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Closest Comet Approach in 250 Years as P/2016 BA14 Passes Earth Tuesday

March 22, 2016 at approximately 7:30 a.m. CDT comet P/2016 BA14 will buzz earth closer than any comet has in over 250 years. Clearing the way for it’s friend will be comet 252P/LINEAR on Monday, the morning before at around 7:14 a.m. CDT. You will need pro gear to see these so it’s not really an event for the amateur astronomer but a relevant event to our study of comets.  Continue reading Closest Comet Approach in 250 Years as P/2016 BA14 Passes Earth Tuesday

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Perseid meteor shower 2013!

Every year the Perseid meteor shower is one of the best. I’ve been either away from a good area or had clouds the last few times cosmic shows were “on”, so I am very pleased to say that tonight is totally clear and the moon has already set. Dark skies and no clouds makes a happy Roger.  Continue reading Perseid meteor shower 2013!

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The Leonids!

9:08 PM EST It’s that time of year again. November 17th is the peak of the annual Leonid meteor shower. This one is always good and for 2012 we’ve got dark skies. This year I’m still in Highland, NY, right across the Hudson river from Poukeepsie, so I’ll have a bit of light pollution. You can see the weird stuff in the skies post from a week ago or so to see what kind of night light I deal with. I’ll try to get a few pics tonight using the Panasonic GH2 of course and I’ll use the 20mm 2.5 pancake lens at about 40 seconds. I will update this post as the night goes on. Continue reading The Leonids!

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Apophis is coming

The Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ scientists have recalculated the path of Apophis, a large asteroid that will have a close flyby in 2029 to Earth. This new refined data now shows a “significantly low likelihood” of a hazardous encounter with Earth. Statements released went on to include “The exact path Apophis follows on its flyby in 2029 will determine whether it smashes into Earth seven years later.”  Continue reading Apophis is coming