View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Photo © Dana Atkinson. Grandma got more than she bargained for when she brought in some greenery for Christmas. You might get some surprises too if you...
Articles & Stories
All the Way to Texas
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Diamond ring. Photo © Andrew Stine. “Shall we go to Texas to see the eclipse?” I asked the family. “It’s four minutes and twenty seconds of totality...
They Offered unto Him…Gold and Frankincense
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive The gold that the wise men from the East brought to Baby Jesus—do you suppose it was in the form of coins…nuggets…or some other form? Whatever form it was...
Frosty Bubbles
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Cross-polarization was used to creatively illuminate this frosty bubble. Photo © Don Komarechka. The clear globe with frost patterns caught my eye. I had...
“Look, There’s an Eagle!”
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Brant. Photo © Carolyn Difrancesco|Dreamstime.com. The November morning dawned cool and gray as we drove the last several miles to our destination of...
One Autumn Night
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Western Veil Nebula. Photo © Kevin and Adrian Shank. Rain was in the forecast, and clouds began to creep up out of the west. But as the sun sank behind...
Wondernose: What tiny insect manufactures a product that’s commercially important throughout the world?
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Honeybee! Sounds like a logical answer, doesn’t it? What insect product is more important than honey? None, I suppose, but the answer to today’s riddle is...
Our April Eclipse
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive For months we had been planning travel routes, buying equipment, and researching photography methods for the eclipse. Now it looked like we would be...
A Turkey Feather and a Bottle of Wasp Ink
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Photo © Dana Atkinson. Tiny wasps help tell a story of George Washington and Samuel Pannebecker “for those who come after….”The little fellow came tearing...
A Gravity Lens
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive A magnifying glass does its job by the curvature of its lens. Light passing through a curved lens will be redirected. A magnifying glass can be used to...
In Our Skies, November & December 2024
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Hopefully comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) will be a highlight for viewing. See the chart above for its position at several dates. Nov. 5 is the peak...
Cepheus
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Cepheus, the King, sits high in the northern sky between Polaris and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. It lies near enough to Polaris that it is...
Chasing Auroras
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Aurora and Milky Way above Route 574, Ohio. Photo © Steven Russell Smith. I could feel the rhythm of my heart intensify to allegro as I fired a test shot...
Shooting Star Trails to Capture Auroras
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Here in Virginia, my exposure to northern lights has been rare—very few and far between. The first time we saw them, there was a huge red glow in the...
Storing the Bounty
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Photo © Olga Volodina/Dreamstime.com I am a strong proponent of extending the growing season whenever possible, and utilizing row covers, tunnels, and...