Monthly Archives: June 2008

Back in April we looked at the sky’s most famous double star, the pair of Mizar and Alcor in the bend of the Big Dipper’s Handle. They’re still out and make a good place to start for some summer star splitting. … Continue reading →

Imagine what the sky would look like with the Earth out of the way. If you were an astronaut, say, somewhere between the Earth and moon, it would be easy. Since most of us have to remain on the planet, … Continue reading →

Crepuscular rays from the low, evening sun last week over Rice Lake Township — Bob King/Duluth News Tribune We’ve all seen them — those rays of sunlight or moonlight bursting through openings in the clouds. They look positively heavenly. They’re called … Continue reading →

Fireflies swoop and swerve beneath the beacon of Jupiter last night June 25. Photo taken with a 28mm lens at f/2.8, ISO 1600, 1-minute time exposure. — Bob King/Duluth News Tribune Wow, the fireflies were spectacular last night. I had … Continue reading →

When my daughters were younger, one of their favorite books was about a hunt to find a bear in his cave called We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. To get there you had to surmount obstacles like muddy ground, a … Continue reading →

Small telescope view of Jupiter’s moons. The biggest and brightest moon, Ganymede, lies to the right or west of the planet tonight June 24. Jupiter is the brilliant "star" low in the southeast from 11 o’clock on. A pair of steadily-held binoculars … Continue reading →

Many years ago I was hiking in the Sonoran desert in southern Arizona. I love bare rock and the plants and animals that tough it out in arid climates. It was extremely hot that afternoon so I sought shade. A shadow created by … Continue reading →

My shoes are still damp this morning from wandering around the yard last night looking for a good spot to set up my tripod. Early on I wanted to photograph the two Iridium satellite flares. Jupiter beckoned later, and inspired me to … Continue reading →

Duck on its feet — Photo by Ian Britton/Freephotos.com "It looks like a duck’s foot," my older daughter remarked after I pointed out the Head of the Scorpion to her the other night. And she was right. I’d never seen … Continue reading →

Small lumps of ice in the lower left corner of the trench (left image) taken on June 15have disappeared by June 19 (right). There are other more subtle changes in the white material, likely ice, at top. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of … Continue reading →