Here we are less than 365 days until the total solar eclipse that will be seen from coast-to-coast in the U.S. on August 21, 2017. This will be the first total solar eclipse to grace the U.S. mainland since 1979 and the first to sweep across the entire country since 1918!
animated map of the Moon’s shadows across Earth
Before I go any further I want to say to all those reading this article who have never witnessed a total solar eclipse – please, please make every effort to get to the center line next summer and experience totality. Nothing compares to it. No words can adequately explain the awesome spectacle, the emotional response generated and grandeur of a total solar eclipse. You simply must experience it at least once in your lifetime.
The 2016 edition of the Perseid Meteor Shower should be a good one. In most years the meteor shower produces 60 to 120 meteors per hour as seen under dark sky conditions but this year the Earth will be plowing through a more dense stream of cometary debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. On the morning of Friday, August 12th the shower peaks with up to 200 meteors per hour predicted. NASA’s video below explains the Perseid meteor shower as well as other astro highlights for the month.
As the constellation Perseus rises in the northeast the Moon will be setting in the southwest at about 1:30 a.m. CDT here in the DFW area. This will be the best time to begin watching for meteors. Choose a location away from city lights. Use a reclining lawn chair so you and lean back and encompass as much of the night sky as possible. It’s not necessary to focus your gaze on the constellation Perseus. All the meteors you see will appear to originate from this constellation if you were to trace them back to that point but you will be able to see meteors all over the sky. If you see a meteor that does not appear to trace back to Perseus in the northeast sky then you know you’ve seen a “sporadic” meteor (one not related to the current meteor shower).
The Rio Brazos chapter of Texas Master Naturalists will be hosting a star party on Saturday September 10, 2016 from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Acton Nature Center, 6900 Smoky Hill Ct. Granbury, TX 76049. There will be a guest speaker at the twilight program under the pavilion adjacent to the parking lot starting at 8:00 p.m. After the program attendees will take a short walk down the path to the farmhouse where we will have telescopes set up with sky guides to show you the night sky.
Please bring a blanket or chair to sit in, water to drink and enjoy the evening. Restrooms are available on site. We welcome anyone who is interested in sharing knowledge or telescopes with the public.
Mercury Transit 2016 started with an unfavorable weather forecast for the DFW area but as the day and the transit progressed the clouds began to break. The transit was in progress at sunrise here locally. I’ve uploaded the better images I took of the transit most of which were from just before maximum transit (9:58 a.m. CDT) until 3rd and 4th contact (or egress) I used my normal setup for these events a Meade 90mm (3.5″) ETX maksutov-cassegrain telescope with a Nikon D60 digital camera working at prime focus and a solar filter. These images are unedited and unprocessed.
It’s been a decade since the planet Mercury passed in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. These transits happen about 13 times a century and November 8, 2006 was the last time it happened. I took the image below with a 90 mm Meade ETX telescope. Mercury is the small dot. The larger dot to the right is a giant sunspot. You can see more of my transit images on my website.
Mercury Transit 11/8/06 Enhanced
This year on May 9, 2016 Mercury will once again slowly glide across the face of the Sun and it’ll make for a great observing opportunity for those in the U.S.A. The transit will have already begun (6:12 a.m. CDT) for those in western parts of North America. So when the Sun rises on May 9, 2016 at 6:34 a.m. CDT Mercury will already be working its way across the Sun. The greatest transit time for the DFW area will come around 9:58 a.m. CDT. Greatest transit is the instant when Mercury passes closest to the Sun’s center. Mercury should begin to move off the face of the Sun at about 1:38 p.m. CDT. Continue reading Mercury Transit 2016→
The colder nights are upon us now and that means crisp, clear, bug-free viewing for us in the southwestern U.S. It just so happens a dirty snowball will grace our skies as well. Comet Catalina C/2013 US10 will be making its way higher into the northern skies in December and January. There will be a great photo-op on New Years Day, January 1, 2016 when Catalina will be snuggled up next to the fourth brightest star in the sky, orange giant Arcturus in the constellation Bootes.
Discovered on Halloween in 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey the comet will be closest to Earth on January 12, 2016 at 66.9 million miles. That’s over two-thirds the distance from the Earth to the Sun in case you are keeping track at home kids.
I’m often asked about what astronomy related apps I like to use on my cell phone and tablet. So I’ve included a list of apps in no particular order that I have either used at one time and found to be helpful and/or continue to use on a regular basis. I own Android devices (both cell phone and tablet) but most of these apps are available both on Google Play and via the App Store or iTunes. Additionally, most of the apps listed are free to download and install or have free versions available but some do have to be purchased. I hope they pique your interest regarding what is available and that you enjoy them as much as have.
Get ready sky sleuths for an amazing lunar spectacle! A total lunar eclipse is coming up (weather permitting) after dark on Sunday, September 27th when the moon will turn an awesome reddish-orange as it enters the Earth’s umbra. The eclipse will be visible from most of North and South America.
Total Lunar Eclipse
Total lunar eclipses always happen at full moon. This is when the Moon is opposite in the sky as the Sun or put another way when the Earth is between the Sun and Moon. This situation allows for the Earth’s shadow to consume the Moon, and we see an eclipse.
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.
Directions: Exit I-20 at exit 361, go north on Hwy 16 four miles, turn West on FM 2372 for two miles and then follow the signs.
The colder nights are upon us now and that means crisp, clear, bug-free viewing for us in the southwestern U.S. It just so happens a dirty snowball will grace our skies as well. 
I’m often asked about what astronomy related apps I like to use on my cell phone and tablet. So I’ve included a list of apps in no particular order that I have either used at one time and found to be helpful and/or continue to use on a regular basis. I own Android devices (both cell phone and tablet) but most of these apps are available both on 