by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 25, 2017 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
To scale or not to scale, that is the question; Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of disproportions Or to take a ruler to that sea of troubles And, by measuring, correctly depict them. … ...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 24, 2017 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Looking at the Sun is usually a bad idea. Over the weekend I chatted with an optometrist, and he made it clear that permanent damage can be done to your eyes even if you don’t feel any pain. Safe ways to observe the solar eclipse include making a pinhole...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 8, 2017 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Oh wow! This August 21, the Moon’s shadow, a mere 60 to 70 miles wide, will flee across the United States in a reverse-Oregon-trail and continue through Charleston, South Carolina. If you are in the path of totality for this solar eclipse, you’ll see the...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Nov 26, 2015 | Astronomy, Basics, Observational Astronomy
When the Earth spins on its axis, the 360-degree turn is not actually what we normally call a day. That would be considered a sidereal day, that is, a day according to the distant (“fixed”) stars (the genitive singular form of “star” in Latin...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Sep 29, 2015 | Astronomy, Basics
Here are two simple explanations: 1. For anyone: The atmosphere is like an obstacle course for light from the Sun, and light that hits any obstacle bounces off in a random direction. Blue light tries to pass through a lot more obstacles, whereas light of other colors...
