Astronomical

The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute in Groningen, The Netherlands, is seeking an ambitious, highly motivated applicant for a 4-year PhD bursary position in Star and Planet Formation to work on organic... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Andrea Thompson Staff Writer SPACE.com Images of a tsunami blasting its way through the sun’s lower atmosphere have been taken for the first time. NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft captured one of the massive solar waves in action May 19, 2007, as it moved through four layers of the solar atmosphere. These images and videos, released today, have helped astronomers [...]

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, at 50°5′13.23″N, 14°25′15.30″E. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction. The Orloj is composed of three main [...]

By now, you guys know that I have an interest in anything up in the sky. Here are some photos that will help give you a sense of scale. These are the planets closest to the Sun. Except for Pluto, which has recently been demoted as a planet and is the furthest from the Sun. The order goes Mercury, Venus, Earth, then Mars. The big boys, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, come next. As you can see, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Here’s how the planets compare in size to the Sun. Here’s how the Sun compares to some (relatively) nearby stars. Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky. It is more than 1000 light years away. The arrow pointing to a minuscule fleck is our sun. Just boggles my mind…

A Buyer's and User's Guide to Astronomical Telescopes & Binoculars (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series)By James MullaneyBoth beginning/novice amateur astronomers (at the level of Astronomy and Night Sky magazine readers), as well as more advanced amateur astronomers (level of Sky & Telescope) will find this book invaluable and fascinating. Amateur astronomers are always contemplating the "next telescope up" and this will point the way to the most suitable instrument to which they should aspire. Similarly, those who are buying their first telescope – and these days not necessarily a low-cost one – will be able to compare and contrast different types and makes. Jim Mullaney is an astronomy writer, lecturer and consultant who has published more than 500 articles and five books: he has also been an editor for Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, and Star & Sky magazines. One of the contributors to Carl Sagan’s award-winning Cosmos PBS-Television series, his work has receiv

י"ד באייר תשס"זHenceforth, I will observe [1] a witch's Fire Festivals (cross-quarter points), equinoxes and solstices according to their actual astronomical correspondences.For example, while Beltane (the Fire Festival marking the cross-quarter point between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice) is generally observed October 30/May 1, the actual astronomical midpoint between the vernal equinox and summer solstice is Saturday, May 5 at 4:08 pm in my time zone.Consequently, I am resetting Beltane observance to May 5 this year and will observe the Sabbat a second time in parallel with Shabbat.Footnote:[1] ritually as an individual; although as a witch within the greater community of witches, I will still mark it at the traditional timeTechnorati tags: beltane beltaine beltaen cross quarter days sabbats fire festivals

You expect controversy in politics. Every religious story comes served with intense debate. And you almost demand hullabaloo in sport. But controversy in science? Scientific controversies are actually quite common, and throughout history, within and outside the scientific community, battles have raged over many topics, from Galileo vs. the Catholic church over the motion of the planets, to Einstein not believing in quantum mechanics, and current debates over global warming, intelligent design and stem cell research. But the controversy that we are dealing with today is astronomical in size, yet deals with the runt of the litter. Whatever do we do with Pluto? A few months back, when we did a Mr Science show on Pluto, we all slept soundly in the knowledge that Pluto was a planet. But now things have changed, and Pluto has been demoted to a new class of heavenly body called a Dwarf Planet.