Author – The Durango Herald

The difference between a tropical year and a sidereal year

Greetings, stargazers. The autumnal equinox this year is at 7:03 p.m. Sept. 22. We typically think of the first day of fall as something that happens all day long, but the equinox is the tim...

DATE: Sep 10, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Camera filters are useful tools for astronomers

Greetings, stargazers. I was pleased when the telescope on the roof of Sitter Family Hall showed up in a front-page story July 30. As with many such projects, there are a steady stream of up...

DATE: Aug 13, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Don’t overlook Ophiuchus – the 13th sign of the zodiac

Greetings, stargazers. I am really happy with the recent rain and will gladly trade a few good observing nights for a reduced fire danger. Please ignore me if I try to predict the weather, b...

DATE: Jul 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Summer Milky Way an impressive sight

Greetings, stargazers. June is the month with the fewest nighttime stargazing hours. Not only are there more daylight hours, but the twilight hours are extra-long at this time of year, too. ...

DATE: Jun 11, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Spring dust makes stars look redder

Greetings, stargazers. Visitors to the Four Corners are often blown away by our outstanding skies. This month I have been blown away too, but that has been from the all-too-often red flag co...

DATE: May 14, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

The far-reaching effects of light, day and night

Greetings, stargazers. I rarely get such a quick response to my monthly column. Two days after it came out last month, a group of politicians voted without discussion or opposition to instit...

DATE: Apr 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Now is the time to attempt a Messier Marathon

Greetings, stargazers. This is a milestone column for me, as it is the 10th anniversary of my first What’s Up in Durango Skies. I always try to come up with some new astronomical topic to di...

DATE: Mar 12, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

The glowing clouds of the Orion Nebula

Greetings, stargazers. Last night a star exploded. Probably not very close to us, but it is safe to say that somewhere in the universe a supernova went off and flung most of its mass back ou...

DATE: Feb 12, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Webb telescope will see what our eyes can’t

Greetings, stargazers. The Christmas morning launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, with the “trois, deux, un” countdown in French was fun to watch. Unlike Space Shuttle launches, which i...

DATE: Jan 8, 2022 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

The year’s longest day is coming

Greetings, stargazers. As strange as it may sound, we are approaching the longest day of the year this month. At least we are if we consider a day to be the time between one local noon and t...

DATE: Dec 11, 2021 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

Constellations small and dim, but a joy to find

Greetings, stargazers. There are 88 keys on a piano, but I have yet to find a connection between that number and the fact there are also 88 constellations in the sky. Except, perhaps, that s...

DATE: Nov 13, 2021 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies

The birds flying among the stars of the night sky

Greetings, stargazers. Aquila, the Eagle, may not be the most well-known, or most recognizable constellation, but it is straightforward to find, and is worth adding to your repertoire. It i...

DATE: Oct 9, 2021 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies