December is the darkest month of the year. The winter solstice happens on Dec. 21, bringing with it the shortest day of the year and the longest night. From that date onward the days will slowly get longer. In December the night sky is spectacular. The brightest stars we see all year are in their […]
NAKED EYE
Naked Eye – Expect the Northern Lights show to continue
Have you been lucky enough to spot the Northern Lights this summer? Those curtain-shaped patterns of light are one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky, and officially they are known as the Aurora Borealis. Why did they suddenly become a happening thing this year? To answer that question we have to take […]
Naked Eye – The universe is pretty much lost in the dark
Looking up into a dark night sky like we have here in the Methow Valley, we can see thousands of stars. That view is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. In our own Milky Way galaxy there are hundreds of billions of stars, and there are hundreds of billions and even trillions […]
Naked Eye – August nights promise meteors and more
The near and the far. That is what the night skies have in store for us in August. Meteors are the closest astronomical phenomenon we get to see and almost the smallest. Slamming into our atmosphere at 70 times the speed of a bullet shot from a rifle, they have the potential to put on […]
Naked Eye – Make the most of the summer’s short nights
The days are long and the nights short. There is not much time for stargazing, but if you do find yourself out under the stars, there is plenty to see up there. The entire universe is yours to explore. If you can see low into the south, try to spot the constellation Sagittarius, the archer. […]
Naked Eye – A closer look at the sun (but not too close)
This year the summer solstice happens on June 21. If you were standing on the Arctic Circle with a clear view to the north, you would see the sun just touch the northern horizon at midnight. Farther north, the sun would not set at all. Here in the Northwest, the solstice brings us our longest […]
Naked Eye — Set your sights on May’s lunar eclipse
The big astronomical event for May is a total eclipse of the moon on the evening of the 15th. It will be the first of two lunar eclipses this year. An eclipse of the moon happens when the shadow of the earth falls on the moon. Yes, the earth has a shadow, and we actually […]
Naked Eye — Arcturus is a hot, bright option for spring viewing
Look up into the north one of these pleasant spring evenings and see if you can spot the Big Dipper riding high in the sky. Follow the arc of the Dipper’s handle to a bright orange-colored star in the east. That is Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the sky and a close neighbor […]
Naked Eye — Dark nights perfect for Zodiacal Light
Dust. It finds its way into our houses, coating every surface with its fine, gritty film. Clogging up our sinus cavities, it can bring on a sneeze at the most embarrassing moments. It makes our eyes water and our throats raspy. If you think there is too much dust here on earth, that is nothing […]
Naked Eye — Time travel to the origins of Orion
On a clear and dark mid-winter night, the most-striking thing up there in the sky is the constellation of Orion. It is easily the best-known star grouping in the heavens, and since it is straddling the celestial equator, there is no place on earth where it is not visible. With its bright, colorful stars, it […]
