BROWSE ALL POSTS – SKY LIGHTS

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2018 July
- 16: Q&A: Crossing Contrails
- 09: Monsoon Haboobs
- 02: 2018 Mars Opposition
2018 June
- 25: Q&A: Why Planets are Round
- 18: Q&A: Erosion and Rising Sea Levels
- 11: More Things Moving Backward
- 04: Q&A: Moss on the North Side of Trees
2018 May
- 28: Q&A: Reciprocity Failure Explained
- 21: Astrophotography Then and Now
- 14: Equinox as Seen from Orbit
- 07: Q&A: Birds Flying Backwards
2018 April
- 30: Q&A: Your Car is a Faraday Cage
- 23: Mother Goose Heads South
- 16: 2018 Lyrid Meteor Shower
- 09: Q&A: Violet Colored Sky
- 02: Radical Rayleigh Sunset
2018 March
- 26: Q&A: Meteor Trails
- 19: Q&A: Sunset vs. Sunrise
- 12: Earth’s Water Resources
- 05: If All Earth’s Ice Melted
2018 February
- 26: Split Sunset
- 19: Construction Dust
- 12: Phoenix Fata Morgana
- 05: Q&A: Fog Explained
2018 January
- 29: Cloud Street Illusion
- 22: Falcon 9 Rocket Launch
- 15: Planet Earth Breathing
- 08: Proof that Earth is Round
- 01: Six Questions to Start the New Year
2017 December
- 25: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Sighted?
- 18: Christmas Past
- 11: December 2017 Geminid Meteor Shower
- 04: Q&A: Interstellar Visitors
2017 November
- 27: Neutron Stars Explained
- 20: Q&A: Discovery of Gravity
- 13: Q&A: When Neutron Stars Collide
- 06: Q&A: Wildfire Smoke Dispersion
2017 October
- 30: Q&A: How Moving Water Freezes
- 23: Catch Comet ASASSN1
- 16: Q&A: Constructing a Theodolite
- 09: Q&A: Greatest Elongation of Venus
- 02: Q&A: Yet Another Strange Cloud
2017 September
- 25: Cumulonimbus Rising v.3
- 18: Anatomy of a Storm Surge
- 11: Q&A: Category 6 Hurricanes
- 04: Q&A: Solar Time-Lapse Basics
2017 August
- 28: August 21, 2017 Partial Eclipse Time-Lapse
- 21: Solar Eclipse Slideshow
- 14: Observing the Great American Eclipse
- 07: Q&A: Why Every Solar Eclipse is Different
2017 July
- 31: Cumulonimbus Rising v.2
- 24: Q&A: Distance to the Horizon
- 17: Q&A: How Astronauts Measure Their Weight
- 10: Images of Earth with Moon
- 03: Q&A: How We Know Earth’s Mass
2017 June
- 26: Density Altitude
- 19: Q&A: Skateboarding Around Saturn’s Rings
- 12: Q&A: Cosmic Speed Limit
- 05: An Impossible Sunset
2017 May
- 29: Q&A: Orographic Clouds
- 22: Habitable Exoplanets
- 15: Q&A: Life on Mars
- 08: Q&A: Another Strange Cloud
- 01: Desert Sunset Composite
2017 April
- 24: Jupiter and Comet 41P
- 17: An Unusual Rainbow
- 10: Q&A: How Pi is Calculated
- 03: Stonehenge in Colorado
2017 March
- 27: Part 2: Retinal Hyper-Oxygenation
- 20: Part 1: Retinal Hyper-Oxygenation
- 13: Q&A: The Moon’s Tidal Effects on Earth
- 06: Q&A: VTVL – SpaceX and Falcon 9
2017 February
- 27: Universal Clock
- 20: Q&A: Why it Always Rains on Weekends
- 13: Q&A: Daytime Lunar Eclipse
- 06: Lunar Eclipse Geometry
2017 January
- 30: Telling Time by the Stars
- 23: Q&A: Trajectory of the Moon
- 16: Q&A: Terminal Velocity
- 09: Q&A: Planet 9
- 02: Six Questions to Start the New Year
2016 December
- 26: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Sighted?
