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Skyscrapers Library

Content contributed by the members of Skyscrapers. These articles are usually submittions to The Skyscraper.

Star Patterns in the Night Sky and Two Late Month Meteor Showers

David Huestis; July 2008
Last month I talked about how a casual stargazer can identify the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle and Iridium Flares traversing the night time sky. While the appearance of these man-made objects change from night to night, the star patterns we observe have remained practically unchanged for thousands of years.

Summer Double Stars - Draco

Glenn Chaple; July 2008
A hazy summer evening may prevent you from observing nebulae and galaxies, but it could afford ideal seeing conditions for high power targets like double stars.

The ISS, Space Shuttle and Iridium Flares, Oh My!

David Huestis; June 2008
While you are out there casually stargazing from a dark sky location, you might see some other interesting objects. You’ll see some familiar constellations, and of course there are a few meteors on any clear night. And you might see the Moon and a naked-eye planet or two. But every now and then some unknown object may traverse the sky. You might even see a brief, but bright flash.

May Astronomical Highlights

David Huestis; May 2008

Spring Double Stars - Cancer

Glenn Chaple; April 2008

April Lyrids Meteor Shower

David Huestis; April 2008

A Night With the Messiers

Jim Hendrickson; March 2008

Magnificent Saturn

David Huestis; March 2008

Lunar Disappearing Act

David Huestis; February 2008

Meteor Shower Prospects for 2008

David Huestis; January 2008

Winter Double Stars: Gemini

Glenn Chaple; January 2008

2007

Marvelous Mars

David Huestis; December 2007

Geminid Meteor Shower and other Interesting Astronomical Events for December

David Huestis; December 2007

Excellent Prospects for November's Meteor Showers

David Huestis; November 2007

Autumn Double Stars - Cygnus

Glenn Chaple; October 2007

October Meteor Showers

David Huestis; October 2007

Picture Perfect for the Perseids

David Huestis; August 2007

Total Lunar Eclipse at Moonset

David Huestis; August 2007

Summer Double Stars - Scorpius

Glenn Chaple; July 2007

Astronomical Highlights in June

David Huestis; June 2007

A Couple of Astronomical Highlights for May

David Huestis; May 2007

Spring Double Stars - Corona Borealis

Glenn Chaple; April 2007

Astronomical Events Determine Easter Observance

David Huestis; April 2007

April Meteor Shower

David Huestis; April 2007

Total Lunar Eclipse: an Update

David Huestis; April 2007

Total Lunar Eclipse at Moonrise

David Huestis; March 2007

Winter Double Stars - Orion

Glenn Chaple; January 2007

Meteor Shower Prospects for 2007

David Huestis; January 2007

2006

Geminid Meteor Shower

David Huestis; December 2006

Possible Leonid Meteor Shower Resurgence

David Huestis; November 2006

Transit of Mercury

David Huestis; November 2006

Shooting Stars of October

David Huestis; October 2006

The Little Blue Book That Changed My Life or How I became an Amateur Astronomer

Jerry Jeffrey; September 2006

Our Solar System of Eight Planets

Jim Hendrickson; August 2006

Impactors and Their Possible Explosive Effects on the Earth: Part 1

Jerry Jeffrey; August 2006

How I became an Amateur Astronomer

Marian and Maria Juskuv; August 2006

The August Perseids and the Milky Way

David Huestis; August 2006

Summer Double Stars in Bootes

Glenn Chaple; July 2006

The Pleasures of Jupiter

David Huestis; June 2006

Astronomical Potpourri in June

David Huestis; May 2006

Some Memorable Nights

Gerry Dyck; May 2006

Shooting Stars of May

David Huestis; May 2006

How I became an Amateur Astronomer

Donna Gaumond; May 2006

How I became an Amateur Astronomer

Gerry Dyck; April 2006

Some Bright Spring Double Stars

Glenn Chaple; April 2006

April Meteor Shower

David Huestis; April 2006

The “Conjunction” of Frank Seagrave and Percival Lowell

David Huestis; April 2006

How I became an Amateur Astronomer

Robert Howe; March 2006

Springtime for Stargazers

David Huestis; March 2006

My Life as an Amateur Astronomer

Steve and Sue Hubbard; February 2006

Mid-Winter Astronomy Treats

David Huestis; February 2006

Meteor Shower Prospects for 2006

David Huestis; January 2006

Just Another Planet Book?

