Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 28, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 ■ Altair is the brightest star high in the southwest after dark. Brighter Vega is about three fists to its right, high toward the west. Above Altair lurk two distinctive little constellations: Delphinus the Dolphin, hardly more than a fist at arm’s length to […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 23, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictator Xi Jinping wants to conquer Mars, but his government apparently did not want his space engineers to update the world on China’s plans to get there, at the recent 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), this year held from Oct. 14 […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 20, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 ■ For most Northern Hemisphere observers, this is the first evening in more than a week that offers a brief window of Moon-free darkness for spotting Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS between twilight’s end and moonrise. The comet should be about 4th magnitude now, much faded from a […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 16, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher In the early morning of Oct. 13, Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corporation achieved an amazing milestone in its quest to become the leading agent in man’s projection to the Moon and Mars. However there are many more milestones ahead in order to secure that position. Roughly […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 13, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 ■ And now, even 60 minutes after sunset, the comet ‘s head is still a fine 9° high or so in the darkening sky. It’s about midway between Venus to its left or lower left, and Arcturus to its right or upper right. […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 9, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Consider this proven formula for private sector business success in space: 1) Find a motivated, charismatic leader; 2) Develop a family of modular and reusable space launch vehicles (SLVs) to reduce production/launch costs and generate public and private sector business; and 3) Set your sights […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, September 29, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 ■ Face south and look high these evenings after dark. The brightest star there is Altair, the southernmost point of the Summer Triangle. The other two are Deneb and Vega more nearly overhead. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 ■ The starry W of Cassiopeia stands high […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, September 22, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 ■ Goodbye to summer — at last! Today is equinox day. Earth passes the September equinox point in its orbit at 8:44 a.m. EDT (12:44 UT). This is when the Sun, in its six-month journey south, crosses the celestial equator — and equivalently, […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, August 19, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 ■ Whenever bright Vega shines nearest your zenith, as it does right after dark now. Two hours later, when Deneb passes the zenith, it’s the turn of little Delphinus and boat-shaped Capricornus down below it to stand at their highest due south. After […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, August 5, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 ■ New Moon (exact at 7:13 a.m. on this date EDT). ■ The T Cor Bor Watch continues. Have you been checking Corona Borealis overhead these clear evenings? The recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis could erupt to 2nd magnitude anytime this summer. Or fall. […]