The Backyard Astronomer

Meteor Shower Alert!!

August brings one of the years best meteor showers: The Perseids. Astronomers are predicting 100-160 per hour during the peak tonight between 1am and 5am looking Northwest. You don't wanna miss this one!!

Happy Observing!!

200 Meteors Per Hour Set to Streak Across the Sky Tonight: How to Watch Perseid Shower The Perseid Meteor Shower is set to reach its peak early Friday morning when as many as 200 meteors per hour are expected to streak across the night sky.

Nasa has announced the discovery of WATER on Mars. This could change everything!

A visual guide to water on Mars Nasa has announced the discovery of long rivulet-like streaks on the cliffs and crater walls of Mars, saying they are evidence of flowing water in the present day

Super Blood Moon - Sunday September 27th

Super moons are rare events that occur when a full moon is at its closest distance to Earth, making it appear up to 14% larger than a typical full moon. But what makes this Super moon rarer than the rest, is that it is occurring during a lunar eclipse! The last time a Super moon occurred at the same time as a lunar eclipse was in 1982. If you miss this one on September 27th, your next chance won't come until 2033! The Total Eclipse will begin around 10:11 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) and will last about an hour. Don't miss your chance to see the Super Blood Moon!

Happy Observing!

Meteor Shower Alert!!
Go outside tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday between dusk and dawn to see one of the years best meteor showers! The Perseids could bring anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors per hour, looking Northeast. Like all meteor shower events, choose an area with minimal light pollution. Don't miss this one!! Happy Observing!

A phenomenal Perseid meteor shower peaks this week — here’s how to watch This year's Perseids won't compete with moon light, which means the sky will be nice and dark for meteor viewing.

In January 2006, NASA'S New Horizons Spacecraft left for Pluto. 9 and a half years later, we are days away from seeing the first ever close up photos of . Stay tuned in to the Backyard Astronomer for more updates!

Almost Time for Pluto’s Close-Up In a few days, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will zip past the former ninth planet, the first up-close look of the icy world in the outer solar system.

Bright Planets Dance
A galactic collision? A joining star? Nope! Go outside tonight to see Venus and Jupiter dance and appear within 1° of each other. The brightest of the two is Venus. This is one of the best planet conjunction series for these two bright planets in over a decade. Go out and observe the beauty of the sky! Happy Observing!

April 4th there is a Lunur Eclipse! East of the Mississippi can see a partial eclipse, whereas the West coast can see a total eclipse! Check post for details. Happy Observing!

Catch a quick lunar eclipse | Astronomy.com The April 4 total lunar eclipse provides observers from the United States across the Pacific the shortest glimpse at totality in the 21st century.

Anyone experiencing bad service or loss of GPS signal? Astronomers are surprised by the severity of this storm. Forecasters predicted a level 1 storm, this one, was a level 5. Read for more info!

Heads up! Severe solar storm that is hitting Earth with a surprisingly big geomagnetic jolt could push northern lights as far south as the mid-US: http://abcn.ws/1Eo9zKi

Just another example of how small our planet is compared to the universe!

Gigapixels of Andromeda [4K] First & Last photo by Cory Poole: https://www.facebook.com/CoryPoolePhotography Super-high resolution image of Andromeda from Hubble (NASA/ESA): http://www.s...

It's been a great year for space! What will next year hold?

Best Space Pictures of 2014: A Year's Delights Courtesy of Starry Nights Of the 350 breathtaking space photos we published in 2014, here are our picks for the 12 best of the year.

METEOR SHOWER UPDATE

Everyone keep their eyes peeled for tonight's Geminid meteor shower. Peak expected to reach up to 100 meteors per hour around 2AM, looking South. Too cloudy where you live? Don't worry! Catch NASA's webchat!

Happy Meteor watching!
- The Backyard Astronomer

Stop what you're doing and listen to these Space Sounds!! My favorite is #2! What's your favorite?

Space Nerds Rejoice! Here Are The 15 Most Interesting Sounds Of NASA Last month, NASA started their very own Soundcloud page, which includes everything from real mission audio, to recordings of rocket sounds, to transmissions from the far planets in our solar system...

We are only a speck of dust compared to the rest of the universe! This is a MUST see!

26 Pictures Will Make You Reevaluate Your Entire Existence The universe, man... THE UNIVERSE.

Partial Solar Eclipse October 23rd

There will be a Partial Solar Eclipse visible on October 23rd for most of the United States. This phenomenon occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth. Eclipse conditions are favorable for Canada, Mexico, and the lower 48 states. East coast observers will have a small time frame for viewing, around 6 p.m, since the Sun will be setting during this time. West coast observers will have the best view, around 2 p.m, when the Sun is high in the sky. If observing the eclipse, remember to never stare directly at the Sun, and to use solar filters instead. Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer

Missed the Eclipse this morning? Don't worry, here is what it looked like!

Western Carolina University News A Western Carolina University astronomer will host a “star party” at the Jackson County Airport on Wednesday, Oct. 8, to give the public a chance to observe a total lunar eclipse.

Total Lunar Eclipse Alert!

If you are an earlier riser, make sure you catch the Eclipsed Moon on October 8th. The eclipse’s partial phases start at 5:15 a.m, with totality beginning at 6:25 a.m. Don't miss this special event! Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer

The Milky Way is home to over 300 billion stars, but we can only see about 2,000, depending on the location. Feeling small? Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has obtained its first observations of the extended upper atmosphere surrounding Mars. The image shows the planet from an altitude of 22,700 miles (36,500 kilometers) in three ultraviolet wavelength bands.The oxygen gas is held close to the planet by Mars’ gravity, while lighter hydrogen gas is present to higher altitudes and extends past the edges of the image. These gases derive from the breakdown of water and carbon dioxide in Mars’ atmosphere. Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer

Have you noticed those two bright orange objects in the sky after the sun goes down? What about that bright object next to the tiny waxing crescent moon? You are actually observing the red planet Mars, the star Antares in Scorpius, and the planet Saturn. This is what they will all look like on September 27th. Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer

Happy Fall Equinox!

Autumnal Equinox 2014: Facts About the First Day of Fall Farewell, summer: The Northern Hemisphere's autumnal equinox—the first day of fall—occurs Monday, September 22.

Did you know that the Sun makes up 99.86% of the entire Solar System?

Check out this picture of the "lava lights" from the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland and the famous Northern Lights. Great stuff!

Why Do We Only See One Side of the Moon?

The Moon spins on its axis, just as Earth does. However, the rate of its spin is the same speed as its orbit around Earth, creating a synchronous rotation or tidal locking. Simply meaning that Earth will only see one side of the Moon, the near side. So here is what the far side of the moon looks like. Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer

You see those two bright objects (looking Southwest) that are perfectly aligned? They are the planets Mars, and Saturn. Saturn is on the top, and Mars is on the bottom. This is how they will be aligned in a couple of days. Happy Observing! - The Backyard Astronomer