Society for Popular Astronomy

That’s a lovely image and with a distinct white spot

I agree with you David that we are out of tune with our great mother the Earth. A great deal of the damage is due to the pursuit of wealth. It’s fake, sour wealth. There’s no conscious social plan, only the vagaries of buying and selling, and the vicious competition it involves, ultimately leading t...

When I see astronauts out in space, it scares me to some extent. After all, those men and women are surrounded by a awesome total vacuum. One mistake or equipment failure and that’s it.
Personally, I prefer to see space while I’m firmly on the ground. What do others think?

It’s been a gorgeous Autumn day in the North West. Autumn is reputed to be a time of year when the atmosphere is steadier and less tremulous than other seasons. This gives better definition in the eyepiece. Good observing.

I wonder what the global reaction would be if extraterrestrial life was discovered?

NASA has announced that it may have discovered a molecule in the atmosphere of an exoplanet that can only be produced by life.
NASA stresses that more data in required to clinch it. We live in interesting times.

Alas Jeff, in this weather pollution levels are high.

Musk isn’t concerned for scientific work that hinders his business interests.

NLC right on time at the Summer Solstice.

As part of a plan to produce a 3-D map of the universe, researchers have observed two million distant galaxies and quasars for the first time. By using robotics to image thousands of pictures of the night sky, researchers at Durham University and an international team examined spectra to reveal the ...

Yes, I remember this Jeff. Robin has a liking for glow-worms.

Glow-worms are beetles. The male has the appearance of a beetle, while the female looks like a larvae. The latter can luminesce, emitting a bright green light at nighttime to attract males for mating. Research has shown that glow-worm numbers are in decline due to light pollution. Jeremy Niven, a pr...

I’m in the process of downsizing too Mike. I recently gave the 8-inch reflector for free to a neighbour. At age eighty the Newtonian was too much for me to lug about, and there’s the nighttime cold. Eventually, I’ll settle for just the DS PST, the modest 70mm refractor, and a binocular or two, espec...

I connected with nature Jeff by listening to the glorious springtime dawn chorus along the local woodland path. Now, the birds are being less exuberant after whistling themselves hoarse.

A decent astronomical refractor with a star diagonal would be my choice, and with an erecting prism for terrestrial use when required.
Decent quality astro-refractors can take higher magnifications than common spotters, and with better definition.