Have you ever seen a star explode? Many of the stars we see in the night sky will explode at the end of their lives. Some more than once. The lives of stars are on a different time schedule than our lives, so I am guessing you have never seen one. I have seen two […]
NAKED EYE
Naked Eye – Stand under a brilliant meteor shower in August
August is meteor shower month and if the skies are not smoky, we should have a good show. Every year, the earth in its orbit around the sun passes through a stream of debris in our solar system left over from a disintegrating comet. Some of these bits and pieces hit our atmosphere and quickly […]
Naked Eye – The Northern Cross has stories to tell
One of these fine summer evenings, go outside and see if you can spot the Northern Cross. It is rather easy to find because it actually looks like it is supposed to. It will be high up in the east with the bright star Deneb at its head. Look for a short cross-piece, and the […]
Naked Eye – The sun is the megastar of our lives
On June 20, the earth reaches the point on its orbit around the sun called the Summer Solstice, when the northern hemisphere is tilted closely toward the sun. For us living in in the northern regions, we get to enjoy the long days and warm temperatures. The sun, our very own personal star, has got […]
Naked Eye – Bear with us as spring arrives in the night skies
The coming of spring brings many changes to our beautiful valley. Changes also are happening in the night sky as well. Why? As the earth cruises along in its orbit, we get a different view of the stars out in the cosmos. The brilliant stars of winter are riding off into the sunset and new […]
Naked Eye – Northwest will only get a glimpse of the eclipse
Monday, April 8, is eclipse day, and if you do not know that, you must be living in a cave high up in some remote mountains somewhere. This is the second cross-country eclipse after the one in the summer of 2017. To see it in its full glory you will have to drive out of […]
Naked Eye – Find a stellar cast in the southern sky
Many of the brightest stars that we see all year are in their glory high in the southern sky as soon as it gets dark. Make some time to go out and appreciate them before they ride off into a spring sunset. Here are a few things you might see up there. • The Armpit […]
Naked Eye – Pondering Fermi’s universal question
Have you ever stood out under a dark night sky filled with seemingly millions of stars and wondered if there is anyone else up there? Perhaps other beings not too different from you looking our way and wondering the same thing? You are not alone in your wonderings. In the summer of 1950, the famous […]
Naked Eye – What’s the real story of the Christmas Star?
One of the most important themes of Christmas is the Star of Bethlehem or the Christmas Star. No Christmas tree is without it shining from the very top. The Christmas story found in the Bible talks about “three wise men from the East” who followed the star to witness the birth of Jesus. What was […]
Naked Eye – Can you name that star (or moon)?
Everyone loves to spend a little time out under that dome of stars on a sparkling clear winter night. Wouldn’t it be cool if you knew the names of at least some of the stars up there? Impress your friends or your grandkids with some of the more obscure characters that inhabit the night sky. […]
