Colorado’s list of places protecting the night sky continues to grow. The rural community of Old Snowmass has officially been designated an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky International, recognizing years of local work to reduce light pollution and preserve the natural beauty of the night.… Continue reading.
Zodiacal light is a faint, glowing band of light that stretches across the night sky. It looks like a soft triangle of light rising up from the horizon. This glow appears along the path the Sun travels through the sky, called the ecliptic.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
March 9: 🔭 Catch the Great Red Spot of Jupiter transiting the surface of the gas giant from the perspective of Earth high in the southwestern sky in the constellation Gemini from 10:15 PM until 2:10 AM.… Continue reading.
Charles Messier was a French astronomer who lived from 1730 to 1817. Working in Paris during the late 1700s, Messier was passionate about discovering comets. In an era when comet discoveries brought great scientific prestige, he spent countless nights scanning the skies with a 100 mm refracting telescope.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
March 2: 👀 Look for the waxing gibbous Worm Moon near Regulus, the bright heart of the lion in the constellation Leo in the eastern sky around 6:30 PM 🌔 The waxing gibbous Worm Moon reaches its Descending Node (this alignment where the Moon’s angular orbit crosses the ecliptic makes it possible for the Total Eclipse in the early morning hours of March 3rd): 10:36 PM March 3: 👀 Check out the Total Lunar Eclipse of the Full Worm Moon: Partial eclipse begins at 2:50 AM, totality begins at 4:04 AM, and the greatest eclipse occurs at 4:33 AM 🌕 Full Worm Moon: 4:37 AM: Qdoba offers free chips and queso every full moon of 2026 with the purchase of an entrée.… Continue reading.
The upcoming total eclipse of the full Worm Moon on March 3, 2026, presents a remarkable opportunity for Denver skywatchers to observe this celestial event. Here’s a comprehensive guide covering the timing, phases, scientific background, and observing tips.
What Causes Lunar Eclipses and What’s a Blood Moon?… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
February 23: 👀 Look for the waxing crescent Worm Moon near the Pleiades, the brilliant open star cluster also known as Messier 45 high in the southern sky in the constellation Taurus around 7:00 PM 🖥️ DAS E-Board Meeting: Virtual meeting via Zoom (check membership email and slack for details): 7:00 PM February 24: 🖥️ Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI): Discovering the Least-Massive Brown Dwarfs Known with the James Webb Space Telescope: Free virtual program on YouTube: 5:00 PM 🌓 First Quarter Worm Moon: 5:28 AM 🌓 The first quarter Worm Moon reaches perigee, its closest point to our planet in its orbit around us at 370,135km: 5:25 PM February 25: 🎤 60 Minutes in Space with Dr.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
February 16 (Presidents’ Day): Tonight is a great night to catch the Great Red Spot of Jupiter with a telescope high overhead in the constellation Gemini, as the giant, spiral storm makes its way across the face of the gas giant between approximately 7:00 and 11:00PM February 17: NASA Night Sky Network: A Storm of Stars: Knowing the Milky Way from Star Counts to Gravitational Waves with Shane Larson: Free Virtual Event via YouTube: 7:00 PM New Worm Moon: 5:01 AM Annular Solar Eclipse.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
February 9: DAS Annual Meeting: Artemis and Beyond! Human Missions to the Moons of the Solar System and DAS Election Results (Free public program): In-person at Secular Hub📍: 7:00 PM Third Quarter Snow Moon: 5:43 AM February 10: AAA Design, Construction and Scientific Promise of the Vera Rubin Observatory with Steve Ritz (UCSC) (Free virtual program): Online via Zoom (registration required): 5:00 PM The waning crescent Snow Moon reaches apogee, it’s farthest point from Earth in its orbit at 404,576km, at 11:00 AM February 11: Look for the waning crescent Snow Moon near Antares, the bright red supergiant star at the heart of the scorpion, in the constellation Scorpius in the southeastern sky between 4:00 AM and sunrise.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
February 2: Catch the waning gibbous Snow Moon near Regulus and the Sickle Asterism: look for the moon to add to the already bright alpha star In the constellation Leo at the tip of the backward question mark that is known as the Sickle asterism in the eastern skies around 8:00 PM.… Continue reading.