Preserving and interpreting the natural and cultural resources of the San Dieguito River Valley
Our night skies are transitioning from Spring to Summer in late May to early June, and you can see two, clear signs of that transition. The first sign is that Spring, specifically late May and June, is the perfect time to observe globular clusters. Globular clusters are the mysterious giant balls of stars (usually between… Read More »
There are some special sky events and wonderful deep-sky and solar system objects to observe in March. But March nights can still be very cold even though the March equinox on the night of March 20th (about 3:30 am local time) marks the beginning of spring. The zodiacal light, the soft light from sunlight reflecting… Read More »
One of the earliest signs of spring can be seen in the River Park in the beautiful night skies in March. The great winter constellations, Taurus and Orion, are moving inexorably to the west and Leo is rising to nearly the zenith by 10:00 pm in mid-March. The constellation Leo is easily recognizable as a crouching… Read More »
Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2), discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy on August 17, 2014, is on its outward bound journey back to the distant Oort Cloud. It is still close enough to the Sun to be bright enough to see in a small telescope or large binoculars. This comet is best viewed in March’s… Read More »
The Leonid meteor shower (so named because the meteor trails trace back to a radiant point in the constellation Leo the Lion) will likely peak locally after 12:00 am the night of November 16th-17th. The constellation Leo will be located directly south of the Big Dipper’s bowl and, as an added bonus, Jupiter should be… Read More »
Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is the main attraction in August skies after nightfall. If you look south and low along the horizon, you will see the teapot-shaped constellation Sagittarius (the Teapot). Just above Sagittarius you will see two bright bands of stars that may, if you are at a very dark-sky location, stretch… Read More »
