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Week of Nov. 15-21, 2009
There are few sights more beautiful than the glistening stars and planets on a clear, dark rural night. But just where do all those heavenly bodies go during the daytime? And why can't we see them when the sky is bright?
As I'm sure you already know,…Read more.
Week of Nov. 8-14, 2009
Anyone who has ever gazed at a dark sky for more than a few minutes has almost certainly seen a burst of light appearing out of nowhere that disappears just as quickly.
We call such a startling phenomenon romantic names like a "falling …Read more.
Week of Nov. 1-7, 2009
Now that autumn is firmly set into place, I've been sorting through my closet in search of warmer clothing to get me through the winter. I don't know why it is, but I always seem to find one fewer coat hanger than there are pieces of clothing in the …Read more.
Week of Oct. 25 - 31, 2009
It's known as Algol, the Demon Star, and it shines diabolically in our sky each year as Halloween approaches.
To find it, go outdoors in the evening and look low toward the northeast. The accompanying sky map should help you locate it. After it …Read more.
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Week of May 17-23, 2009A virtual planet fest occurs in the sky this week, but to see it you'll need to set your alarm pretty early. About 1 1/2 hours before sunrise, step outdoors and five planets will lie above your head. Two are very bright; two are quite faint. And one is so-so. The brightest is Venus, low in the east. Right now, Venus glistens about as radiantly as ever, with its white cloud cover reflecting nearly two-thirds of all sunlight that reaches it. Aim a small telescope at Venus and you might be surprised to see a thick crescent not unlike that of the moon just before it reaches its first quarter phase. Venus orbits the sun and, consequently, reflects sunlight from different angles along the way. Below Venus, much closer to the horizon before daybreak this week, lies the much fainter Red Planet, Mars. Now about as distant from us as it ever gets, Mars is not well-situated to view with a small telescope right now. The other very bright planet in the morning sky this week shines high in the southeast. It certainly can't compete with Venus, but the giant planet Jupiter is still quite impressive. Two more planets now lie in the early morning sky, but these are quite faint. The planet Uranus lies nearly midway between Venus and Jupiter, but finding it will be a challenge. You'll need binoculars and a star map — at least until mid-September, when it'll become faintly visible to the unaided eye. The faintest of all planets presently appears quite close to Jupiter. In fact, on the morning of May 25, Neptune will lie less than one-half degree north of the Giant Planet. To see it, however, you'll need to aim a small telescope in this direction. When you do, not only will you get a nice view of Jupiter and its four Galilean moons, but just to its north you'll spot the tiny and faint blue-green disk of Neptune — the solar system's most distant planet — 2.7 billion miles away. That's quite a bit of celestial traveling before leaving for work or school! To find out more about Dennis Mammana and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC. 
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