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 11, 2017 | Astronomy, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Will the sky get dark enough during the eclipse for us to see other stars in the sky? During totality, yes! When the eclipse is total, the light that reaches us from the Sun is thousands of times dimmer than a partially eclipsed Sun. (This is why you should wear...
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 | Jun 23, 2016 | Astronomy, News, Observational Astronomy, Outreach
NASA and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have teamed up and have brought the world an initiative called SERVIR. Using satellite images of the Earth and other technology, SERVIR works with organizations in developing countries to forecast climate...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Feb 4, 2016 | Astronomy, News
A few weeks ago, Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin, distinguished researchers at Caltech, announced that there is probably another planet lurking in the outer realms of our solar system. Brown and Batygin were looking for an explanation for the alignment of the orbits...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jan 18, 2016 | Astronomy, News, Outreach, Research
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Kissimmee, Florida. I was able to meet several important astronomers as well as others who like me are applying for graduate school in astronomy. The convention provided...
