I have always found that the hobby of astronomy is filled with unexpected surprises. Some are good and some are bad. Take for example the last full lunar eclipse. A quick setup is all-important because the moon will be rising in eclipse mode. The evening sky is full of cloud and there are little or …
Four hundred years ago (actually in 1609), Galileo gazed up into the night sky with a new invention called the telescope. He was the first person do this and to record his observations. Now, by today’s standards, it really was not much of a telescope. All the same, he observed and recorded an amazing amount …
Astronomy, the Yukon night skies, and non-stop springtime action go hand in hand. After having cloudy skies and the odd snowstorm dropping by to visit, we are finally getting a long deserved break. It all started on a frosty Tuesday evening, with the temperature hovering around -30 degrees Celsius, and a brisk north wind at …
Welcome to an exciting new year in astronomy that promises to be filled with fabulous cosmic events and happenings. The weather of late has been uncooperative at best, and just plain downright annoying the rest of the time. In Whitehorse we were washed out by clouds for the total lunar eclipse and a meteor shower. …
After a rather busy weekend down at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center for the Erik’s Main Event consumer electronics show, [what day are we on here?] we were unloading a large truck and as we looked up, there were the northern lights. While there are many avid aurora-watchers in the Yukon, I still find it …
Autumn is upon us and the Yukon night skies are at their best. If you head out early in the evening, you will see the summer constellations slowly sinking into the horizon. Alternately, if you stay up until just before sunrise, you’ll be able to see the winter constellations climbing over the horizon. Add in …
The Yukon night skies have been alive with planets playing tag with the moon. The last couple of weeks have presented a planetary show, including Mars, Venus and Jupiter in the evening hours, and Saturn in the early morning hours before sunrise. So let’s start with the brightest planet, Venus, which is at its greatest …
For most astronomers there is always the memory of that first, jaw-dropping, eye-popping, “I don’t believe this is real” experience at the eyepiece of a telescope. You even get the chance to hear the occasional, “Holy Smokes!” every once in a while at a star party, or a Saturday night at the local observing site. …
