A Canal, A Telescope, and A Star What does a canal have to do with the night sky? For me, plenty. I remember visiting the Lachine Canal many times as a child growing up in...
Category - Skyward
Skyward – February 2024
Skyward This month I have a story to tell. A few nights ago two close friends from Plattsburgh, Ed Guenther and Wendy Gordon...
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Skyward for January 2024
Skyward: Star Gazing This month let us explore one of the seminal galaxies in the night sky, NGC 253, Caroline Herschel’s galaxy...
Read MorePons-Brooks: A comet for the centuries
When David Rossetter and I began our observing session at the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association’s Chiricahua Astronomy Complex...
Read MoreMeteors Scratch the Sky
Despite what you read online, it is possible to think of meteor watching as one of the most boring things you can do with the...
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A Streak of Light
It was a flash, a single streak of light that got me started in astronomy almost sixty years ago. I have written in this column about this event before, but in thinking about it, I want to...
My First Mentor
Over many years, as I tried to find my bearings in the night sky, I have been aided by mentors. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of people have helped me to find my way, and each one would...
“Uncle Wiggly Wings”
“Uncle Wiggly Wings” Is Alive And Well And Living In Green Valley by Dave Falkner Uncle Wiggly Wings was a pilot. His real name is Colonel Gail Halvorsen. After WWII, Germany was divided...
What Is Your Favorite Telescope?
What is the best telescope in the world to use for viewing the night sky? For most of us, I believe the answer would be the Hubble space telescope. Since its launch in 1990, and its...
Of Friendships and Mentors
When I wrote recently about the many advantages to meeting other people who enjoy the sky, it is possible that the people I left out were even more important than those included. One of...
A Joy That’s Shared Is A Joy Made Double
“A joy that’s shared is a joy made double.” – American Proverb If looking through a telescope at Saturn’s rings, or the crescent Moon, or a comet, is a fun thing to do, then surely...
Shakespeare and The Great Stella Nova
Cited by many as the greatest writer who ever lived, William Shakespeare died in late April 1616. When the four hundredth anniversary of his death passed by with nary a mention, it seemed...
A Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon
by David Levy I have now seen 83 eclipses during my life, ranging from total eclipses of the Sun (I’ve seen 11 of those) to, at the other extreme, penumbral eclipses of the Moon. And...
Skyward with David H. Levy
One Sky- One World The night sky is not restricted to a specific country, or even to a specific area of the world. In fact, the sky that we see from the United States...