Wow! It was GREAT to see the complete success of Artemis II. 🚀 It feels like a whole new Apollo era has truly begun! 🌖 . . . and something GOOD has happened in the world! 🌎

On the two-year anniversary of the Great American Eclipse, NASA releases this stunning Total Solar Eclipse image from Artemis II. Saturn, Mars, and Mercury shine near the Moon’s ghostly orb. Credit: NASA

Wow! Did you see this nice Milky Way photo from the Artemis II astronauts? P.S. That's the Large Magellanic Cloud in the right corner. Credit: NASA

Tonight's 3-day old crescent Moon, exposed for the Moon's sunlit portion.

Tonight's waxing crescent Moon, with prominent Earthshine. Olympus camera, telephoto lens, tripod. Taken from west suburban Chicago.

A jet flying almost directly overhead joined the already crowded skies in Gemini tonight, including the Moon, Jupiter, and the stars Castor and Pollux. These two frames were taken 28 seconds apart.

The Gemini gathering: Castor, Pollux, Moon, Jupiter. Taken with Olympus camera and 53 mm lens. #astronomy

Celestial traffic jam in Gemini tonight . . . high overhead! Tonight, the 86% lit Moon is positioned beside Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars of Gemini. The Moon essentially becomes a third (and very bright) brother. 😁 And bright Jupiter stands nearby. #astronomy

Test of AstroBin account link app.astrobin.com/i/4fpa69

Tonight's Great Rectangle overhead . . . with corners marked by the Moon, Jupiter, Castor and Pollux (stars in Gemini). Two of Jupiter's moons can be seen by zooming in on the lower right "star." Olympus camera; zoom lens set at 53 mm.

The Moon visits the Pleiades February 23. 8:01 p.m. CST Olympus camera. 270mm f.l.

Happy Birthday, George Washington! 🎂 In 6 years, we’ll celebrate the tricentennial of your birth!

I enjoy explaining across my interests: 🪐 Astronomy — what’s in the sky 🇺🇸 Civil War — citizen soldiers & history 🪙 Coins & stamps — history in objects 🚴🏻‍♂️ Cycling — trails & observations • Retired planetarium director • Astrophotographer Accurate, calm explanations across topics.

Remembering Abraham Lincoln on his birthday, which was in 1809 (217 years ago). #AbrahamLincoln #CivilWarHistory #americanhistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 12 — Second Inaugural Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address may be his greatest speech. Delivered in March 1865 as the Civil War neared its end, its famous line “With malice toward none; with charity for all” emphasized reconciliation over triumph. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 11 — The Lincoln Cent In 1909, on the centennial of Lincoln’s birth, the U.S. replaced the Indian Head Cent with the Lincoln Cent — the first circulating coin to feature a real person. 117 years later, its obverse design hasn’t changed. #CivilWarHistory

Today I enjoyed my first bike ride in 4 weeks! It reached a balmy 45 degrees, with traces of snow still clinging to the less traveled streets.

12 Days of Lincoln Day 10 — Places Named Lincoln Only one town named “Lincoln” existed during his lifetime — Lincoln, Illinois. In the 1850s, Abraham Lincoln helped design the town, practiced law there, and helped shape its future. All others were named for him after his death. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 9 — Lincoln’s Height In the 1850s, the average American man stood about 5’ 7”. At 6’ 4”, Lincoln physically towered over his contemporaries — including Stephen Douglas, who stood a full foot shorter. The contrast became part of his legend. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 8 — Lincoln’s Beard In 1860, an 11-year-old girl wrote Lincoln suggesting he grow a beard to soften his appearance. After the election, he did just that! When his train passed through Grace’s town in 1861, he met her and credited her suggestion. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 7 — Lincoln’s Speaking Voice (Part 2) We’ll never hear Lincoln’s real voice, but using historical descriptions, I conducted a thought experiment using ElevenLabs speech synthesis technology. The result was far less strange than expected: bit.ly/3OeEtFt #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 6 — Lincoln’s Speaking Voice (Part 1) Lincoln’s voice was high-pitched and reedy — not the booming baritone we imagine. But it carried across crowds and proved remarkably effective once listeners adjusted. Tomorrow: a voice reconstruction experiment. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 5 — Lincoln at Gettysburg Following Edward Everett's two hour speech, Lincoln's short address argued that the Civil War was a test of whether a nation founded on equality and self-government could survive. Lincoln’s 272 words redefined American democracy. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 4 — Cooper Union: Lincoln the Logician Lincoln’s 1860 Cooper Union speech made his presidency possible. By calmly proving that the Founders supported restricting slavery, he made his conclusion inescapable — and transformed himself into a national figure. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 3 — Thinking Anew (Annual Message, 1862) In 1862, Lincoln warned that: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” To save the country, Americans had to “think anew” — and free themselves from past traditions and outdated habits. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 2 — Public Sentiment In an 1861 letter to Stephen Douglas, Lincoln warned that “Public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” Lincoln understood that no policy can succeed without the support of the public. #CivilWarHistory

12 Days of Lincoln Day 1 — Lincoln and Power In an 1858 letter to his law partner William Herndon, Lincoln warned that adversity builds character — but power tests it. In an era of celebrity politics and constant amplification, the warning feels uncannily modern. #CivilWarHistory

Here begins my "12 Days of Lincoln" tribute to our nation's 16th President to commemorate the 217th anniversary of his birth. Each day, I’ll highlight a different Lincoln quote or factoid, ending on his February 12th birthday.

