One thing even the most pedestrian of telescopes should be able to show you is the rings of Saturn. In fact, given that the rings should become visible at about 12-14x magnification a good selection of Astronomy binoculars should let you view the rings and light pollution barely effects viewing at least the shape of […]
Its about this time of year that that the fine Constellation of Orion rises early enough that it can be viewed without having to stay up too late.
Orion is a favorite at Spectrum Scientifics for two reasons:
1) It is a feature-filled constellation that can actually be seen easily on a clear night, even in […]
Here’s hoping that Tropical Storm Hanna has made its way out of our area by Sunday, Sept. 7th because there is a great opportunity to see a double transit as the Galilean Moons cross in front of Jupiter. This is a great opportunity for urban astronomers as Jupiter is barely affected by light pollution.
Both the […]
OK, so we’ve been away for a week or so. Now it is time to play a bit of catch up.
First of all, the Perseid meteor shower is happening right now! Of course, you will need to wait until it is dark to see anything. You will probably need to get a little bit […]
Jupiter will be in opposition this evening, and should make for good viewing if the weather in your area allows for it.
Opposition is when a major planet is on the exact opposite side of the Earth than the sun. It is when planets are the closest to Earth for that year and usually means the […]
Over the next few days, especially on the East Coast, there will be a rare opportunity to view the International Space Station as it flies overhead. The station has the sun reflecting off it such that it will be very visible (Stellar Magnitude -2 to -1) even to the naked eye.
In fact, the naked eye […]
The sheer, overwhelming amount of light pollution from a city can lead many of its inhabitants to believe that there is no way they can view anything from urban areas. Its not just residents who feel this way, I’ve even talked expert astronomy authors who have told me that there was no reason to get […]
