Backyard Astronomer - Delta College Public Radio

Latest Episodes:

5/22/23 - The Waxing Crescent May 23, 2023

Show notes

The week of May 22 offers a perfect opportunity to follow the waxing crescent moon. In this case, “waxing” refers to the crescent shape growing larger each night. It's also a good time to identify some of the dark lava basins called Maria.

5/15/23 - Coma Star Cluster May 15, 2023

Show notes

The early evening sky remains dark for longer periods as the moon rises later each night. This reveals a really nice target for binoculars called the Coma Star Cluster.

5/8/23 - Arc to Arcturus May 09, 2023

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Look for the three stars in the handle of the Big Dipper and you’ll notice they form a curve or arc in the sky that you can use to find the star Arcturus.

5/1/23 - The Moon Illusion May 01, 2023

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This week you can see what’s called the Moon Illusion, that time when the full moon seems so much larger near the horizon than when it’s overhead.

4/24/23 - Arch of Spring Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Mid-April to mid-May is a good time to see a collection of bright stars in the west called "The Arch of Spring." Even though they’ve been around all winter, we notice these stars more when they get lower in the sky because they’re closer to the horizon.

4/17/23 - Lyrid Meteor Shower Apr 17, 2023

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After three months of what people call the meteor drought, the annual Lyrid meteor shower comes to a peak this week.

4/10/23 - Venus and Mercury Apr 10, 2023

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For weeks we’ve been treated to the brilliant planet Venus piercing the western sky after sunset, but during the week of April 10, you’ll have a rare opportunity to glimpse the elusive planet Mercury.

4/3/23 - The Big Dipper Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

If you look high into the northeast after dark, you can find the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper. This is the time of year when the dipper climbs to its highest point in the north, appearing almost directly overhead by month’s end.

3/27/23 - Sea of Tranquility Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

The waxing of quarter to gibbous to full is a good time to see details on the lunar surface. With nothing more than a pair of binoculars, you can make out craters, mountains, and the dark colored plains called "maria," or "seas." Probably the best known maria is the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 made the first manned lunar landing in 1969.

3/20/23 - The Crab and the Beehive Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

While you may know Cancer the Crab as one of the constellations of the zodiac, chances are you’ve never seen it because it’s the faintest of the twelve. But Cancer contains one of the best star clusters for binoculars and small telescopes - The Beehive!

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Backyard Astronomer – Delta College Public Radio

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