You *asked* for a star! — Astronomer foxtrot.com/wp-content/u...

Satellite trails could taint roughly 96% of the images taken by some space-based telescopes in the next decade, astronomers predict. Around 15,000 satellites currently orbit Earth, but that number could balloon to more than 550,000 …. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

NASA has completed the construction of #NASARoman! Last month, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the observatory in Maryland. After final testing, Roman will move to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations in summer 2026: https://go.nasa.gov/48EqnE8 🔭 🧪

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. 988lifeline.org

"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the cost is cheap compared to an ignorant nation." -- Walter Cronkite (1916-2009. American broadcast journalist) in American Library Association "Libraries Change Lives" Campaign, 1995.

“[I]f you're … using SSDs for cold storage, expecting the drives lying in your drawer to work perfectly after years, you might want to rethink your strategy. Your reliable SSD could suffer from corrupted or lost data if left unpowered for extended periods.” www.xda-developers.com/your-unpower...

Cloudy, windy, chilly today so a good time to swap out telescopes and put the big Meade up. We’re eager to try the 6-inch out again for solar including imaging in calcium-K. Maybe sunny tomorrow. Maybe we can try then. Continued strong winds expected, tho.

Lots of folks captioning aurora photos like "for a few minutes we didn't think about politics" guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation

Here are some views of the sunspot that blew off the CMEs that caused the geomagnetic storms that made the auroras that raised all the hubbub this week. The sunspot at Active Region 4274 is responsible for all the action. Where we show two sunspots, the smaller one (bottom edge) is AR4275. 1/2

I first heard rumours about this in September. We're currently without one of our most powerful tools for communicating with spacecraft in deep space, and it's not clear when we'll get it back.

Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.

Close-up views of Sun's northeastern quadrant, made this morning, display the turmoil surrounding very active Active Region 4272. CMEs thrown off by the sunspot have caused auroral displays already with more intense activity expected tonight. Clouds are likely to spoil the view from here.

Solar activity went high this week with, especially, AR4274 firing off a powerful X1.8 flare with a partial halo CME. A wind-roiled atmosphere at our site reduced imaging quality for us but Sun’s northeast rim was still an impressive sight. This view via our Herschel wedge. #sun #sunspots

We used to print these and hand them out at the open nights we hosted at the college observatory. A fine resource.

it’s giving Jupiter south polar vortex tbh

I'm sitting in my office writing my next article for Scientific American about a topic I'm fascinated with, reading journal papers and really enjoying myself. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia; I miss when this was what occupied the majority of my mind during the day. I really love astronomy.

Al Nagler, of TeleVue fame, has died. His son made the following announcement: www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_...

🔭 Chile’s dark skies remind us of what billions have already lost spectrum.ieee.org/scale-of-lig...

Using the Baader Planetarium Herschel Wedge attached to the Askar refractor, today, we observed Sun in white light. Several active regions (AR) were visible but those shown here were particularly interesting to view. Sunspots at AR 4246 and 4248 are primed to make powerful flares.

Once again a bit late in the day for optimal solar observing conditions but we work with what we've got! "A potentially dangerous sunspot: It's big, and a little weird. Sunspot 4246 has grown rapidly into one of the largest sunspots of Solar Cycle 25." ... #sunspots

JPL Hit With Layoffs: bsky.app/profile/phil...

Holy crap. This is terrible. The article states it's "not related to the current U.S. government shutdown". But of course it is: they are both connected by the GOP destroying everything good about this country from the top down and the bottom up.

The view of Sun today in hydrogen-alpha light revealed the solar limb sizzling with prominences! Here are a few views recorded late this afternoon. By the time we were able to get to this, Earth's atmosphere was riled up and cost us some sharpness. #sun #solarastronomy #astronomy

A few adjustments in data capture parameters was all it took to make a big difference in image processing and results! We're very pleased with Barlow-boosted views though we're still having some issues with achieving even lighting across whole-disk views... #sunspots

We're off solar max but our Sun has been fairly active of late, even causing recent "surprise" auroras! We may be in for more. "Two of these sunspots (4230 and 4236) have 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic fields" reports SpaceWeather.com, "that harbor energy for X-class solar flares." #sunspots

Still working to get the best finished images from our solar scope data. Reprocessed Sunday's images today in PixInsight/SolarToolbox (color) vs. Photoshop (mono). Pretty colors in the first, better detail from Photoshop! Note "peach fuzz" spicules in the tight crop. Synoptic Map credit: NOAA/SWPC.

