Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Jupiter racing toward opposition on November 2-3, 2023

Jupiter will reach opposition on November 2-3, 2023, when Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter. It'll be closest to Earth on November 1-2, 2023.

Visible planets and night sky for October

Castor and Pollux will appear as triplets Saturday morning, when the moon joins them. Star Procyon will also be nearby. Visible planets and night sky, here!

Draconid meteor shower 2023: All you need to know

In 2023, the Draconid meteor shower - also called the Giacobinids - will probably produce the most meteors on the evening of October 8.

Confirmed! BlueWalker 3 satellite outshines 99% of stars

A new study - published in Nature on October 2, 2023 - confirmed that AST SpaceMobile's satellite BlueWalker 3 does outshine 99% of the stars.

Gamma Cephei, aka Errai, a future North Star

Gamma Cephei - or Errai - is a binary star system that will one day be Earth’s North Star. It's home to the 1st exoplanet ever discovered.

Ways to watch the solar eclipse safely on October 14

Some tips for observing the sun safely during the October 14 solar eclipse, plus videos and links, here. You can observe sunspots safely as well.

Aurora season: Why more auroras at equinoxes?

An aurora season occurs in October and March each year, due to the way the magnetic fields of the sun and the Earth work in conjunction with sun-Earth geometry.

Mars in 2023: Mars is too close to the sun to see now

Mars is no longer visible in our night sky. It is too close to the sun to see for the rest of 2023. It'll return in January 2024 as a light in our morning sky.

A Dyson sphere harvests the energy of stars

A Dyson sphere is a megastructure that could theoretically harvest all the energy of a star and supply an advanced alien civilization.

September full moon 2023 is a super Harvest Moon

The September full moon - the Harvest Moon supermoon - happens overnight on September 28-29, 2023. This full moon lies between Jupiter and Saturn.