- 19: The Meaning of Magnitude
- 12: Super Moon vs. Normal Moon
- 05: Venus in December 2016
2016 November
- 28: Q&A: Why Mars has Taller Mountains than Earth
- 21: Circumhorizontal Arcs
- 14: Q&A: Why the ISS Orbit Appears Curved
- 07: Occultation of Aldebaran – The Video
2016 October
- 31: November 2 Quadruple Conjunction
- 24: Q&A: Why the Week has Seven Days
- 17: October 18-19 Occultation of Aldebaran
- 10: The Big Bang Blues
- 03: Cumulonimbus Rising
2016 September
- 26: Q&A: Formation, Trigger, and Vorticity of Dust Devils
- 19: September 19 Vandenberg Launch
- 12: Colorado Lightning Storm
- 05: Q&A: How GPS Works
2016 August
- 29: Q&A: Metaphor – Stars as Diamonds
- 22: August 23-24 Triple Conjunction
- 15: Q&A: Redshift and Blueshift
- 08: The Doppler Effect
- 01: 2016 Perseid Meteor Shower
2016 July
- 25: Q&A: The Geometry of Angular Size
- 18: Q&A: The Midnight Sun
- 11: Crepuscular Rays – Reprise
- 04: Q&A: Fireworks Pattern Shells
2016 June
- 27: Q&A: The Temperature of Space
- 20: Saturn’s Rings Near Maximum Tilt
- 13: Q&A: The Formal Name of Our Moon
- 06: June 2 Arizona Fireball
2016 May
- 30: Cloudzilla
- 23: Shelf Clouds
- 16: May 22, 2016 Mars Opposition
- 09: Q&A: Synchronous Lunar Rotation
- 02: May 9, 2016 Transit of Mercury
2016 April
- 25: An Illusion Caused by Perspective
- 18: Q&A: Speed of Sound vs. Speed of Light
- 11: Q&A: Lake Effect Snow
- 04: Q&A: Why the Equinox Isn’t
2016 March
- 28: Science and Art
- 21: What LIGO Detected
- 14: Q&A: What LIGO Proved
- 07: Blue Snow
2016 February
- 29: Q&A: Leap Day Explained
- 22: Q&A: Communicating Science with ET
- 15: Q&A: Talking to ET
- 08: The Palettes of Sunset
- 01: Grand Alignment Photo
2016 January
- 25: Moon and Five Planets in the Morning
- 18: Sky Lore of the Hopi Tribe
- 11: Q&A: Why Radio Telescopes can See Farther than Optical Telescopes
- 04: Q&A: Why 2016 Will be a Leap Year
2015 December
- 28: Q&A: Why the Year Starts on January 1st
- 21: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Sighted?
- 14: Q&A: Buying Your First Telescope
- 07: The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe
2015 November
- 30: Q&A: Contrails vs. Chemtrails
- 23: Q&A: The Arizona Earthquake of Nov 1, 2015
- 16: Not All Clouds Have Silver Linings
- 09: Virtual Reality Astronomy
- 02: Smashing the Crystalline Sphere
2015 October
- 26: Triple Conjunction in the Morning
- 19: The September 2015 Lunar Eclipse
- 12: Q&A: Why Jupiter Doesn’t Condense
- 05: The Longest Moonrise
2015 September
- 28: Q&A: Geosynchronous Satellites
- 21: 2015 Harvest Moon Total Eclipse
- 14: The Shape of Thunderstorm Clouds
- 07: The Lake Pleasant Rain Engine
2015 August
- 31: Sunset in the East
- 24: Q&A: Earth’s Other Moons
- 17: Q&A: What Happens When a Meteor Hits the ISS
- 10: The 2015 Perseid Meteor Shower
- 03: Sun Pillar Sunset
2015 July
- 27: Q&A: Why Distant Mountains Look Blue
- 20: New Horizons Reaches Pluto – Part 2
- 13: Earth’s Shadow Rising
- 06: New Horizons Reaches Pluto – Part 1
