Celestial News: A Great Year for the Perseids

August 4, 2010

By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat

This bright Perseid meteor, or shooting star, was one of dozens that shot across the sky over Stagecoach, Colorado the morning of August 12, 2009. All Perseid meteors are bits of space dust shed by Comet Swift-Tuttle, last seen in 1992 and not due back until 2126. Alert observers might see 60 Perseid meteors per hour on the mornings of August 12 and August 13 this year. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2009.The annual Perseid meteor shower is now underway and is expected to peak on Thursday August 12.  While some meteor showers can disappoint because of slower than expected activity, the Perseid meteor shower is the “old faithful” of meteor showers because it dependably produces 50-60 meteors per hour at its peak. Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: The Milky Way Shines Bright

July 28, 2010

The misty star clouds of the Milky Way arch across the late summer sky, as seen in this image taken from Stagecoach, Colorado in June 2009. The bright clouds are made of countless stars seen far in the distance. The dark clouds are real clouds of interstellar dust that block the light of the stars beyond. The "X" marks the direction to the center of the Milky Way. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2009.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat

When the bright moon is not in the sky, the dark summer night reveals one of its most spectacular treasures, the soft, misty glow of the Via Lactea, or, the Milky Way.   Contrary to what the ancient Romans believed, the Milky Way is not made of milk at all, but is the combined light of billions of distant suns, unresolved by the unaided eye.  Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: Season of the Scorpion

July 21, 2010

The prominent fishhook-shaped pattern of Scorpius the Scorpion is easy to spot in our southern sky on July evenings. Shown here between the giant telescope domes atop Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano, Scorpius is also known in Hawaiian culture as Maui's Fishhook. The red giant star Antares marks the heart of the Scorpion. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2010.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

There aren’t many constellations that resemble the objects or creatures for which they are named.  Scorpius, the Scorpion, is a delightful example of one that does.  The celestial scorpion scampers across our southern sky on summer evenings, so this month is prime time for scorpion hunting. Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: July’s Parade of Planets

July 2, 2010

The planets Venus, Mars, and Saturn, together with the bright stars Regulus and Spica, were all joined by a bright gibbous moon on the evening of June 20. This "Parade of Planets" will continue through the month of July in our early evening sky. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2010.Don’t be alarmed if you are sunbathing on a South Pacific isle this coming July 11 when suddenly the Sun disappears and the stars pop out at midday.  It’s just a total eclipse of the Sun.  Many of the islands in the South Pacific will experience about five minutes of the rare darkness produced as the shadow of the Moon races across the surface of the Earth at nearly 1000 miles per hour. Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: Partial Lunar Eclipse Visible Saturday

June 25, 2010

Early risers on Saturday morning June 26 will be treated to a partial eclipse of the Moon. The eclipse happens for Coloradans during morning twilight, beginning at 4:17 AM MDT and culminating just as the Moon sets at 5:39 AM. The scene might resemble this image of the partially eclipsed Moon rising at dusk on May 15, 2004. The Moon will be totally eclipsed for all of North America on December 21, 2010. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2004.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

As the Earth and Moon perform their perpetual orbital dance, sometimes their shadows are thrown onto each other creating an event called an eclipse.  Our word eclipse is derived from the Greek word ekleipsis, which means “to abandon.”  Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: The 13th Constellation of the Zodiac

June 16, 2010

The bright star Rasalhague marks the head of Ophiuchus, the mythological witch doctor. Look for him holding his pet snake high in the southeastern sky around 10:00 PM this month, hovering over the stars of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2010.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

If you are an Ophiuchan, please raise your hand.  Hmmm… I’m not seeing any hands out there.  Perhaps you are an Ophiuchan and you don’t know it.  Please allow me to explain. Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: June Sky Highlights

June 9, 2010

When the full Moon sets at dawn on the morning of June 26, half of it will be engulfed in the shadow of the Earth. The scene will resemble this image of the partially eclipsed Moon rising at dusk on May 15, 2003. The Moon will be totally eclipsed for Colorado this coming December 21. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2003.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

Warm June evenings are perfect for stargazing and the upcoming month offers plenty of celestial events to keep you busy looking up.  Whether you are camping out under the stars or viewing from your back porch, you won’t want to miss these events. Read the rest of this entry »


Celestial News: Three Leaps of the Gazelle

May 26, 2010

If you can locate the Big Dipper, then you can find the "Three Leaps of the Gazelle" nearby. Look high in the western sky around 9:30 PM during late May. Photo by Jimmy Westlake 2007.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

I love star lore.  The legends and stories attached to the stars carry us back centuries or even millennia and tell us not only about the stars, but also about the stargazers of old.

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Celestial News: Libra – Misfit of the Zodiac

May 21, 2010

Look for the misfit constellation of Libra the Scales high in the southeastern sky around 10 PM in mid-May. It sits about halfway between the two bright stars Spica, to the west, and Antares, to the east. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2010.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

In the course of one year, the Sun makes a 360º circuit of the sky, passing through twelve different constellations that form a band around the sky called the zodiac.  Zodiac is a word that literally means “the circle of animals.”  It contains the familiar constellations of Aries the Ram, Taurus, the Bull, Gemini the Twins, Cancer the Crab, Leo the Lion, Virgo the Virgin, Libra the Scales, Scorpius the Scorpion, Sagittarius the Archer, Capricornus the Sea Goat, Aquarius the Water Carrier, and Pisces the Fish.

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Celestial News: Why the Crow Is Black

May 17, 2010

Look for the stars of Corvus the Crow and Crater the Cup in the southern sky around 10 PM this month. The kite-shaped pattern of Corvus is easy to spot. Photo by Jimmy Westlake, 2007.By Jimmy Westlake, professor of physical science, Alpine Campus

Winging his way across our springtime sky is a delightful little constellation named Corvus, the Crow.  The four main stars of Corvus form an unmistakable kite-shaped pattern located one-third of the way up in our southern sky around 10:00 PM in mid-May.  Its distinctive pattern makes Corvus easy to spot.

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