Subject: How to effectively stargaze from the city
How to effectively stargaze from the city
July 17th, 2014 at 10:39 am EDTHello Friend, There is nothing that quite beats observing from a dark sky. Having said that, I know of several people that do the majority of their stargazing from suburban skies. And the fact of the matter is, that you actually can see many objects, ...
Well, ain't this just dandy
July 15th, 2014 at 12:18 pm EDTHello Friend, You will recall in yesterday's email, I had mentioned the song 'Don't cry for me Argentina', which I creditedto Pop Star Madonna, who had a hit with it in the late 90's. Well, turns out that reader Caroline Lane, who seems to be quite k ...
Don't cry for me Argentina
July 14th, 2014 at 12:02 pm EDTHello Friend, The past few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for World cup soccer fans. Ups and downs, that left many fans shaking their heads in disbelief. Pop star Madonna, had a hit with the song "Don't cry for me Argentina" many years ago, b ...
Stargazing on Manitoulin Island: A dark sky preserve
July 11th, 2014 at 1:11 pm EDTHello Friend, Some of the best skies are in Ontario's north. And if you head North to Manitoulin Island (about 7 hours NW of Toronto), you will reach "Dark Sky Preserve"country. My buddy, Paul Beduhn, is the manager of Gordons Park, which is a dark s ...
One of the smartest amateur astronomers I ever met
July 9th, 2014 at 12:58 pm EDTHello Friend, Many an amateur astronomer started out years ago with a Tasco telescope. Tasco is generally a brand name maligned by amateur astronomers, and sometimes people do make fun of themand I myself had a 60mm Tasco Model 9-t as my second tele ...
The eyepiece is 50% of your telescope
July 8th, 2014 at 10:26 am EDTHello Friend, Sounds incredulous doesn't it? However, it's true. When I think back to the first Tasco refractor I used many years ago, and how difficult it was to use,what I remember most of all was struggling to look through the eyepiece. The basic ...
When Elvis met Richard M. Nixon; When two stars collided!
July 7th, 2014 at 2:23 pm EDTHello Friend, Some stories are hard to believe, and this is a true one. Back in 1970, the late singer Elvis Presley flew to Washington, DC with the intention of meetingthen President, "Tricky Dick", Richard M. Nixon. Presley checked into a hotel, and ...
Pluto is still a planet; Here's why
July 5th, 2014 at 1:00 pm EDTHello Friend, In the name of Clyde Tombaugh, I am here to report to you that Pluto is still indeed a planet. But wait you say: The astronomical union (a fine bunch of folks I'm sure), saw fit in 2006 to remove the planetary statusascribed to Pluto d ...
It's the Meade Lightbridge Clear Sky Special
July 4th, 2014 at 3:46 pm EDTHello Friend, Just in time for those hot, clear summer nights... The Meade LightBridge Sale! From July 1 to August 15, you can save up to $300 on the popular Meade LightBridge Truss Tube Dobsonians. They may be named LightBridge but they are defi ...
The dangers of aperture fever and a solution
July 3rd, 2014 at 1:32 pm EDTHello Friend, Most amateur astronomers at one time or another suffer from the dreaded aperture fever disease. I'll never forget the first time I had a look through the Meade 16" Lightbridge Dobsonian several yearsago at a star party in southern Ontar ...