Observing News

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  • Algenubi
    by Billy Henry on March 30, 2025 at 5:00 am

    The star at the top of Leo’s head has lots of aliases. Its formal name is Algenubi – from a longer Arabic name that means “the southern star of the lion’s head.” But most astronomers call it by its “Bayer” name – Epsilon Leonis. That naming system was devised centuries ago, using […]

  • Denebola
    by Billy Henry on March 29, 2025 at 5:00 am

    The lion springs high across the sky on spring evenings. Leo is led by Regulus, one of the brighter stars in the night sky. It represents the lion’s heart or one of his front paws. And it really is an impressive star – bigger, brighter, and heavier than the Sun. The star at the lion’s tail is […]

  • Solar Eclipse
    by Billy Henry on March 28, 2025 at 5:00 am

    A partial solar eclipse will dim the skies over the northeastern United States early tomorrow – weather permitting, of course. Other parts of the world will have a slightly better view, including much of Europe and Asia. A solar eclipse happens when the new Moon passes directly between Earth and […]

  • Superflares
    by Billy Henry on March 27, 2025 at 5:00 am

    Those are the sounds of cosmic attacks – massive storms on the Sun firing energy and particles into Earth’s magnetic field. Such outbursts can damage orbiting satellites, cause radio blackouts, foul GPS signals, and even knock out power grids on the surface. And there are indications that we […]

  • Messier 3
    by Billy Henry on March 26, 2025 at 5:00 am

    The star cluster Messier 3 is a beautiful sight – a sparkly ball of half a million stars. But the view from the cluster would be even more spectacular. M3 is high above the plane of the Milky Way, so the galaxy would spread out below it like a brilliant pinwheel. M3 is a globular cluster – a […]

Current amateur astronomy information such as points of interest and events in the night sky, star party dates, educational information, telescopes buying tips and much more.