2015 June
- 29: June 30 Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus
- 22: Q&A: Getting to Space Without a Rocket
- 15: Serene Sunrise Sequence
- 08: Q&A: Measuring the Darkness of Your Night Sky
- 01: Q&A: Another Wisconsin Aurora
2015 May
- 25: Circular Rainbows
- 18: May 22 Saturn Opposition
- 11: Fallstreak Holes
- 04: Altostratus Undulatus Captured
2015 April
- 27: Q&A: Which Direction is Up
- 20: Q&A: Strange Blob in the Sky – Part 2
- 13: Q&A: Strange Blob in the Sky – Part 1
- 06: Q&A: Wisconsin Aurora
2015 March
- 30: April 4, 2015 Lunar Eclipse
- 23: The Brightest Trio in the Sky
- 16: Q&A: Lowest Possible Lunar Orbit
- 09: Corkscrew Contrail
- 02: Strange Cloud Explained
2015 February
- 23: Fog to Smog
- 16: February 20, 2015 Triple Conjunction
- 09: February 6, 2015: Jupiter at Opposition
- 02: Q&A: Burning a Hole Through a Cloud
2015 January
- 26: Leap Seconds
- 19: January 2015 Conjunction of Venus and Mercury
- 12: Comet Lovejoy in January 2015
- 05: Q&A: Why the Year Starts on January 1st
2014 December
- 29: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Sighted?
- 22: Q&A: The Winter Solstice
- 15: Q&A: Your Cosmic Address
- 08: The Orion Launch: December 5, 2014
- 01: Q&A: Red Rainbows
2014 November
- 24: Star Hopping to Neptune
- 17: ESA Comet Landing
- 10: Q&A: Why Clouds Have Colors
- 03: Same Eclipse, Three Takes
2014 October
- 27: Unusual Cloud #592
- 20: Partial Solar Eclipse on October 23
- 13: Q&A: Transient Lunar Phenomena
- 06: Total Lunar Eclipse on October 8
2014 September
- 29: 2014 Conjunction of Mars and Antares
- 22: Q&A: To See the Southern Cross
- 15: Harvest Moon Rising
- 08: Harvest Moon on September 9
- 01: Touch a Star
2014 August
- 25: The Time of Sunrise and Sunset
- 18: How to Use a Telescope
- 11: Poetry for Stargazers
- 04: Q&A: How Much of the Earth Can Be Seen
2014 July
- 28: What Causes Thunder
- 21: What Causes Lightning
- 14: Q&A: The Arizona Monsoon
- 07: Q&A: What a Black Hole Looks Like v.2
2014 June
- 30: Orographic Volcano
- 23: Saguaro Moonrise
- 16: Q&A: Meteor Showers and the ISS
- 09: Camelopardalid Bust
- 02: Q&A: Why Fireflies Synchronize
2014 May
- 26: The World’s Oldest Profession
- 19: Q&A: The Distance from Which a Candle Can Be Seen
- 12: Saturn at Opposition on May 10
- 05: Q&A: How We Measure the Distance to the Moon
2014 April
- 28: GMT vs. UTC
- 21: Equinox Sunset
- 14: Total Lunar Eclipse
- 07: Mars at Opposition
2014 March
- 31: One Weird Cloud
- 24: Q&A: Catching a Ball on the Moon
- 17: The 2014 Vernal Equinox
- 10: Q&A: Throwing a Ball to the Moon
- 03: Gems in the Sky
2014 February
- 24: Q&A: Exoplanets
- 17: NASA’s Most Famous Photo
- 10: Q&A: The Fastest Rocket
- 03: Earth and Sky Divided
2014 January
- 27: Conjunction of Mercury and the Moon
- 20: More Pink Snow
- 13: Very Young Moon
- 06: Jupiter at Opposition
2013 December
- 30: Q&A: Why the Year Starts on January 1st
- 23: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Spotted?
