by Marcus Peachey | Dec 1, 2023 | 2023, 12 December, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Nebulas, Planets, Star Clusters, Stars
View the December 2023 Nature Friend Magazine M78. Photo © Dogwood Ridge. Anxiously I scanned the sky as I stepped outside the door. Supper was over, and I was headed to the barn to do some chores. Darkness was falling across the valley, and several stars were...
by Shaphan Shank | Jan 1, 2023 | 2023, 01 January, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Comets, Conjunctions, In Our Skies, Meteors
View the January Nature Friend Magazine Comet Neowise 2020. Photo © Cheryl Shank. If you look over a list of the year’s best meteor showers, the Quadrantid meteor shower will likely catch your attention. First, the Quadrantid shower sits at the top of virtually every...
by Shaphan Shank | Nov 1, 2022 | 2022, 11 November, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Eclipses, In Our Skies, Meteors, Moon, Planets
View the November 2022 Nature Friend Magazine The second total lunar eclipse of 2022 will take place on the night of November 7–8. The eclipse will be most visible from eastern Asia, Oceania, and western and central North America. The eclipse will also be mostly...
by Shaphan Shank | Jul 1, 2022 | 2022, 07 July, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Conjunctions, In Our Skies, Meteors, Moon, Planets
Moon. Photo © Shaphan Shank. This month, nearly all the bright planets are strung across the early morning sky. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all easy to find, thanks to their brilliance. Venus and Jupiter are brighter than any star in the night sky, and Mars...
by Shaphan Shank | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Astronomy, Eclipses, In Our Skies, Meteors
Meteor activity is divided quite unevenly between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the Northern Hemisphere getting a better view of nearly every meteor shower of the year. The Eta Aquarid shower is the lone exception. This shower favors the south side of...
by Shaphan Shank | Mar 3, 2022 | Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Conjunctions, Eclipses, Planets
Where I live in Virginia, March brings the signs of a new season. The days are slowly warming, and the evenings, which were quiet all winter, are now enlivened by the calls of spring peepers and woodcocks. The stars also indicate, more reliably than the weather, that...
by Bethany Langham | Jan 11, 2022 | 2022, 01 January, Astronomy, Planets, Puzzle, Word Search
by Kevin Shank | Jun 17, 2021 | 2021, 07, July, Astronomy, Conjunctions, In Our Skies, Meteors, Planets
Throughout July, Venus and Mars will be visible low in the west just after sunset. The planets will start and end the month a little distance from each other, but on the evening of July 12, they will pass about 0.5° from each other. On the same night, the Moon will be...