Gerry Dyck; January 2006

My Life as an Amateur Astronomer

John Kocur; January 2006

2005

Some Bright Winter Double Stars

Glenn Chaple; December 2005

Geminid Meteor Shower

David Huestis; December 2005

The Mystery of the Christmas Star

David Huestis; December 2005

Annular Solar Eclipse Expedition

; December 2005

Marvelous Mars

David Huestis; November 2005

Mars History Highlights

David Huestis; November 2005

Mediocre Meteors in November

David Huestis; November 2005

Some Bright Autumn Double Stars

Glenn Chaple; October 2005

Shooting Stars of October

David Huestis; October 2005

September Astronomy Highlights

David Huestis; August 2005

Stardust Shower in August

David Huestis; August 2005

Meeting Captain Alan Bean

; August 2005

A Glimpse of Mercury & Two Minor Meteor Showers in July

David Huestis; July 2005

30th Anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

David Huestis; July 2005

Hybrid Eclipse Expedition

; June 2005

Plenty of Planetary Pleasures

David Huestis; June 2005

Some Bright Summer Double Stars

Glenn Chaple; June 2005

Shooting Stars of May

David Huestis; May 2005

A Difficult Month for Local Stargazers

David Huestis; April 2005

Easter and the Astronomical Connection

David Huestis; March 2005

30th Anniversary of the Skyscrapers Portable Planetarium Project

David Huestis; February 2005

Portable Planetarium Show Transcript

David Huestis; February 2005

Saturn's Splendor

David Huestis; February 2005

Meteor Shower Prospects for 2005

David Huestis; January 2005

2004

Comet Machholz in the Northern Sky

David Huestis; December 2004

Mid-December Meteor Shower

David Huestis; December 2004

A Few Shooting Stars in November

David Huestis; November 2004

Catch a Falling Star

David Huestis; October 2004

Prime Time Lunar Eclipse

David Huestis; October 2004

Space Places in Rhode Island: Part IV

David Huestis; September 2004

Stardust Shower in August

David Huestis; August 2004

Astronomical Odds and Ends in July

David Huestis; July 2004

Transit of Venus: A Rare Astronomical Event

David Huestis; June 2004

Another "NEAT" Comet

David Huestis; May 2004

See a "Dirty Snowball" in April

David Huestis; April 2004

March Winds Bring April Meteor Shower

David Huestis; April 2004

ET Phone Earth

David Huestis; March 2004

Stellar Rorschach

David Huestis; February 2004

Astronomical Highlights for 2004

David Huestis; January 2004

2003

Mid-December Meteor Shower

David Huestis; November 2003

Leonid Meteor Shower Back to Normal and November's Total Lunar Eclipse

David Huestis; November 2003

An Historic 8¼" Alvan Clark Returns To It's Former Glory

Allen Hall; October 2003

Catch a Falling Star

David Huestis; October 2003

Mars Mania: Your Guide to a Close Encounter of the Planetary Kind

David Huestis; August 2003

Mooned-out Meteor Shower

David Huestis; August 2003

A Couple of Mid-Summer Meteor Showers

David Huestis; July 2003

Moon and Mercury Amaze in May

David Huestis; May 2003

Pleasure at the Telescope: Observing Jupiter

David Huestis; April 2003

Saturn - The True Lord of the Rings

David Huestis; March 2003

Stardust Memories: Frank E. Seagrave and Halley's Comet

David Huestis; March 2003

2002

Mid-December Meteor Shower

David Huestis; November 2002

One More Time: Leonid Meteor Storm Watch

David Huestis; October 2002

August Perseids Update & Meteor Shower Prospects for October

David Huestis; September 2002

Space Places in Rhode Island

David Huestis; August 2002

Mid-Summer Meteor Shower

David Huestis; August 2002

Cygnus the Swan

David Huestis; July 2002

Swords of Fire: The Northern Lights

David Huestis; May 2002

A Giant Constellation: Orion

David Huestis; February 2002

1999

Mystery of the Christmas Star

David Huestis; December 1999

It's Full of Stars!

David Huestis; June 1999

1997

Spring Double Stars: The Three Leaps of the Gazelle

Nan D'Antuono; March 1997