Mars will be glowing like an ember all night long in the December sky as we end 2022. It rises in the northeast at sunset, passes high across the southern sky, and sets in the northwest at sunrise. The Red Planet will be brighter than any star and almost as bright as...
Most people don’t like to make resolutions, but I actually look forward to them. In 2012, my resolution was to learn about the stars in the night sky. However, shortly after the flip of the calendar, I encountered my first obstacle–I bought a telescope.Now, you...
Our sister planet, Venus, is back in the evening skies of the Driftless! All planets have their season as they orbit around our sun at different speeds and wander in front of the fixed stars and constellations. Jupiter and Saturn will be easiest to spot in the summer...
A special astronomical event occurs on November 11 when Mercury passes across the face of the sun. You’ll need a solar telescope to protect your eyes and to magnify the planet, which will appear only about 1/200 the diameter of the sun. The transit starts at 6:35am...
My earliest memory of stargazing is with my mom on a fishing dock in northern Minnesota. We would have competitions to see who could find the first satellite and made wishes on shooting stars. We would lie for hours under the night sky. I didn’t know at that time how...
