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Celestial Fireworks for Fourth of July
For a Fourth of July holiday highlight you can use the moon to prepare for next year's Semiquincentennial party. As fireworks celebrate Independence Day in 2025, the star Spica is just a few degrees away from the moon. In 2026, at 250 light years away the star Spica is America's Semiquincentennial Star . Light that left Spica in 1776 at the founding of the nation, traveling at 186,000 miles per second, will just be reaching our eyes in 2026! On July 3, 2025, find the star
Jun 27, 20252 min read


One Year Later, Almost 200 Clear-Enough Nights
Mid-June 2024 I took my first image of Corona Borealis with an iPhone camera , for I had been hoping to catch a star explode as a nova ...
Jun 14, 20252 min read


Dipper Scoops Ice Cream For Cone And Cup
For a summer vacation pursuit, launch a star watch to witness a rare visible nova . In the midst of summer ice cream, a new star may...
Jun 2, 20252 min read


Find T CrB Nova When It Fades
What if the imminent nova T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is not as bright as Polaris, a second-magnitude star? Or what if you want to...
May 26, 20252 min read


T Marks the Spot in Corona Borealis
Serendipity makes science even more fun. I've been going outside every clear night since mid-June 2024 to photograph the constellation...
May 13, 20251 min read


Camera Settings for iPhone Astronomy
Set your cell phone camera to capture celestial events and everynight wonders, including comets, Northern Lights, the Milky Way,...
May 12, 20252 min read


Cell-estial Photos
A newer cell phone can take excellent images of astronomical targets. As twilight segues to night, set your phone for 3- to 10-second...
May 8, 20252 min read


No Nova Ninety-Nine Nights
Update: For 99 nights when it has been clear I've tried to get an image of the constellation Corona Borealis, site of an anticipated...
Feb 5, 20251 min read


Star Hopping to Recurring Nova Site
To find the lovely Northern Crown, site of an upcoming recurrent nova , you can star hop from above or below. Here are two routes in...
Feb 1, 20252 min read


This Holiday, Dance With The Stars
Christmas began with a star. From Matthew 2:9: "And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood...
Dec 11, 20246 min read













































































































