Tag: Skywatching
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Sightings of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites spark awe — and astronomical angst
SpaceX’s unorthodox card-dealing launch of 60 Starlink broadband satellites has led to into an unusual viewing opportunity for skywatchers — and an occasion to wonder about the impact of such mega-constellations on the natural night sky. A video captured by satellite-watcher Marco Langbroek in the Netherlands sums up the awe. “I could not help shouting…
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Photographers get super views of ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’ eclipse — even in Seattle
Surrounded by stars, the eclipsed moon turns red over Mount Baker. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) January’s usual weather conditions — with chilly temperatures for much of America and cloudy skies in the Pacific Northwest — aren’t exactly ideal for tracking a total lunar eclipse, but Sunday night’s “Super Blood Wolf Moon” actually lived up to…
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All-American lunar eclipse will darken the moon and brighten spirits (if skies clear)
A ruddy lunar eclipse hangs over Mount Rainier in 2015. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) Are you ready for Sunday night’s “Super Blood Wolf Moon”? The good news is that North America is well-positioned to see a total lunar eclipse for the first time in nearly a year. The bad news? If the skies are…
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Spy satellite launch gets scrubbed? Boo! Meteor explodes in California skies? Yay!
Keri Brooke, vice president of product marketing for Salesforce Analytics Cloud, snapped this picture of the bright streak. “What the heck is this in the sky?” she asked on Facebook. (Keri E. Brooke Photo via Facebook) Rocket fans in California may have been disappointed by tonight’s scrub of a Delta 4 Heavy launch from Vandenberg…
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The moon and meteors light up the night
An Orionid meteor flashes in a 2015 image captured by Marshall Space Flight Center’s all-sky camera in Alabama. (NASA / MSFC Photo) Saturday night’s all right … for skywatching: Tonight’s mostly clear skies over Western Washington should provide a good opportunity to see the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, and a great opportunity to…
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The stars align for a near-perfect Perseid meteor shower: Here’s how to catch it
A Perseid meteor flashes above Mount Rainier in 2016. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) The outlook for this year’s Perseid meteor shower is checking all the boxes. Up to a meteor a minute? Check. Moonless sky? Check. Peaking during the weekend? Check. Clear weather? That even looks like a check mark for Sunday night in…
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It’s prime time for watching Mars – plus a total lunar eclipse that you can see online
A global dust storm covers Mars’ disk in this image from the Hubble Space Telescope, captured on July 18. The planet’s two small moons, Deimos (left) and Phobos (right), appear in the lower half of the image. (NASA / ESA / STScI Photo) It’s no hoax: Mars is bigger and brighter in the night sky…