Star Party "Astrofilisiciliani.org" July 4, 2008 from Madonie Mountains (Sicily-Italy)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Mars will NOT be as big as the Moon... E-mail hoaks
Image represents about 4 am CST from San Antonio, Texas looking West on Jan. 29th.
No the planet Mars will not be as big as the moon. You'd be amazed at how many times people at public star parties come up to me and say with complete confidence that Mars will be as large, as close as the moon. I don't know who started this rumor but I've been hearing that line from the general public at star parties for years. On January 29, 2009 Mars will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars. But sorry is isn't going to be as big as the moon in the sky.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Fly above the Moon!
This video is a 3-dimensional topography where Hubble Advanced Camera for Survey data was overlaid on top of the model of the Taurus-Littrow Valley, the landing site of Apollo 17. A fly through of the valley views the Camelot crater.
Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Shirah and A. Kekesi (GSFC/SVS), and G. Bacon (STScI).
Friday, January 1, 2010
End Light Pollution in 2010! (Happy New Year)
I love living in San Antonio, but I hate light pollution. I grew up in a West Texas town of San Angelo, Texas. San Angelo has about 100,000 people and it's own share of light pollution. San Angelo as far less than San Antonio. In San Angelo I would dive about 10 miles to the east of town with my little 90mm Mak-Cass Go-To that I had when in college. After that short drive I had some of the clearest sky in the area. San Antonio on the other hand is an issue.
I moved to San Antonio because my wife and I graduated from Angelo State University with our teaching certificates and the job market in west Texas... well was small. We moved to San Antonio after getting offers from Northside ISD and Northeast ISD.
San Antonio is unlike San Angelo, in that it is growing. That is great news for the economy of San Antonio, but a big drawback for an astronomer like myself. I get sick of seeing all the ever growing urban sprawl. It just makes me sick thinking of more street lights, more ignorant homeowners with safety light and more business with bad lighting.
There are organizations that focus on raising awareness of light pollution. I live near Helotes, TX which has some lighting restrictions. I would like to see more people become more conscious of good and bad lighting so last January I used my skills a photographer to document lighting found within a .5 mile radius of my house.
These are those photos: 
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