Current Astronomy News

  • Asteroid Day – Sunday, June 30, 2024

    It’s almost upon us! No, it’s not an asteroid…It’s Asteroid Day! 66 million years ago, asteroid day wasn’t much fun for the dinosaurs. Just recently, ESA posted an article about two asteroids that will have a close encounter with the Earth in the next few days. Despite these warnings, the odds of one hitting us…

  • Happy Summer Solstice!

    Today, June 20th 2024 at 4:51 pm, is the Summer Solstice (during a Leap Year) and officially the beginning of Summer.

  • 2024 T Coronae Borealis Nova

    It might be coming soon to the night sky near you. Yes, it is the 2024 T Coronae Borealis Nova. No, we don’t expect a Supernova – these are massive explosions that occur when a large mass star explodes at the end of its life. We haven’t seen one of these in the Milky Way…

  • That’s a wrap! The April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse

    The April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse has come and gone. At our May meeting, several of our members regaled us with stories about their experiences chasing down this eclipse. Here are a few images taken by our members. Image Credits: Paul Jones, Wally Otti, Frank Westmorland, Sean Wood, Justin Nichols, and Bruce Gavett. We particularly…

  • A Planetary Lineup

    Update (June 19th): The folks from Sky & Telescope just published an article pointing out that a better lineup will be visible on the morning of June 29th. Get up early this month (June 2024) and look to the East. You will see a lineup of five or six planets. To be fair, you might…

  • Public Solar Observations This Summer

    During the summer scheduling observations of the night sky is somewhat problematic because of the long days and short nights. It just gets dark too late. But fear not! During the day the Sun is out and we at the Forsyth Astronomical Society will bring out our telescopes (with the appropriate solar filters) for some…

  • Black Hole Visualizations

    The folks at NASA’s Goddard Flight Center just published two interesting videos about black holes. “New NASA Black Hole Visualization Takes Viewers Beyond the Brink.” NASA. May 6, 2024. Evidently it is also Black Hole week. NASA has some more information. For even more on black holes, see our previous astronomy blogs.

  • Astronomical League Resources / Recursos de la Liga Astronómica

    The Astronomical League has just expanded its resource section (Night Sky Tools). You can find monthly maps of the night sky in both English and Spanish. See our Night Sky page for links to many of these charts. They also have several useful handouts, including an eight page introduction to stargazing and the night sky.…

  • The Spring Night Sky

    Winter is over and the leaves on the trees are starting to come out. The flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping. It’s still time to view the night sky before it gets dark too late during the summer. Here are some notes taken from two earlier FAS Astronomer Blogs. The Night Sky In…