Jimmy Westlake columns

Jimmy Westlake: A rodent’s input on a seasonal date

Groundhog Day is coming up this week, marking the midpoint of winter. The tradition of this unusual holiday can be traced back many centuries, though not in the same form that we celebrate it today.

Jimmy Westlake: The full moons of 2013

This month’s Snow Moon provides a wonderful opportunity for a snowshoe hike after sunset — and it just might tell you when that next big snowstorm is coming.

Jimmy Westlake: When the moon meets Jupiter

After the sun goes down Jan. 21, step outside and marvel at the 10-day-old waxing gibbous moon and the dazzling planet Jupiter sitting side by side. The two will be less than 1 degree apart for most of the early evening.

Jimmy Westlake: Winter’s hexagon of stars

At about 8 p.m. on cold January evenings, you can spot the Winter Hexagon of stars. It spotlights eight of the 20 brightest stars in Earthly skies — and five of these are in the top 10: Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon and Betelgeuse.

Jimmy Westlake's 2013 Cosmic Calendar of Celestial Events

Jimmy Westlake’s top 10 celestial events for 2013

2013 will be the Year of the Comet. If they live up to their potential, Comet PanSTARRS and Comet ISON will be the real headline grabbers in 2013, but there are plenty of bright planets and showers of shooting stars to keep us looking up all year long.

Jimmy Westlake: Quadrantid meteors to light the sky

No need to fret if you missed the dazzling Geminid meteor showers earlier this month — January's Quadrantid meteor shower provides another great opportunity to watch so-called "shooting stars" light up the evening sky over Northwest Colorado.

Jimmy Westlake: Doomsday or just another solstice?

I’m a survivor. I must be, but I don’t know how or why. I have survived doomsday many times over and have lived to tell the tale.

Jimmy Westlake: Here come the Geminids

Get ready, because here comes the best meteor shower of the year. It’s the annual Geminid meteor shower and, if the sky is clear, we could be treated to 120 shooting stars per hour on the night of the shower’s peak.

Jimmy Westlake: The colors of Orion

Now that the full moon is out of the way for another month, it’s time to do some stargazing. At the top of your list should be the magnificent constellation of Orion the Hunter.

Jimmy Westlake: Awaiting the big news from Mars

NASA’s intrepid robotic explorer Curiosity has made a significant discovery this month in the red sands of Mars, but NASA officials are being very tight-lipped about what that discovery is.

Jimmy Westlake: Tale of 2 clusters

Stars are born in clusters — families of dozens to hundreds of stars that share the same age and chemical makeup — but they don’t remain in clusters their whole lives.

Jimmy Westlake: Jupiter rules the night

Have you noticed the really bright “star” rising over the eastern mountains shortly after darkness falls? It’s not really a star at all — it’s the giant planet Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.