Get ready for a stellar night, literally.  Tonight’s full moon will be the biggest and brightest one of 2010.
The moon is usually, on average, about 238,855 miles away from the Earth, but it’s important to note that its orbit around our planet is an ellipse, not a perfect circle. One side of that orbit [...]

Continue reading " Friday’s Wolf Moon Will be Biggest of 2010 "

The Leonid Meteor Shower 2009 is here.  The annual spectacle can be seen November 13-20, but the peak of meteoric activity will occur on Tuesday morning, November 17, 2009.
The best time to spot meteors will be after 1:30 a.m. EST and prior to sunrise.
This year, the view should be spectacular as the moon won’t be [...]

Continue reading " Leonid Meteor Shower 2009 to Peak on November 17 "

The Orionid Meteor Shower 2009 is about to hit its annual peak.
Every October as the Earth orbits the Sun, it navigates through an area containing dust and rock particles left behind by Halley’s comet. As these minute particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere they burn up, producing bright streaks of light.
The meteors seem to originate [...]

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NASA recently did an overhaul on the Hubble Telescope. The new Hubble photos that were released today are absolutely stellar, literally.
NASA invested nearly one billion dollars to give the Hubble a facelift. It appears that it was money well spent.
Last May, NASA commissioned a team of scientists to perform some celestial repair procedures on [...]

Continue reading " New Hubble Photos Are Stellar "

Planets usually orbit their parents stars in the same direction that those stars rotate. In fact, all planets do this, except for one.
A newly discovered planet orbits in the opposite direction. It orbits backward when compared to the rotation of its parent sun. What created the backward orbit is unknown, although researchers believe a [...]

Continue reading " WASP-17: New Planet Orbits Backward "

The Perseid Meteor Shower 2009 is set to put on a spectacular show tonight and early tomorrow morning, for those who might be willing to venture outdoors during the very early morning hours.
In the United States, the best time to catch the show will be between 12am and 5am EDT on [...]

Continue reading " Perseid Meteor Shower 2009 Should Be Strong "

Get  your cameras and telescopes ready.  Tonight in the United States, there will be a lunar eclipse: August 5, 2009.
The eclipse will occur at 13 degrees of Aquarius at 8:55pm EDT.  Here on the east coast, this lunar eclipse will take place shortly after sunset with the moon looming over the horizon.
This is a unique [...]

Continue reading " Lunar Eclipse: August 5 2009 "

Tonight marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those of us in North America.
Comet Lulin – a weird, backward-traveling comet – will make its closest approach to Earth this evening.
Although it will be 38 million miles away, it should still be visible with the naked eye if it’s dark enough where you live.  If not, you [...]

Continue reading " Comet Lulin Passes by Earth Tonight "