Do you watch space movies? How many have you seen with the hero’s spaceship travelling a dangerous route through the asteroid belt, bobbing and weaving to miss catastrophic collisions with numerous asteroids in order to escape and save the Solar System! Today, we are going to find out what travelling through the asteroid belt would really look like.

Western Slope Skies

Western Slope Skies - Fun with Asteroids

When it comes to astronomy, the dark night skies of the Western Slope command most of our attention. It can be easy to forget that the most important astronomical object actually lives in the daytime sky: the Sun!

Western Slope Skies - The Sun Awakens

A starry night sky sparkles with mysteries, such as whether Earth is the only inhabited planet. Are we alone?

Western Slope Skies - Traveling with TESS

Step outside on a clear night this week and gaze upward. You’ll see a bright gibbous Moon – or a full Moon on January 28.

Western Slope Skies - Geology of the Moon

The Moon is iconic, seen and enjoyed from anywhere on Earth. It is so coveted that the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in a space race to see who could reach the Moon first. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first to land on its surface. This race inspired the first international space treaty . Dubbed “the Outer Space Treaty,” the 1960s document governed the first international laws about space and forbade any single country from owning celestial bodies, including the Moon. Instead, they were to be enjoyed and studied by all.

Western Slope Skies - Mining the Moon

2021 promises to be a great year for watchers of our Western Slope Skies. The New Year will feature two lunar eclipses, Perseid meteors under a dark August sky, several planetary conjunctions, and increasing solar activity.

Western Slope Skies - Astronomy Highlights for 2021

Humans have always felt connected to the night sky. Throughout time, we have looked to the stars and found meaning. We have grouped stars into constellations and attached stories to them. These constellations were passed down, generation to generation, creating and influencing culture. However, different cultures haven’t always seen the same things, even in the same stars. Humans have been looking at the stars of the constellation Orion for thousands of years, yet their meaning is different in different cultures.

Western Slope Skies - Same Stars, Different Stories

The American West of the 1500s would be almost unrecognizable to us moderns. For a moment, step into the shoes of a Native American or an early European explorer. Imagine sharing mountains, forests, and prairies with wild creatures like the American Bison .

Western Slope Skies - Deeds In Outer Space

Have you ever tried to count the stars on a crisp, clear night, far from city lights? It is not for the numerically faint of heart.

Western Slope Skies - The Starry Dark

Over the next week, the Full Moon will light up the otherwise dark skies of the Western Slope. While a spectacular sight in its own right, the glow of the Full Moon overwhelms many fainter stars and the fuzzy glow of the Milky Way from our sky. Even once it departs, something else often prevents us from getting the best view of the night sky, and it all starts with your own two eyes.

Western Slope Skies - Seeing in the Dark

Astronomers announced the surprising possibility of life on Venus last month, based on the discovery of phosphine in the atmosphere. What is phosphine? And are we really ready to reclassify Venus from scary greenhouse-effect nightmare to potentially livable place?

Western Slope skies - Phosphine & Venus

As evening twilight deepens, look to the east. You’ll see a brilliant red star rising. That star is actually not a star, but the planet Mars. Over the next several weeks, we on Earth will be swinging by Mars on our faster orbit about the Sun, allowing for great views of our planetary neighbor.

Western Slope Skies - Mars in October

“We are here.” That is the first thing I tell people at a national park visitor center, as I point to our location on a park map. Even if they didn’t ask, hearing it always seems to be a relief.

Western Slope Skies - Our Galactic Address

You don’t have to travel to a national park to enjoy the night sky, especially here on the Western Slope. Even in the midst of Montrose, we can see a faint Milky Way streaming over our sleeping town. Connecting to our universe from the comfort of home is not only possible, but enjoyable, and a good way to let go of pandemic stress.

Western Slope Skies - Night Sky From Home

The best time to see the Milky Way is NOW! Did you know that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate ? Yeah - but I'm not a dung beetle you may say. Ok, did you know that humans use the stars for navigating as well?

Western Slope Skies - Dark Skies

A bi-weekly short feature on astronomy, produced by members of the Black Canyon Astronomical Society.

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Western Slope Skies

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