- 16: Waterfall in the Sky
- 09: The Brightest Things in the Sky
- 02: Q&A: Fire in the Sky
2013 November
- 25: Comet ISON in December 2013
- 18: Venus in Sagittarius
- 11: Q&A: How to Find the ISS
- 04: How to Find the Sun
2013 October
- 28: Venus at Greatest Elongation
- 21: Part 3: The Difference Between Weather and Climate
- 14: Part 2: The Difference Between Weather and Climate
- 07: Part 1: The Difference Between Weather and Climate
2013 September
- 30: Updrafts and Cloud Formation
- 23: The International Dateline Explained
- 16: Q&A: Where the Sun Goes at Night
- 09: Quintuple Conjunction in the West
- 02: An Optical Puzzle: Solved
2013 August
- 26: Q&A: How Altimeters Measure Altitude
- 19: Q&A: Water in the Atmosphere
- 12: Light and Color at Sunset
- 05: The 2013 Perseid Meteor Shower
2013 July
- 29: Q&A: Overcast Skies and Unusual Sunsets
- 22: Q&A: Barometric Air Pressure
- 15: Q&A: What Causes Tides
- 08: The Hubble XDF
- 01: Q&A: Where Stars Come From
2013 June
- 24: Q&A: What Clouds Are
- 17: Saguaro Sunset
- 10: Saturn in Virgo
- 03: Q&A: Consequences of Light Pollution
2013 May
- 27: Music From Space
- 20: How Telescopes Work – Part 2
- 13: Fake Sunrise
- 06: Q&A: How the Space Station Stays in Orbit
2013 April
- 29: Q&A: The Meaning of Visibility
- 22: Sunset on Mars
- 15: Q&A: Seeing Earth from Space
- 08: How Telescopes Work – Part 1
- 01: Q&A: Of Easter, the Equinox, and Balancing Eggs
2013 March
- 25: Terrestrial Earthshine
- 18: Q&A: The Setting Crescent Moon
- 11: Q&A: Why February has 28 Days
- 04: Q&A: St. Elmo’s Fire Explained
2013 February
- 25: Asteroid 2012 DA14 Narrowly Misses Earth
- 18: Meteor Explodes Over Russia
- 11: Massive Aurora Seen From Space
- 04: Atmospheric Extinction
2013 January
- 28: See Elusive Planet Mercury
- 21: Jupiter in Taurus
- 14: Winter Solstice Rainbow
- 07: Q&A: Why the Year Starts on January 1st
2012 December
- 31: Q&A: Buying and Naming Your Own Star
- 24: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Spotted?
- 17: Q&A: The Winter Solstice
- 10: The Geminid Meteor Shower
- 03: Q&A: Seeing the Sun Safely
2012 November
- 26: Triple Feature in the East
- 19: The Big Moon Photo Hoax
- 12: How the Moon Changes
- 05: How Hurricane Sandy Became a Superstorm
2012 October
- 29: Q&A: How a Skydiver Broke the Sound Barrier
- 22: Q&A: Why the Days are Getting Shorter
- 15: Evolution of a Sunset
- 08: Sky Lights #200!
- 01: Atmospheric Display with Moon and Clouds
2012 September
- 24: Young Moon
- 17: The Colors of Rain
- 10: Q&A: The Terminator
- 03: Blue Moon Rising
2012 August
- 27: Q&A: Blue Moon
- 20: The Geometry of Transits
- 13: Conjunction of Saturn, Mars, and Spica
- 06: Why Some Clouds Resemble Things
2012 July
- 30: The Blue Marble
- 23: Proof We Went to the Moon
- 16: Q&A: Orange Moon Rising
- 09: Q&A: Global Warming
- 02: Q&A: Linear Orbits
2012 June
- 25: The June 4th Partial Lunar Eclipse
- 18: Q&A: Why Orbits are Not Circular
- 11: Q&A: Observing the Sun Safely
- 04: The June 5-6, 2012 Transit of Venus
2012 May
- 28: The May 20, 2012 Annular Eclipse
- 21: Q&A: Super Moon
- 14: May 20th Solar Eclipse
- 07: Q&A: Why Stars Twinkle
2012 April
- 30: Iridescent Clouds
- 23: Light & Shadow: Sunrise on the Moon
- 16: Pink Snow?
