Look Up Alert

All five bright planets will appear together in the morning sky from about January 20 to February 20, 2016. That hasn’t happened since 2005.

Read more.

A Lunar New Year

Everything you want to know about the moon in 2016.

Jupiter and Moon Alert!

Before dawn on Friday morning – December 4, 2015 – you’ll have another chance to see the waning crescent moon with the giant planet Jupiter in the predawn sky. Simply look for the brilliant starlike object close to the moon.

From Earthsky.

Fifteen Minutes

I submitted three of my photos of the conjunction on Friday evening to Earthsky, one of my favorite science sites. What do you know, they posted one of them.

But check out the caption.

Jim Yaussy submitted this photo to EarthSky.org from Albright, Washington.

I start out the evening as an unknown, and now I have a town in Washington named after me.

To see more photos on Earthsky, click HERE.

Rocky Ford Creek Report: Catch of the Day

It's another beautiful afternoon at Rocky Ford Creek. The sun is in and out of scudding clouds. It's almost hot when it's out, and refreshingly cool when it's hidden.

I'm hoping to get some photos of the conjunction of Venus, Mars, and the new moon after sunset. My DSLR camera and tripod are in the truck. But as the afternoon rolls on the clouds roll in.

Meanwhile I just fish. I spend lots of time with an indicator on, and I pick up four or five youngsters on scuds and various nymphs. (I get no takes on a bloodworm.)

Robins have now joined the list of Spring birds, and more Great Blue Herons have come. A male Marsh Hawk--ghostly white--patrols the opposite bank. He hits the brakes and drops like a stone. I hear a commotion in the cattails, and he rises with a dark shape in his talons and heads for a perch in the rocks. Mallards are here, and a variety of Grebes, all paired up and engaged in courtship. I wonder when the Pelicans will arrive.

I catch a better fish on a nondescript nymph as I'm stripping it in for a change of flies. It's a very pretty fish.

Each time I've been here in the past few weeks I hear sounds below my feet. The banks are riddled with Muskrat tunnels, and I often see them paddling in and out. Now I'm also hearing them gnawing away at their domain, creating even more passageways.

It seems like I just got here, but the light is going. I try a scud again--I've gotten the most attention with that fly--and sure enough, I hook a good fish. I work it in carefully and have the net in my hand when it breaks off. So it goes.

I clip off the indicator and tie on a stimulator and throw it around until it's time to go. I watch Great Blues circle overhead against the darkening clouds and figure someone else will have to take photos of the celestial show. I'm sorry to have to miss it.

The truck is packed. I start the engine, and pour some coffee. I'm about to shift into gear when a glint of moonlight flickers out of the shifting clouds. I study the sky critically. It looks like the clouds may break up enough for a good view.

I shut the engine off, grab my DSLR and climb out. Yes, it's going to happen. I set up the tripod as quickly as I can and get ready. And I get my shot.

It's the catch of the day.

Conjunction: Venus, Mars, and New Moon

I stayed in the deserted parking lot at Rocky Ford Creek for almost an hour taking many photos. These are two more of my favorites. What a show!

Heads Up: Venus, Mars, and Crescent Moon

This is why I'd rather live in this universe than any other. Venus and Mars have been spectacular the past few evenings. And now the newborn crescent moon will join them.

This is a bona fide phenomenon. Hope you can check it out where you live. I'm planning to be at Rocky Ford Creek on the evening of the 20th, and there's a good chance it will be clear. If it is, I'll be soaking it all in.

Earthsky has this to say about this celestial event:

The planets Mars and Venus are about to be at their closest in our sky since 2008. They won’t be closer until 2017! Their nearest point is Saturday, but tonight – February 19, 2015 – you’ll find these two planets in the west after sunset, nearly as close as they will be then. Venus is the much brighter one. What’s more, the young moon is now returning to the west after sunset. And that means we’re about to have some incredible scenes in the western, twilight sky. Friday night’s sky scene will be especially grand.

Although the new moon fell yesterday, February 18, we still expect some observant people in the Northern Hemisphere – especially in North America – to catch the whisker-thin young crescent moon after sunset Thursday evening. Look westward, beneath Venus – the brightest planet and bright evening “star” – and near the horizon, starting an hour or less after sunset. Binoculars may be helpful!

