Jimmy Westlake: Be a proud Ophiuchan
Raise your hand if you’re an Ophiuchan. Hmm … I’m not seeing many hands out there. Perhaps you are an Ophiuchan and you don’t know it. Allow me to explain.
Jimmy Westlake: Don’t miss the double evening star
The solar system’s two innermost planets, Mercury and Venus, behave differently than the rest of the planets.
Jimmy Westlake: Spot Ariadne’s crown
One of the smallest of our 88 constellations shines down on us in the late spring and early summer.
Jimmy Westlake: Three Leaps of the Gazelle
I love star lore. The legends and stories attached to the stars carry us back centuries and tell us not only about the stars, but also about the stargazers of old.
Jimmy Westlake: Planets gather in evening sky
The five naked-eye planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — are among the brightest objects visible in our earthly sky. These wandering stars occasionally pass close to one another as they thread their way through the 12 constellations of the zodiac.
Jimmy Westlake: Bootes, the celestial cowboy
There are 88 constellations in our sky and only one of them begins with the letter B. Know which one it is? It’s Bootes, the Herdsman.
Jimmy Westlake: Libra – the misfit of the Zodiac
In the course of one year, the sun makes a 360-degree circuit of the celestial sphere, passing in front of 12 different constellations in the background. These are the 12 constellations of the zodiac.
Jimmy Westlake: Saturn moves into our evening sky
For the past few months, Jupiter has been the only planet visible during the early evening. Well, move over, Jupiter — Saturn is moving in.
Jimmy Westlake: Conquering the Hydra
What has nine heads, deadly breath, poisonous blood and stretches nearly one-third of the way around the whole sky? It’s the dreaded sea serpent known as the Hydra, defeated by Hercules in the second of his twelve labors and now forming the largest of our 88 constellations.
Jimmy Westlake: The big and little dippers
The celestial Bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, are coming out of their winter hibernation and can be seen parading around the north celestial pole this month.
Jimmy Westlake: Diamond in the sky
The Spring Diamond asterism, also known as the Virgin’s Diamond, is marked at its corners by four of the brightest stars adorning the spring sky.
Jimmy Westlake: Bidding farewell to Comet PanSTARRS
Comet PanSTARRS, the first of two bright comets expected this year, already has reached its peak brightness and is fading as it heads back to the outer solar system.
Jimmy Westlake: Auroras return to the Yampa Valley
It’s been a long time since the aurora borealis has been seen in the Yampa Valley. The last good one I can recall was in November 2004. While most folks were snug in their beds during the wee hours of St. Patrick’s Day morning, a 1-billion-ton cloud of hot plasma, ejected from the sun Friday, slammed into the Earth’s protective magnetic field and sparked a moderate geomagnetic storm, sending auroras as far south as northern Colorado.
Jimmy Westlake: Comet PanSTARRS at its peak
Comet PanSTARRS has entered our evening sky and will be at its very best in the week ahead. The comet is intrinsically bright, but it is so close to the sun right now that it cannot be viewed in a totally darkened sky.
Jimmy Westlake: Advice for buying your 1st telescope
With the news that a couple of spectacular comets could grace our skies this year, you might be thinking about purchasing a telescope to get a better view. Here are some tips for first-time telescope buyers that I hope will prove helpful.
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