August Gateway to the Stars: The Milky Way
This month’s installment of “Gateway to the Stars” in the Hansen Dome Theatre will feature our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Under clear dark skies, August is one of the best times of year to see it. It...
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Sunrise at Mesa Arch
About 5 years ago, I captured this image in the morning after a good snow storm. I was alone because no one else was stupid enough to drive all night through the storm to get there. You’ll notice the...
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The Milky Way over Corona Arch & Mesa Arch
During my trip to the Moab and Canyonlands area, my hope was to capture the Milky Way over both Corona Arch and Mesa Arch while using the moonlight from a waning crescent moon to illuminate the canyon...
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“Gateway to the Stars” September 3
Our “Gateway to the Stars” show for September will feature numerous objects to see in and around the Milky Way. Summer may be coming to an end on the calendar, but the summer stars will continue to...
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False Kiva Milky Way
After departing Mesa Arch, I arrived at a parking area near the beginning of the path to False Kiva. I surmised that a quick hike to the Kiva would just give me enough time to set up and get aligned....
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Gateway to the Stars May 5 – Galaxies!
This month’s performance of Gateway to the Stars will feature some of the grandest objects in the universe – the “galaxies”! For centuries, our Milky Way Galaxy was thought to house all of the...
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Gateway to the Stars July 7: Scorpius!
We are finally at the time of year when the Milky Way starts to make its return. With the sun setting so late, the sky doesn’t get completely dark until 10:30 pm or so. But when it does, and if viewing...
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Gateway to the Stars September 1st: Star Clusters Galore!
The late summer is an awesome time for star gazing. The skies are typically clear, dry and warm – perfect conditions for seeing many a deep sky wonders. Right at the end of evening twilight, the summer...
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Cool Factoid About Galaxies
In his Bad Astronomy blog post today, Phil Plait describes a new and exciting explanation for why spiral galaxies get all spirally. It’s a good article and of course I think you should read it. BUT...
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Gateway to the Stars July 6: Summer Stargazing!
As we approach the heart of the summer season, we reach an excellent time to see the best features of the seasonal night sky. Star clusters, nebulae, the Milky Way, meteor showers and much more await...
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Gateway to the Stars Aug 3: The Barnyard Portion of the Sky!
The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula the Fox, one of the “Barnyard” constellations One of the best guideposts in the summer sky is “The Summer Triangle,” a large triangle of three bright stars. Vega, Deneb...
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Gateway to the Stars Sept 7 – The Milky Way at its Prime!
Even binoculars are great for scanning the Milky Way! This is the time of year for enjoying the Milky Way and all it has to offer for binoculars and telescopes. The Summer Milky Way is brighter and...
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Gateway to the Stars Oct 5 – Guideposts to the Sky
As we move into autumn, the “Summer Triangle” of stars will start in the western side of the sky as new stars like the “Great Square of Pegasus” climb higher into the east. These are large groups of...
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“Gateway to the Stars” July 5: What’s In The Summer Sky?
The summer night skies hold many astronomical treasures, and the warmer weather makes it more comfortable to observe them for longer periods of time. Star clusters, nebulae, the Milky Way, planets,...
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“Gateway to the Stars” Aug. 2: Star Hopping with The Summer Triangle
One of the best guideposts in the summer sky is “The Summer Triangle,” a large triangle of three bright stars almost directly overhead. Vega, Deneb and Altair each represent the “alpha” bright star in...
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“Gateway to the Stars” Sept 6 – Enjoy the Milky Way!
Binoculars are great for exploring the Milky Way This is the time of year for exploring the Milky Way and all it has to offer for binoculars and telescopes. The Summer Milky Way is brighter and wider...
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“Night Vision” Jan 31: The Glorious Galaxies
On Saturday, January 31 we’ll take a special journey in the Hansen Dome Theatre to the largest entities in the universe: the galaxies. An artist’s rendition of what our Milky Way Galaxy would look like...
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Gateway to the Stars August 2015: Prime-time for the Milky Way
In this month’s Gateway to the Stars, we bring the Milky Way into its much-deserved limelight. Personally, the summertime appearance of the Milky Way’s central core is the most breathtaking thing I’ve...
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