Author Archives: 7smessier45

All About Aurorae

Posted on March 5, 2023 by 7smessier45

As the title suggests, our topic for today is Earth’s aurorae (pronounced auh-ror-eye). These stunning displays generally occur in two symmetrical oval rings about the planet’s far northern and southern regions–Earth’s magnetic north and south poles. When they happen in the north, aurorae are often referred to as the northern lights or Aurora Borealis. Likewise, […] Continue reading →

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M45 – The Seven Sisters

Posted on February 28, 2023 by 7smessier45

Hey, y’all, and welcome back!  Today, we’re taking a quick jaunt outside our solar system to visit the Pleiades. This grouping of stars–commonly referred to as Messier 45 (M45)–is one of my favorite observables and can be best viewed in January–but the cluster is easily visible from late fall through the winter. The cluster is […] Continue reading →

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Sextants – Then and Now

Posted on February 12, 2023 by 7smessier45

Humans have navigated the open ocean for thousands of years; among the first to do so were the aboriginal Australians and Polynesian seafarers about 50,000 years ago. More recently–but still a few hundred years ago–celestial navigation by Western cultures relied on a navigator’s understanding of the stars (and other heavenly bodies, including the sun), the […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Galileo Galilei

Posted on February 2, 2023 by 7smessier45

The Astronomer Born in late 16th century Italy, Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642) went on to make fundamental contributions to STEM fields and laid the foundations for the scientific revolution. In the field of astronomy, he improved upon existing designs for the telescope. Galileo’s improvements made the tool much more powerful […] Continue reading →

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Blog One – Night Sky Observing

Posted on January 21, 2023 by 7smessier45

In my first post, I briefly mentioned the international dark sky association. This association advocates for the protection of the night sky by leading the fight against light pollution through their efforts at the grassroots up to the international level.  Although cultures around the world have looked up at the night sky for millennia, in […] Continue reading →

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Introduction!

Posted on January 13, 2023 by 7smessier45

Hello, and welcome to my blog! In the subsequent posts, I will document selected portions of my ever-continuing astronomy journey. But first, I’ll share a little about myself. I love learning about astronomy, especially about the historical and mythological significance of the cosmos and specific astronomical objects, events, etc. I also love to travel, especially […] Continue reading →

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