
Solstice Mesa, Prescott, AZ, aligned with Granite Moutain. Image by Edward Tucker. The celebration of solstices and equinoxes are documented in almost every culture worldwide. Varying types of events have become regional staples, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, where the date around June 20-21st each year represents the longest days and most sunlight, before theContinueContinue reading “June 2025 – Solstice Mesa”
May 2025 – Life In The Cosmos
Mars 10-02-2020, courtesy Prescott Astronomy Club member Joel Cohen. Humans have likely always looked at the sky and wondered if we are alone in the universe. From the classical Roman god messenger Mercury to the angelic hosts of the Abrahamic religions, ancient belief systems often referred to Gods and other visitors as omnipotent beings capableContinueContinue reading “May 2025 – Life In The Cosmos”
April 2025 – Clear Skies and Comet Tails
Astronomers love to get lucky. It’s a true art of patience, “waiting for the stars to align”, both metaphorically and physically speaking. Despite Arizona’s more than 300 days of Sun each year, a storm may roll over and obscure our view, as we experienced with the lunar eclipse in March, and also with the SolarContinueContinue reading “April 2025 – Clear Skies and Comet Tails”
The Backyard Astronomer – March 2025 – An “Edgy” Perspective
By Adam England, The Backyard Astronomer Stuck on Earth, we essentially get one viewpoint of the cosmos. From a nearly fixed location in the universe, it doesn’t seem like other objects move very much, apart from the “wanderers”, as coined by the Greeks with the term “planētēs,” or planets. Due to the tilt of theContinueContinue reading “The Backyard Astronomer – March 2025 – An “Edgy” Perspective”
The Backyard Astronomer 