Tonight (Jan. 30), the waxing gibbous Moon will be near Jupiter all night. If you have a clear sky, step outside and have a look. The cold air and beauty of the night sky will do you good! SkySafari rendering. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #9: The night of December 23-24 will feature the largest Full Moon of 2026, which will appear 15% larger than the smallest full moon that occurs on the night of May 30-31. December’s “SuperMoon” will also be the largest Full Moon since January of 2023! #astronomy

40 years ago today, the world was rocked by the tragic loss of Challenger. I was performing a planetarium show to a school group at the Cernan Earth & Space Center at the time. In the days that followed, I made a number of radio and TV appearances to discuss the disaster to a grief-stricken world.

2026 Sky Highlight # 8: Before dawn on Tuesday, October 6th, a rare and lovely celestial event will be visible in much of the U.S. — an occultation of Jupiter and its four large moons by the waning crescent Moon. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #7: Saturn will be closest to Earth on October 4th and remains a fixture in our evening sky through February of 2027. By this time, Saturn’s rings will have opened up considerably since going edge-on in 2025. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #6: Late on the evening of August 27th, everyone in the Americas will be able to see a Partial Lunar Eclipse, when 93% of the Moon will be immersed in the Earth’s shadow. Maximum eclipse will occur at 11:14 pm CDT. Best seen in eastern U.S. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #5: This year’s annual Perseid meteor shower on the night of August 12-13 coincides with the New Moon. That makes 2026 a great year to travel to a dark site, set up a comfortable chaise lounge, and wait patiently for meteors to appear anywhere in the sky overhead. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #4: On Wednesday, August 12th, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from Canada and the northeastern U.S. In the north Atlantic, a Total Solar Eclipse will be visible along a narrow path extending from Greenland to near Iceland to Spain. Good luck, eclipse chasers! #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #3: Before dawn on Tuesday, March 3rd, there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse, best seen in western North America. Bathed in the coppery shadow of the Earth, an eclipsed moon can be enjoyed with the naked eye, but it’s better seen with a pair of binoculars. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #2: On Monday evening, Feb. 2nd, Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, will be occulted by the waning gibbous Moon for much of the U.S. From Chicago, the dramatic reappearance of the star on the Moon’s dark limb will take place around 8:42 pm CST. SkySafari rendering. #astronomy

2026 Sky Highlight #1: Jupiter was closest to Earth on January 10th and will remain a bright white “star” in our evening sky through May. High power binoculars often show one or more of Jupiter’s four large moons and small telescopes reveal its ever changing cloud belts. #astronomy

Here begins a 9-part series on the Celestial Highlights of 2026 that I plan to observe and/or photograph. Each day, I’ll highlight a different celestial highlight. 😁

Astro nuts: Here’s how to send your name around the Moon aboard the Artemis II spacecraft: www3.nasa.gov/send-your-na...

🪐 Saturn’s year lasts 29½ Earth years, during which time its rings appear to open and close twice. For the past 7 years, I’ve gathered my best Saturn image each year to assemble this time-lapse sequence, from fully open (2018) to edge-on (2025). 🔭 📷 #Saturn #astrophotography #Questar #astronomy

Jupiter, the King of Planets, is fast approaching its closest and brightest appearance of the year. [Opposition occurs on January 10]. On the next clear night, go look! You’ll have no trouble finding Jupiter. It’s bright, white, and rises higher in the East as the night progresses.

Yesterday, I completed my final ride for 2025; it was only my second ride in what’s been a very cold December. My 2025 cycling season, which began on Feb. 24th, featured 148 rides totaling 1,653.8 miles. 2025 was my 10th best year ever (out of 19). Hoping I’ll be healthier in 2026! #bicycle

5 Years Ago tonight, parts of the world observed an extremely close conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. It was the closest that these two planets had appeared -- about ⅓ the diameter of the Moon -- in nearly 400 years. #astrophotograpy

🪐 Saturn’s year lasts 29½ Earth years, during which time its rings appear to open and close twice. #Saturn #astrophotography #Questar #astronomy

The December Full Moon is tonight. It’s a Supermoon. . . and it’s lovely. But the real astronomical story here is its 75 degree altitude (88 from Miami)! You really can’t see it unless you go outside and look at the zenith of the sky! 🌕

Twice in its 30 year orbit, Saturn’s rings appear edge-on as seen from Earth. Now is that time. My image was taken with an Olympus M4/3 camera attached to a Questar 90 mm telescope in west suburban Chicago. #astrophotography #saturn #planets

Today’s artsy image from the Great Western Trail in west suburban Chicago.

The late afternoon Sun illuminates autumn leaves on the Mallard Lake trail.