Tag Archives: astronomy

Yuk!

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I got home late from Houston tonight and I was taking my daily walk. I was searching the sky for Orion, to see if I could spot any meteors (the Orionid metor shower is still going on).

All the sudden- ICK! YUK! UGH!

I walked under a tree and it was like I got attacked by a giant spider! For a minute I felt like Frodo when he got tangled up in Shelobs lair in the Lord of the Rings. 😉

I’m still not sure if it was a real spider web I somehow ran into, or if it was a Halloween decoration gone wild, but it got me good!

At least I didn’t ever see the spider who might have made that giant web!!

Sad to say, I didn’t see any meteors tonight either, it was just too cloudy and the moon was still too bright to see many stars. I need to get to sleep soon, so won’t be staying up to try again when the moon sets. I’ll be up and out early in the morning, so maybe I’ll have better luck then. 🙂

International Dark Sky Week!

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Celebrate International Dark Sky Week! | Today’s Image | EarthSky.

I didn’t know this week was anything special. Good thing I looked at some of my emails this afternoon. 😉

I always loved looking at the stars on night watch. That’s one of the things I miss the most about working in the oil field. There are always too many lights on to be able to really see the stars at night.

They’re posting some absolutely gorgeous photos on this site. Check it out.

4 Sky Events This Week: Seven Sisters and a Stellar Sandwich

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4 Sky Events This Week: Seven Sisters and a Stellar Sandwich – News Watch.

Another good week for stargazing. I hope it clears up around here soon!

I missed seeing Uranus. The weather was too cloudy while it was at a good altitude for me here. I am hoping to be able to see the Pleiades and the Hyades this week.

I can usually spot Taurus and Aldebaran. This time of year, it should be to the West after sunset. If you can find Orion, look to the right of the hunters bow and you should see a ‘V’, those are the horns of the bull “Taurus”. Both the Hyades and the Pleiades are located in Taurus.

Betelguese is usually easy to spot, it’s in the constellation of Orion. That’s one of the easiest constellations to spot. It should be even easier to see when it’s lined up like they say with the moon and Jupiter.

I’ll be checking it out when the clouds clear up!

5 Sky Events This Week: Mercurial Evenings, Cosmic Triangle and Lord of the Rings – News Watch

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5 Sky Events This Week: Mercurial Evenings, Cosmic Triangle and Lord of the Rings – News Watch.

Sorry I’m late this week but you should still be able to see some of this stuff if you look.

Mercury will be low in the sky, right after sunset. It should be bright enough to see with the naked eye (or with binoculars). Look for it in the direction of the sunset from Jan 21 through the end of the month.

In the article, they talk about Saturn and the moon on the 23rd, but it’s likely you can still see it now. Look for it in the South near dawn.

Antares is usually easy to spot. Look for the crescent moon above the constellation Scorpio from the 26th.

5 Sky Events This Week: Moon Poses with Winter Gems and Little Bear Runs With Meteors

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5 Sky Events This Week: Moon Poses with Winter Gems and Little Bear Runs With Meteors – News Watch.

Another interesting week in the sky. I tried really hard to watch the Geminid meteor shower last weekend, but it was too cloudy here in Texas. I tried to check it out online, but I couldn’t find anything other than clouds or a few photos. I was hoping for a video from somewhere with clear skies, but I never found one.

Jupiter should be shining bright and easy to spot next week. If you have a telescope, you should even be able to spot Callisto as she crosses Jupiter. Hopefully even I will be able to see Jupiter, if not her moon. The lights are so bright on the rigs I work on, its impossible to see all but the brightest stars most of the time. 🙁

Looks like we’ll have another chance to catch a meteor shower too. The Ursid shower probably won’t be anywhere near as good as the Geminid would have been, but it’s something to look forward to.

Next Saturday is the Winter Solstice too, so for all you Pagans out there, I hope you are able to throw some good parties!! 😉

Enjoy the show! Its FREE!! 🙂

6 Sky Events This Week: Leonids, Green Giant and a Stellar Snow Globe

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6 Sky Events This Week: Leonids, Green Giant and a Stellar Snow Globe – News Watch.

This weeks sky events from National Geographic. First of all, look out for the comet ISON. You should be able to spot it with a decent pair of binoculars in the constellation Virgo.

On the 14th, look for a ‘stellar snow globe’ next to Venus around the constellation Sagittarius.

Be sure to watch for the Leonid meteor shower on the night of the 17th. Best to check after the moon sets.

Something wonderful to see, easy and affordable way to spend an evening. Enjoy! 🙂

6 Sky Events This Week: Taurids, Lagoon, and Neptune

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6 Sky Events This Week: Taurids, Lagoon, and Neptune – News Watch.

I love watching the stars at night. I miss being able to see them clearly. Its just SO amazing sky watching from a ship at sea without all the light pollution we get at home.

Looks like the Taurids (meteors) will be the main thing to look for tonight. Venus and Cassiopeia should be bright and easy enough to spot, even with the lights of the city around and no need of a telescope.

I’ll be back at sea by Thursday but I don’t expect to be able to do much star gazing, there’s not much chance of a dark ship on a drilling rig (and we would not want that to happen!!!).

I’ll have to try and go sailing again when I get in from work. 😉

Best Stargazing Events of September 2013

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Best Stargazing Events of September 2013 (Sky Map Gallery) | Space.com.

This is pretty neat. I just found this. It gives you a run down on all the interesting things you can see in the night sky throughout the month of September. Tonight is the Harvest Moon. The 22nd is the equinox. It tells you where to look for the  planets,etc.

Be sure to flip through the slide show. 🙂

Watch Out for the Harvest Moon

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Watch Out for the Harvest Moon – NASA Science.

I knew about the Harvest Moon, but I didn’t know that every full moon had a special name. It’s almost time for the Harvest Moon, it’s coming up here (USA) the night of Sept 18-19.

I was out earlier this evening and looking at the moon. Took a few pictures. It was already up pretty high by the time I got out there. This should remind me to get out there earlier and try to get some good moon shots. 😉

It’s real hard to do out here with the motion and vibration. Maybe some of you can get some nice, clear shots. Best time is early, right around sunset. 😉