M104 Sombrero Galaxy, courtesy Joel Cohen, Prescott Astronomy Club. Taken from Prescott Valley, AZ with Astro-Physics Starfire 178 7-inch f/9 APO. The late 18th Century was a golden age of astronomical discoveries. After Galileo famously pointed his early invention at the heavens in 1609, Dutch glassmakers spent decades perfecting the lens technology that allowed forContinueContinue reading “May 2024 – The Sombrero Galaxy”
Author Archives: The Backyard Astronomer
April 2024 – Solar Cycles and Sunspots
Our Sun, courtesy Mark Johnston, Phoenix Astronomical Society @AZAstroGuy Nearly 3,000 years ago, The Chinese Yi Jing or “Book of Changes” documented small, irregular concealments in the surface of the Sun. By 300 BC, both Eastern and Western cultures were documenting their changing views of our star, and the patterns that would grow and thenContinueContinue reading “April 2024 – Solar Cycles and Sunspots”
March 2024 – Vernal Equinox and Spring Beehives
Beehive Cluster, Courtesy Stuart Heggie, NASA JPL. Tuesday, 19 March, at exactly 8:06 PM MST, denotes the moment when the Sun will again be directly over Earth’s equator. As viewed from Central Yavapai County at approximately 34.54° N, we will see the Sun appear to rise and set due East and due West, respectively. ThisContinueContinue reading “March 2024 – Vernal Equinox and Spring Beehives”
Unicorns and Roses
Rosette Nebula, Courtesy N.A Sharp, NOIRLab, Wikimedia Commons. A lesser-known and relatively modern constellation occupies the void between Orion, Canis Major, Hydra and Gemini, though the stars are difficult to see with the naked eye due to modern light pollution. Monoceros – mono meaning “one” and ceros meaning “horn” – the Unicorn is a simpleContinueContinue reading “Unicorns and Roses”
Dancing Planets
Jupiter, Courtesy Joel Cohen imaged from Prescott Valley, 2020. The planet Mercury is a unique specimen within our solar system. Orbiting every 88 days, this closest rocky body to our Sun has no geological activity and virtually no atmosphere. Its surface is pockmarked with testimonies of destruction, and with nothing to erode the signs ofContinueContinue reading “Dancing Planets”
December 2023 – Geminids Meteor Shower
Meteor showers are generally produced when the Earth passes through the remnant tail of a comet, often long after it has visited our inner Solar System. July’s Perseids are a gift from Comet Swift Tuttle (last close approach in 1995), the Eta Aquariids in May and Orionids in October come from the path Halley’s CometContinueContinue reading “December 2023 – Geminids Meteor Shower”
October 2023 – Annular Eclipse
If you happen to be around the Four Corners area on October 14th, make sure to have your solar eclipse glasses with you. After that day, you will be able to tell your friends that you saw an eclipse from four different states! An annular solar eclipse will grace our skies that morning, with theContinueContinue reading “October 2023 – Annular Eclipse”
September 2023 – Archers, Teapots, and the Milky Way
From double full super moons to ringed giants at opposition, August was full of local events in our Solar System, whereas September takes us back to some amazing deep sky objects. Many of the best clusters and nebulae lie along the galactic plane, easily identifiable in the sky as the Milky Way. While one canContinueContinue reading “September 2023 – Archers, Teapots, and the Milky Way”
August 2023 – Celestial Neighbors
August hosts a plethora of lunar and planetary events, perfect for the Backyard Astronomer. Even the most basic binoculars or telescope will allow one to enjoy our celestial neighbors as they put on quite the display this month. August 1st starts off the month with a Full Supermoon. The second Supermoon this year, this eventContinueContinue reading “August 2023 – Celestial Neighbors”
Stories in the Stars
By Adam England, the Backyard Astronomer The Greeks coined the term planetes – meaning “wanderer” – to describe the objects they saw in the sky that regularly moved against the background of the other, fixed stars. Over time, this included many bodies that wander across the night sky, including the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter,ContinueContinue reading “Stories in the Stars”
The Backyard Astronomer 