by Shaphan Shank | Jul 1, 2023 | 2023, 07 July, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, In Our Skies, Meteors, Moon, Planets
View the July 2023 Nature Friend Magazine The Perseid meteor shower is the most popular meteor shower of the year. This is partly because it always peaks during the warm nights of summer, and partly because it is the second-strongest shower of the year, with a zenith...
by Marcus Peachey | Feb 1, 2023 | 2023, 02 February, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Galaxies, Nebulas, Planets
View the February 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Bubble Nebula and open star cluster M52. Photo © Shaphan Shank. Oh, no, I thought as I stepped out the door. Supper was over and darkness was falling. An hour or two earlier it had been snowing quite hard, but now the sky...
by Marcus Peachey | Jan 1, 2023 | 2023, 01 January, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Constellations, Galaxies, Nebulas, Planets, Star Clusters, Telescopes & Accessories
View the January Nature Friend Magazine Andromeda Galaxy. Photo © Shaphan Shank. “Good night, Dad and Mom,” I said as I strode to the door, clad in a winter coat, hat, and boots.“Good night,” they replied—Mom with a sigh, glad she wasn’t so consumed with a desire to...
by Morris Yoder | Nov 1, 2022 | 2022, 11 November, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Planets, Study Guide, Sun, The Photo Focus
View the November 2022 Nature Friend Study Guide
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 | 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...
by Morris Yoder | Mar 30, 2021 | 2021, 03, March, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Conjunctions, Planets, The Heavens Declare God's Glory
Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Photo © Morris Yoder. Jupiter and Saturn appear to pass each other in the sky about once every twenty years. When this happens, astronomers call it a great conjunction. In the early 1600s, Johannes Kepler was noticing one of these...