We stepped back a bit and used a DSLR for our sun shot: Canon EOS 7D Mk. 2 with 400mm telephoto lens, no extender, plus white light solar filter. A grainy view but showing a good selection of sunspots. AR 4232 is reported to be growing more active, throwing off M-Class flares. #sunspots #astronomy

Clear and quiet skies this morning made for excellent seeing. Our Sun has been active lately and it showed in the form of prominences all around the rim. A big group on Sun's western limb (right) drew attention away from the high-flying prom at about the 11 o'clock position. #sun #sunspots

Our recent solar flare research was published! We present the first spectral observations of ‘Supra-Arcade Downflows’ (SADs) since 2003. SADs are dark finger-like downflows seen above solar flare loops, but their origins remain elusive! What do we find? 1/6

A daytime First Light for our observatory. We attached the Canon EOS 5D Mk. 4 to the Vixen Cassegrain, installed the Astrozap solar filter, aimed skyward. A nice assortment of sunspots was present, eastward of Sun's center, AR4220 developing rapidly. The spots are reported to be stable and quiet.

“JUPITER, the European Union’s new exascale supercomputer, is 100% powered by renewable energy. Can it compete in the global AI race?” #ai #computing #energy www.nature.com/articles/d41...

We got the telescope (one of several available) mounted up this morning, hoping for First Light from the observatory tonight! We'll be aiming for Saturn as it approaches opposition.

Our first nighttime work under the dome was to set polar alignment on the mount, Sunday night. About 45 minutes of adjustments later, we’re pretty happy with what we got. Locked it down. Closed the dome. Maybe set up a telescope tonight, or try daytime solar imaging!

"In an age when the foundations of global science are being tested, we might look back to this Cold War collaboration as both a technical milestone and a model for the courage that will be required to meet the challenges ahead." pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...

The hottest parts of the sun are its solar flares, and a new study suggests these flares could be more than six times hotter than scientists used to believe.

Today we terminated utility power at the pier, in a weather-resistant box and receptacle. Power is on at the observatory! Moving on, we installed the CGEM Pier Adapter atop the pier. Everything is leveled well, the adapter lightly locked down. Ran out of steam before tackling additional caulk work.

Thanks to some scrap 2X4s, surplus concrete blocks and pavers, a two-wheel dolly, and some ingenuity, I wrangled the big steel observatory pier into place. The pier is made of quarter-inch steel and must weigh about 100 pounds. We'll next make some adjustments and install electrical wiring.

Connected power to the supply lines running underground to the observatory's telescope pier site. Connections tested good but electric will remain shut off until the lines are terminated at the pier's receptacle. Placement of the pier happens possibly as early as tomorrow but more likely Monday.

🌟 The September 2025 edition of The Evening Sky Map is ready for download at skymaps.com/tesm/. The PDF features a Sky Calendar and easy-to-use sky maps for the northern and southern hemispheres, as well as the equatorial regions. Feel free to share, and enjoy exploring the Universe! 🔭 #stargazing

When we saw big sunspot group of AR4196 & 4197 in satellite images, we had to take a look. Sun has been active with five M-class (R1-Minor) observed from Active Regions 4197 and 4203, according to the SWPC. We produced this image using our DSLR mobile rig since the observatory isn't quite ready yet.

Per scanner, Sheriff chopper and SPD checking out Volunteer Park after caller reported what they believed to be person with gun. Happens to be an astronomy group with telescope also in the park tonight

Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope this company quickly goes bankrupt so they fold before they utterly destroy the night sky and massively disrupt the environment and habitats for animals we depend on to live.

We experienced the first heavy rainfall here with the observatory fully assembled and exposed to the weather. We found the floor wet — pretty much expected but unwelcome — and a couple of dripping bolts in the upper aperture cover — an easy fix. I guess we’ll need to caulk the base. Or something.

Something weird is going on with the Solar System! 🦦

Neptune’s discovery was a race that ended not long after this magazine came to be

I'm on DSL at my house. I'm surrounded by trees with very little sky view. We heard from our local provider that fiber is coming here very soon. If Musk stomps on this while simultaneously ruining the sky for all astronomers my rage will be righteous and incandescent.

Success! At 4:04 PM today (August 15, 2025) the observatory dome was lifted into place by crane. There are several items yet to complete but this major step is the one we worried about most. Nursing an injured foot, I’m supposed to limit activity, but I’m eager to finish and get to First Light!

Monday, Aug. 11: Working again in the morning to avoid the day's heat, and with the help of neighbor Kelly, we bolted the base wall panels together. Overall the work went well with few adjustments needed. We also added the dome rotation wheels at the top of the circular wall. #observatory

Spent some time this morning, before the heat set in, to set up the wall panels for the observatory. They require a bit of leveling between each other, then they'll be bolted together; we're hoping to do that tomorrow morning. The dome will top it off this coming week! 🤞 #observatory #construction