God: Author of Magnificent Variety

The divine placement of the heavens, the size of the moon, and the characteristics of the moon-earth-sun dance permits and observer to have radically different views of the heavens in one sitting. Light changes on the lunar surface from day to day create endless opportunities to see varied terrain. Eyes… Continue reading

Tale of Two Continents — from Observing M51

It is a most unlikely story when observing a beautiful object leads to a story of two men on two continents who have never met. But that is exactly what this post introduces. The whole affair started simply enough: observe M51, which is a beautiful spiral galaxy in the Northern… Continue reading

The Wonder of the Southern Skies

When I observe in a southern location it is a treat for me because the southern celestial sphere is not always available to me as far south as I would like from my home state (Virginia). The sketch below shows two objects I intended to observe and sketch at the… Continue reading