Archive for March, 2010
Earthsky Tonight—March 13, Use the Big Dipper to
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org You can locate the Big Dipper in the northeast in mid- to late evening around now. The Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. In addition, if you can find the Big Dipper, you can find two Hunting Dogs seen by the ancient stargazers to be nipping at the Bear’s heels. The Hunting Dogs are a separate constellation: tiny Canes Venatici. You will need a dark sky to see these two little stars ... Full Story
Obituary: Edward Dennis
Edward Riley Dennis was born June 22, 1964 to Richard and Shirley Dennis. Edward was raised in the Mini-Casa area in Idaho. He graduated from Minidoka High School and had many friends and family in the area. Eddie was involved in wrestling; he loved to hunt and fish and loved his family. Ed was a Nomadic free spirit. He spent most of his adult life between Idaho and Colorado. He always loved his home in Idaho but couldn’t help being drawn to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. He took pride in ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—March 12, Tangle of stars in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org What we are about to describe requires a dark sky to be seen: a faraway cluster of stars known as “Coma Berenices.” How can you spot it? One way is to use the famous constellation Leo the Lion, now in the east each evening. Leo is relatively easy to see. The front part of the Lion looks like a backwards question mark, and the back part is a little triangle, which includes the star Denebola, marked on today’s chart. The ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—March 11: Mars stationary in front
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Almanacs say the planet Mars is “stationary” today. However, stationary doesn’t mean that Mars stays in the same place in Earth’s sky all night tonight. Mars actually shines in the southern sky at mid-evening, and crosses the sky westward throughout the night. This ruddy world sets beneath the western horizon before dawn tomorrow. Does stationary mean that Mars is staying still in its orbit around the sun? Hardly! Mars ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—March 10: Is Sirius the most
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Look south at nightfall and early evening, and you can’t miss Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky. Mia asks, “Isn’t there a brighter star in absolute magnitude which appears dimmer because of its distance?” Yes, Mia, you are right. Sirius looks extraordinarily bright in Earth’s sky because it is only 8.6 light-years away. Many stars on the sky’s dome are intrinsically more luminous than Sirius, but ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—March 9: Ancient eye test relied on
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Look back to “this chart” for more about how to recognize the Big and Little Dippers on these almost-spring evenings. The ancient eye test for those wishing to join the Roman army was administered using stars in the handle of our modern-day Big Dipper. If you passed, you got a job as an archer. If you failed, you had to serve in another capacity … perhaps as a cook. It is said that sultans of the past also tested their ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — March 8, 2010: The Summer
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org As seen from our northern temperate latitudes, the three brilliant stars of the Summer Triangle – Vega, Deneb and Altair – are out for at least part of the night every night of the year. Presently, the Summer Triangle shines in the eastern sky at and before dawn. Like the Big Dipper, the Summer Triangle is an asterism – a pattern of stars that is not one of the officially recognized 88 constellations. To gauge the size of ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — March 7, 2010: Predawn moon
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org On the morning of March 8 (Monday), the rather wide waning crescent moon helps you to locate the two stars in the tail of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. These two very noticeable stars – called Shaula and Lesath – are often shown on old star maps at the tip of the Scorpion’s Stinger. These star names mean raised tail and stinger respectively in Arabic, although there is some controversy over the origin of Lesath. ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — March 6, 2010: Last quarter moon
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org If you are an early riser, look out a south-facing window on the morning of March 7 (Sunday) to see a lovely last quarter moon in front of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. The reddish star near the moon is Antares, considered the Scorpion’s ruby Heart. Antares is a red supergiant star, located roughly opposite in the sky to another famous red supergiant star, Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion the Hunter. Both ... Full Story
Main Street Station scheduled to open Friday, March 12
By Judy Lehn The folks at Main Street Station, formerly J.B. Clymer’s, are still doing fix-up, clean-up and repairs on their new digs at the former Abeyta’s, 335 Mountain Avenue. Bob Nixon, co-owner along with his wife, Shari and his mother-in-law, Sharon Dowling, are creating a whole new restaurant. The next item of business is new carpeting, with furniture soon to follow. They hope to open on Friday, March 12, with a grand opening scheduled later.
