SkyWatch
Railroad Time
So. It’s simply amazing what astronomy will bring us to, don’t you think? Railroad time. “Think thou existence doth depend on Time?” On Mar 11, 2018 – Daylight Saving Time Started in the Pacific Northwest. Read more…
SkyWatch
The Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice – The Shortest Day The most popular of the ancient pagan celebrations was this, the birthday of the “Unconquered Sun”. An anniversary painlessly transferred in early Christian times to the birth of Read more…
SkyWatch
Black Holes In Space
There is much more to black holes than meets the eye. In fact, your eyes, even with the aid of the most advanced telescope, will never see a black hole in space. The reason is Read more…
SkyWatch
Destination Mars!
Destination Mars! The first weather report from Mars arrived on July 20, 1976. “Light winds from the East in the late afternoon, changing to light winds from the Southeast after midnight. Maximum winds15 m.p.h. Overnight Read more…
SkyWatch
A Brightly Lit Killing Field
A Brightly Lit Killing Field… One of the problems relating to light pollution is the ever-increasing number of space debris particles, any of which could wreak havoc on spacecraft and kill our astronauts, catch light, Read more…
Traditions and Lore
Designation of Noon and Midnight
Noon or Midnight? A question frequently asked is whether 12 AM and 12 PM should be used to denote noon and midnight, respectively, or vice versa. The answer is that these abbreviations should not be Read more…
SkyWatch
Light Pollution in the 21st Century
Light Pollution Hello Darkness, my old friend… Well, maybe. In most places. Because there’s so much light pollution and so little real darkness folks have forgotten what it’s like to see the night sky. Keeping Read more…
Traditions and Lore
Scrambled Time
Scrambled Time Back during WW1, the government decided that to keep the home front productive, and to save on fuel, clocks would be set back 1 hour in the Fall, and ahead 1 hour in Read more…
SkyWatch
Summer Begins
Summer Begins “Elf girls… dancing in shawls woven in mist… the floor had been washed with moonlight and the walls rubbed down with witches’ lard… The kitchen was crammed with frogs on the spit, snake-skins Read more…