Latest Astronomy Video!

Click on the image to go to the video on YouTube .

I’m delighted to share my latest video, “Tour of the Constellation Scorpius,” a 7-minute mini-film that will show you how, where, and when to look for this brilliant constellation.

Our view of Scorpius as we see it from Earth looks toward the very center of our own Milky Way Galaxy, in much the same way that an inward-looking view from a metropolis’s suburbs takes in the city’s downtown. Instead of the bright lights of big buildings, we have great numbers of fascinating nebula and star clusters—of several types—and an astonishing swath of stars from the galaxy itself.

The video will get you oriented and help you begin to understand the scale of what we’re really looking at out there, while taking you on a mini-tour of some of these objects—get ready for a great trip “downtown,” to the Milky Way!

October Skies 2018

Looking just west of south in Denver at 9:00 PM on October 15th. Telrad circles are included for scale; their center is about 30° above the horizon. Note that with 3rd- and 4th- magnitude stars in its outline, most of Capricornus will likely not be visible to the naked eye under city lights. –Object positions, constellation and meridian lines charted in SkySafari, and then enhanced. (Tap on image above for larger version.)

© Zachary Singer

Welllllll… We had a planet-rich summer, but many of the planetary observational opportunities are going away or will do soon. At the same time, we’re in a great position for deep-sky targets, with late-summer objects still in play, and winter targets, like Orion, becoming visible to observers in the wee hours. The earlier onset of night helps, too. Here’s what’s up for October: Continue reading “October Skies 2018”

July Skies 2018

July 2018 Skies as seen from Denver Colorado.
Viewing due south in Denver at 10:30 PM in mid-July. Note position of M19 (shown just right of center) slightly above the imaginary line that runs between 36 Ophiuchus and Sigma (σ) Scorpii. (Some labels use “Oph,” the standard abbreviation for Ophiuchus/Ophiuchi, for clarity.) –Object positions, constellation and meridian lines charted in SkySafari, and then enhanced. (Tap on image above for larger version.)

© Zachary Singer

The Solar System

The big news for July is that Mars comes to opposition on the 27thmeaning that it will be at its highest in the south on that date around 1 AM, and also Continue reading “July Skies 2018”