Astro Update – August

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The Hubble Space Telescope shut down all observations on June 13 because of a failure in its payload computer, which controls all its onboard instruments. On the ground, operators switched the telescope to use the backup payload computer, but that didn’t fix the issue. Continue reading.

Skyward – August

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“How would you like to go to prison?” was one of the first things that Frank Lopez asked me. My stunned expression prompted Frank to clarify: “The Federal prison off Wilmot Road has an astronomy club.” That was enough... Continue reading.

Meet Fellow DAS Member – Greg Fogarty

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Greg Fogarty is an astroimager, and after spending decades refining his craft, his photos of cosmic objects are vivid and eye-catching. Even for him, it’s difficult to select one favorite. Continue reading.

Astro Update – July

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All solar panels sent to the surface of Mars eventually collect enough dust to seriously degrade the power generated. Sometimes a passing windstorm or dust devil will clean some of the dust off, restoring power. Unfortunately, nature has not cleaned the solar panels on the InSight lander... Continue reading.

President’s Corner – June

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Greetings, fellow Denver Astronomical Club members. I hope that the end of our rainy streak has enabled you to get out under relatively clear night skies and enjoy some long-overdue stargazing. I missed the spectacle of Mercury being higher in the sky than Venus, heading back outdoors apparently just a minute or two after Venus set.… Continue reading.

Skyward – July

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“Nature had spoken to him.” By David H. Levy with Roy L. Bishop

Gravity is one of the most fundamental things in physics. Everything and everyone has gravity. The more massive something is, the more gravity it has. When you jump into the air, Earth’s gravity brings you back down.… Continue reading.

Meet Fellow DAS Member – David Chandler

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By Mark Laurin

David Chandler has been an avid sky watcher for decades, and an active member of the Denver Astronomical Society. He’s also famous for inventing the Night Sky Planisphere, a ubiquitous star-finding tool that astronomers around the world use to spot stars and constellations in the night sky. 

Astro Update – June

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Astronomy and space news summarized by Don Lynn from NASA and other sources

Ingenuity – The Mars helicopter Ingenuity completed its planned five test flights. The final one of these included landing at a new site that it had not touched before (though it took images of the site during its previous flight), and climbing to a record altitude of 33 feet.… Continue reading.

Skyward – June

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Faint Fuzzies By David H. Levy

The night before last, a comet named Palomar (actually known as C (for comet)/ 2020 T2 Palomar) was gliding near one of the most beautiful clusters of stars in the entire sky. It was parading about at about magnitude 11, which means that for my oldish eyes, it would be too faint to see.… Continue reading.

Astro Update – May

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Astronomy and space news summarized by Don Lynn from NASA and other sources

Black Hole Magnetic Field – In 2019, astronomers unveiled the first ever picture of a black hole, or more precisely, the material surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87.… Continue reading.

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