There are two February constellations that I want to highlight this month – Canis Major and Gemini. The winter constellation star chart above will be our guide.
February Constellations With Star Chart
Remembering the Challenger Shuttle Explosion: A Disaster 25 Years Ago
25 years ago today, one of the most tragic events in the history of the United States space program occurred. The Space Shuttle Challenger, on what would have been its 10th mission to space, broke apart 73 seconds after takeoff, ending the mission and the lives of those aboard. But what exactly caused the space shuttle to explode?
Sun Dogs or Phantom Sun Photos
I took this picture of some Sun Dogs a couple of months ago. Sun Dogs or Phantom Suns are bright spots in the sky often seen beside the sun, usually when the sun is low in the sky. As you can see in the photo, the sun was close to setting.
Mercury The First Planet
Mercury is the first planet and I would say the planet that is most often ignored. Is it because it looks like the Moon? Are we only interested in planets with atmospheres (like Venus or Saturn) rather than rocky objects littered with hundreds of thousands of craters?
Crepuscular Rays Photo
Crepuscular rays are columns of sunlit air that have been separated by shadows. Sunlight scattered by dust in the atmosphere makes these rays visible. The shadows in the picture I took were caused by thunderstorms that were lingering on the horizon, but shadows can be caused by many things including trees, windows, or mountains.