Mars sketched by Klaus Brasch using a 14-inch f/10 SCT at 430x and a #25 red filter, October 17, 1988. David J. Eicher library Today’s sketch of the planet Mars is by Klaus Brasch. Mars spends this Memorial Day weekend near Leo’s luminary, Regulus. (To find Mars and Regulus in your night sky, be sure to check out Astronomy.com’s StarDome .) To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video...

Exploring the Solar System with Binoculars by Stephen James O'Meara is a handy reference that will become one of your favorites in no time. Astronomy magazine photo If you want a great new observing book for the onset of warm weather (where some of us are, at least!), check out Astronomy Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara ’s new book, Exploring the Solar System with Binoculars (156 pp., paper, Cambridge University Press, New York, $29.99...

The poster sessions at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society proved just as fascinating as some of its talks, with the added bonus of the occasional coffee break! Bill Andrews photo After all the apocalypse, exoplanets, and solar talks Tuesday at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), I wanted to make sure I gave ample time to the somewhat quieter, but equally interesting, scientific poster sessions. Some of...

M82 sketched by Dave Eicher using an 8-inch f/10 SCT at 170x. David J. Eicher library It’s time for another sketch of mine. This one features the starburst galaxy M82 in Ursa Major, also known as the Cigar Galaxy. To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video " Sketching from the telescope " and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column " Sketching 101 ." See...

This eerie close-up shot of the Sun in ultraviolet light demonstrates the kind of hauntingly beautiful, and scientifically rich, photos NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is capable of. NASA/GSFC/SDO photo Tuesday was the big day of the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s (SDO) first results talk at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). So many people wanted to see it that the room quickly filled up — it was a rare standing-room-only...

Comet West sketched by Richard Baum with the naked eye March 2, 1976, at 6:05 UT. David J. Eicher library Today’s “sketching at the telescope” edition features a beautiful illustration by English observer Richard Baum showing Comet West around the time of its peak brightness. To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video " Sketching from the telescope " and read Glenn Chaple's...

Copernicus sketched by Phillip W. Budine with a 4-inch refractor at 214x, June 23, 1962, at 2:55 UT. David J. Eicher library Today’s sketch of the lunar crater Copernicus is by noted observer Phillip W. Budine, who for many years was active in the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers. To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video " Sketching from the telescope " and read...

An excited crowd awaits the start of Monday’s public lecture at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, “The Solar Dynamics Observatory: Your On-Orbit Eye on the Sun.” Project scientist W. Dean Pesnell’s entertaining talk easily made it worth the wait. Bill Andrews photo Monday morning, I woke up bright and early, eager to begin attending the talks at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Miami. At first I...

A yacht sails by as some of the attendees of the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society mingle, eat, and prepare for a fun-filled few days. Bill Andrews photo As I mentioned last time, I know a few folks here in Florida, so I arrived a day early to spend some time with them. I got a lot of questions about the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) — the reason I’m actually here in the Sunshine State — and I was even able...

M74 sketched by David J. Eicher using an 8-inch f/10 SCT at 50x. David J. Eicher library This “sketching at the telescope” edition features a sketch of mine of the famous face-on galaxy M74 in Pisces. To learn more about astronomical sketching, Astronomy magazine subscribers can access my Astronomy.com video " Sketching from the telescope " and read Glenn Chaple's Observing Basics column " Sketching 101 ." See the rest of the...