- 09: Q&A: How They Steer Hot Air Balloons
- 02: Q&A: Venus at Greatest Elongation
2012 March
- 26: Circumpolar Constellations
- 19: Q&A: Balancing an Egg on the Spring Equinox
- 12: Electronic Billboards
- 05: Double Rainbows
2012 February
- 27: My Worst Astrophotograph (So Far)
- 20: Q&A: The Aurora
- 13: The Hunters and the Hunted
- 06: Q&A: Lenticular Clouds
2012 January
- 30: Earth at Perihelion
- 23: My Brightest Ever Sun Dog
- 16: Q&A: Smog and Inversions
- 09: Q&A: Holiday Decorations and Light Pollution
- 01: Q&A: Why the Year Starts on January 1st
2011 December
- 26: Q&A: Leap Year in 2012
- 19: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh Spotted?
- 12: What Earth Looks Like from the Moon
- 05: The Seven Sisters
2011 November
- 28: Q&A: Full Moon with Corona
- 21: Q&A: The Evening Star
- 14: Light Pollution of a New Kind
- 07: Eye – Brain – Hand
2011 October
- 31: Spooky Things in the Sky
- 24: How Dark Is Your Sky?
- 17: Q&A: Why There Are No Green Stars
- 10: Q&A: Sun Dogs Again
- 03: Q&A: Apollo 18
2011 September
- 26: Q&A: Highway Mirages
- 19: The Autumnal Equinox
- 12: Wind Curl & Divergence
- 05: Q&A: The Face on Mars
2011 August
- 29: Dust Storms
- 22: Planet vs. Star
- 15: Q&A: Meteors Seen from Space
- 08: The Perseid Meteor Shower
- 01: Rain is a Local Phenomenon
2011 July
- 15: How a Sunset can be Violet or Indigo
- 08: Why Some Sunsets are Not Red
- 01: Why Most Sunsets are Red
2010 August
- 15: Crepuscular Rays + Silver Linings
- 01: Q&A: Silver Linings
2010 July
- 15: The Summer Triangle
- 01: Scorpion on the Meridian
2010 May
- 15: Q&A: Rain that Doesn’t
- 01: Q&A: Polar Satellites
2010 April
- 15: Q&A: The Total Number of Stars
- 01: Q&A: Crepuscular Rays
2010 March
- 15: Q&A: Canines Howling at the Moon
- 01: Q&A: The Distance to Space
2010 February
- 15: How the Size of a Star Relates to Brightness
- 01: Q&A: Dust Devils
2010 January
- 15: Q&A: Weather Balloons Revisited
- 01: Q&A: Strange Trails in the Sky
2008 June
- 15: Q&A: The Meaning of Ceiling
- 01: Q&A: The Analemma
2008 March
- 15: The Vernal Equinox
- 08: Q&A: Weather Balloon Sighting
- 01: Good Dog, Want a Treat?
2008 February
- 15: Triple Planetary Conjunction
- 08: Q&A: The Shape of Lightning Bolts
- 01: Far Out February Fireworks
2008 January
- 15: The Big Fish
- 08: Red Planet Rising
- 01: Q&A: Holiday Lights vs. Astronomy
2007 December
- 28: The Age of Aquarius
- 21: Q&A: Santa’s Sleigh
- 14: The Winter Solstice
2007 November
- 15: Q&A: Silver Linings on Clouds
- 01: Q&A: Desert Dust
2007 October
- 25: The Great Galaxy in Andromeda
- 01: How to Find the Nearest Galaxy
2007 September
- 15: Q&A: Virga
- 08: Q&A: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- 01: Q&A: Why Stars Shine
2007 August
- 15: Three Easy Stars
- 08: Q&A: Pigs Can Fly!
