With all the comet buzz this year—from C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) to C/2025 R2 (SWAN) to several other icy visitors lighting up our skies—it’s the perfect time to explore what comets really are, how astronomers have studied them through history, and how these ancient wanderers get their names.… Continue reading.
On the evening of October 21, 2025, skywatchers are in for a rare celestial treat: not one but two comets—C/2025 R2 (SWAN) and C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)—will be bright enough to spot with the naked eye. To make the night even more special, it also falls on the new moon, meaning the sky will be as dark as it gets, free of interfering moonlight.… Continue reading.
October is one of the best months of the year to catch a meteor shower. This year, skywatchers get a bonus: two meteor showers active at the same time. The famous Orionids will peak in late October, and the slower but often brighter Southern Taurids will also be putting on a show.… Continue reading.
Meteor Shower – Photo by DAS Member Bart Scully
What Is a Meteor Shower?Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through a trail of debris left by a comet or asteroid. These tiny bits of rock and dust enter our atmosphere and burn up, creating bright streaks of light across the night sky.… Continue reading.
Did you know that when you become a member of the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS), you’re also automatically enrolled in the Astronomical League (AL) at no extra cost? This national organization opens up a whole new world of opportunity for amateur astronomers.… Continue reading.
Do you like looking at stars and want to learn how to find interesting things in the night sky? There’s a free book called The Star Hopper’s Guide to the Universe that can help you with that.… Continue reading.
Each May, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower puts on a show in the early morning sky. These meteors get their name because they appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, near the star Eta Aquarii. The Eta Aquariids are known for their fast, bright meteors and are especially exciting because they are connected to one of the most famous comets in history—Halley’s Comet.… Continue reading.
Every April, the night sky lights up with a dazzling display of shooting stars during the Lyrid meteor shower. The Lyrids get their name because they seem to radiate from the constellation Lyra, which contains the bright star Vega.… Continue reading.
At a recent Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) Astronomical Observing 101 class, some students were surprised when the instructor, former DAS Vice President, Dr. Mehmet Unsoy, told them that the Big Dipper is not actually a constellation. Instead, it’s something called an asterism in the larger constellation Ursa Minor!… Continue reading.
The Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large galaxy to our own Milky Way, has been visible to the naked eye for as long as humans have gazed at the stars. The first recorded observation dates back to 964 CE when the Persian astronomer Al-Sufi described it as a “little cloud.”… Continue reading.