Astronomy – Page 9 – The Garden Astronomer

August Nights Under the Perseid Meteor Shower

Childhood memories and ancient starlight meet under the vast Colorado sky.

61 Ophiuchi: A Nicely Resolvable Binary Star in Ophiuchus

The constellation Ophiuchus features the binary star 61 Ophiuchi, a bright pair visible through small telescopes. Discovered by Herschel in 1781, it is cataloged as STF 2202. The stars, classified as hot and white, exhibit an angular separation of 20.7 arcseconds, making them accessible and visually appealing to amateur astronomers. Also known as 61 Oph, Struve 2202, STF 2202, SAO 122690, HD 161270, HR 6609, HIP 86831

Lenses of Legacy: Great Telescopes that Opened Our Eyes to the Heavens

Follow a lifetime of stargazing through ten historic telescopes, from Galileo’s first refractor to the Hale, that reshaped our vision of the universe.

NGC 253: A Starburst Galaxy in Sculptor

The Silver Coin Galaxy, or NGC 253, located 11.4 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor, is a prominent starburst galaxy notable for its intense star formation. Discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783, it captivates astronomers and stargazers alike, showcasing dynamic stellar activity and vibrant colors through advanced imaging techniques.

A Hole in the Desert: My Trip to the Barringer Crater

Journey to Arizona’s Barringer Crater to trace the impact of a 50,000-year-old meteorite and explore the raw, ancient power of a cosmic collision.

NGC 2419: The Intergalactic Wanderer in Lynx

NGC 2419, known as The Intergalactic Wanderer, captivates with its extraordinary isolation, sitting 300,000 light-years from the Milky Way yet still bound to it. This magnificent cluster, containing hundreds of thousands of stars, may even be remnants of a lost dwarf galaxy, a testament to the universe’s boundless beauty and mystery.

23 Ursae Majoris: A Stellar Duo in The Great Bear

Ursa Major is a familiar sight in the northern night sky, home to the easily recognizable Big Dipper. While the stars of the Dipper often steal the show, the constellation is filled with other fascinating celestial objects, including one of my favorite galaxies, M51. Amongst all these significant objects is the binary star system 23ContinueContinue reading “23 Ursae Majoris: A Stellar Duo in The Great Bear”

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Graces Autumn Skies

This comet, first discovered by astronomers from the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China and the ATLAS survey in Hawaii, promised to be one of the brightest comets since Neowise. And sure enough, it actually got a little brighter than Neowise.