What’s Up? by Adam England On July 4 we celebrate the Declaration of Independence of the United States from the monarchy of Britain. Traditional ceremonies include community parades, neighborhood barbecues, fireworks, and here in Prescott, we rodeo. After all those festivities, beginning at 8:07 MST, a penumbral lunar eclipse will grace our skies. A lunarContinueContinue reading “Eclipsing Independence“
Author Archives: The Backyard Astronomer
Miss Mitchell’s Comet
What’s Up? by Adam England Born August 1, 1818 to a Quaker family in the island town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Maria Mitchell was the third of ten children raised by a schoolteacher father and librarian mother. The culture of fishing and whaling was such that the women were often left alone for months and raisedContinueContinue reading “Miss Mitchell’s Comet“
Venus – Earth’s Sister Planet
The Backyard Astronomer by Adam England The second brightest object in the night sky (after the Moon) is the planet Venus. Records going back at least 5,000 years show human societies acknowledging that the “morning Star” and “Evening Star” were one and the same, traveling across the horizons as it circled the Sun. The SumeriansContinueContinue reading “Venus – Earth’s Sister Planet”
Barnard’s Star
The Backyard Astronomer by Adam England Image courtesy Sky & Telescope Magazine. After the Alpha Centauri star system, the next-closest star to Earth is Barnard’s Star. As early as 1934, science-fiction writers imagined this star surrounded by habitable planets. Now one of the most-referenced stars in science fiction, Barnard’s Star has been featured in dozensContinueContinue reading “Barnard’s Star”
The Backyard Astronomer 