- 01: Jupiter is Looking Good
2007 July
- 22: Q&A: Heat Lightning
- 15: Scorpion on the Meridian
- 08: Q&A: The Sun is a Star
2007 June
- 29: Summer Triangle Rising
- 15: Conjunction of Saturn and Venus
- 01: Why the Year is One Year Long
2007 May
- 23: Q&A: Dust Devils
- 16: Venus as the Evening Star
2007 April
- 22: Q&A: Weird Sky in Cabo
- 15: Winter Setting
- 08: Q&A: False Sun
- 01: Far South on the Sphere
2007 March
- 15: Q&A: Egg Balancing on the Equinox
- 01: Q&A: Sun Pillars Revisited
2007 February
- 15: Q&A: Earthshine
- 01: Q&A: The Great Moon Hoax (Not)
2007 January
- 15: Q&A: Earth at Perihelion
- 01: Q&A: Starting the New Year
2006 November
- 22: Q&A: Stars vs. Planets
- 15: The Invisible Crane
- 08: Q&A: Leonid Meteor Shower
2006 October
- 25: Q&A: Iridium Flare
- 18: Light Pollution Test
- 11: Q&A: Sun Dogs
- 04: Hercules – A Closer Look
2006 September
- 27: Q&A: Pluto Demoted to Dwarf Planet
- 13: Q&A: Sun Pillars
- 06: Harvest Moon
2006 August
- 30: Can You Find the Milky Way?
- 23: Q&A: Lightning Hazard!
- 09: Q&A: Perseid Meteor Shower
- 02: Morning Star Rising
2006 July
- 26: Q&A: Night Lights Problem
- 12: Q&A: Sunset and Twilight
- 05: Jupiter on the Meridian
2006 June
- 14: Double Star in Cygnus
- 07: Q&A: Canines and the Moon
2006 May
- 31: Conjunction of Mars and Saturn
- 24: The Not-So-Mighty Hercules
- 17: Q&A: Why They Call it Space
- 10: Saturn and Mars in Gemini
- 03: Q&A: Desert Foothills Astronomy Club
2006 April
- 19: Q&A: Daylight Saving Time
- 05: Q&A: Problems with a New Telescope
2006 March
- 29: The Perpetual Race
- 08: Q&A: New Astronomy Club in North Phoenix
- 01: Lion on the Prowl
2006 February
- 22: Q&A: Sky Lights Slogan
- 15: Saturn Displays its Rings
- 08: Q&A: New Angle on M31
2006 January
- 11: Q&A: Perihelion Explained
2005 December
- 28: The Ultimate Answer …
2005 November
- 23: Q&A: UFO
- 16: Mouth of the Fish
- 09: Q&A: Mars Close to Earth
- 02: Venus Shines in Sagittarius
2005 October
- 12: Q&A: The Size of the Universe
2005 September
- 28: Q&A: What a Black Hole Looks Like
- 21: Test Your Eyesight on Alcor
- 14: Q&A: Difference Between a Star and a Planet
- 07: The Elusive Little Dipper
2005 August
- 31: Q&A: Sundials vs. Moondials
- 24: Q&A: Seeing the Center of the Milky Way
- 17: The Teapot Simmers
- 03: To Twinkle or Not
2005 July
- 27: Q&A: Polar Satellites
- 13: Q&A: Light Pollution Defined
- 06: Two Inferior Planets Visible
2005 June
- 22: Q&A: Summer Solstice
- 08: Q&A: The Moon Illusion
2005 May
- 18: Q&A: Buying a Star
- 11: Q&A: Retrograde Explained
- 04: Western Double Feature
2005 April
- 27: Q&A: No Telescope? No Problem.
- 20: Jupiter as a Celestial Clock
- 13: Q&A: Jupiter Getting Brighter
- 06: Three Easy Objects
2005 March
- 30: How to Find the North Star
- 23: Q&A: Ring Around the Moon
- 02: The Double Cluster
2005 February
- 23: Q&A: Huygens Probe Dropped on Titan
- 16: The Hunters and the Hunted
- 09: Q&A: Light Year Defined
- 02: Cepheus the King
2005 January
- 26: The Southern Cross
- 19: Triple Feature in the East
- 12: Q&A: Big Dipper Visibility
2004 December
- 29: Orion the Hunter
- 22: Q&A: Origins of Celestial Names
- 01: The Seven Sisters
2004 October
- 27: Q&A: Weird Moon Phase
- 20: Lunar Eclipse
- 13: Q&A: Rare Moonrise Apparition
2004 September
- 08: Q&A: What the Milky Way Really Is
2004 July
- 28: Q&A: The Impact of Smog on Light Pollution
2004 June
- 30: Q&A: Why Some Stars on Our Charts are Not Visible