It’ll be harder, though not impossible, to catch an even thinner lunar crescent from northerly latitudes in Europe – and harder yet at northerly latitudes in Asia. We expect few, if any, observers at temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere to spot the young moon after sunset February 19. We tell you why later.

Whatever you do, just start watching the western twilight sky. Set a reminder on your phone if need be. The planets and moon won’t be up for long after sunset. And the views will be spectacular from now through Saturday night!

Full Moon Puts On Show, Makes Some Happy

The Hunter's Moon, being eclipsed here by gathering clouds. Those willing to stay up or get up early can see it, weather allowing, eclipsed by the rising sun in a total eclipse. It's also a Blood Moon.

Me, I'm mostly like these guys. Full moons just make me happy.

Illustration by Theodor Kittelsen.

Heads Up: Brand New Meteor Shower!

For the first time ever the earth will pass through the debris field of the newly discovered Comet LINEAR.

The result: a brand new meteor shower for sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere. Already being called the "May Camelopardalids," the meteor shower will reach its peak Friday night and into Saturday morning. Best times will be between 2 and 4 AM EDT.

The latest viewing prediction based on local weather:

And the location of the Camelopardalis constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate.

EarthSky says that it could be the best meteor shower of the year, but it also stresses that, since this has never occurred before, it's all hypothetical until we see the actual meteors. (Go to the link for much more information.)

So head out, look up, and maybe see the birth of a new heavenly wonder.

Eclipse Report: Clouds Eclipse Eclipse

Going...

Going...

Gone.

Oh well. We'll have another chance on October 8.

Bad Moon Rising

Just dropped over to EarthSky. Glad I did. Big news!

There will be a total eclipse of the full moon tonight, April 14 - 15. Mars, the Red Planet, is the closest and brightest in 6 years, and will be visible near the red moon. Look for the star Spica, too.

This is known as a Blood Moon. Some people, of a particular religious or superstitious bent, believe this moon, and the three other Blood Moons occurring in 2014 and 2015--four in a row--are signs of the Apocalypse. Yes, that Apocalypse.

If you insist on getting all worked up about that, fine. Go for it. But if you have an open mind and are interested in learning more, you might find this link helpful:

A Christian Astronomer Talks About Blood Moons

I've already said on this blog that I'm a believer. And I believe that the End of the World is the Creator's department. I hope to be ready, whenever it is.

Meanwhile, I will be praying. I'll be praying that the skies are clear over north central Washington State tonight.

I Love the Concept of a Winter Circle

From EarthSky: There are many bright stars near Jupiter in 2014. The planet lies in the midst of what we stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere know as the Winter Circle. This beautiful photo captured January 11, 2014 by EarthSky Facebook friend Duke Marsh in Kentucky. Thank you, Duke.

Star Wars Comes Alive: Time Lapse Video of the Night Sky Over Hawaii

Laser-tracking the Milky Way over 13,803 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Lasers allow the adaptive optics of the radio telescopes to remove the blurring effect of the earth's atmosphere. And they look really cool. And they make me wonder. Light years from now will someone on a distant planet be tracking these lasers as they arrive from the long-vanished Earth?

The End Of Life As We Know It

I picked up some interesting news over on EarthSky awhile ago.

Astronomers believe that the Milky Way galaxy is on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy. It might look something like this, with the Andromeda galaxy on the left.

Wow. The prediction is that a collision will occur in approximately 3.75 billion years.

Reminds me of an old joke.

So don't worry. It's 3.75 billion, not million.

Heads up, Saturn Lovers

From that amazing site EarthSky. Seriously, check it out.

Golden Saturn as seen by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1980

The best time to see the planet Saturn in 2013 is now! Saturn will be out nearly all night for most of May. Why is Saturn so good to view this month? The reason is that we passed between Saturn and the sun in late April. At that time, Saturn was opposite the sun as seen from Earth. Now Earth has moved on slightly in its orbit, so that Saturn appears in our eastern sky as soon as darkness falls.

To find Saturn in 2013, first locate the Big Dipper in the northern sky. 

Let it guide you to the star Spica. Then look for Saturn near Spica.

Comet PanSTARRS Update

Tonight is supposed to be one of the best nights for viewing Comet PanSTARRS. We've had high overcast for the past few nights here, so I haven't caught a glimpse yet. I'll try again tonight, but if I still don't see it I can always watch this video again. Nice job, Fred.

Comet PanSTARRS - The Movie from Fred Espenak on Vimeo.