Backyard Astronomer - Delta College Public Radio

Latest Episodes:

3/13/23 - See The Asteroid Ceres Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

This month offers a unique opportunity to see an asteroid with your own eyes - the largest asteroid in the solar system, Ceres!

3/6/23 - Watch The Northern Lights Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

The sun is headed toward its peak storm activity and that is why there are more reports of Northern Lights right now. Get some tips on how to watch for the "Aurora Borealis"!

2/27/23 - Waxing Gibbous Moon Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

All this week, the phase of the moon grows larger and brighter as it moves from First Quarter toward Full. We call this period the “waxing gibbous moon” as the oval shape becomes wider and more rounded.

2/20/23 - Venus Meets Jupiter Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Look low in the west near the end of evening twilight and you should see two exceptionally bright stars. On closer inspection, you might notice that they don't twinkle very much. That's because you're looking at the planets Venus and Jupiter!

2/13/23 - The Winter Triangle Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Three bright stars form a giant triangle in the southern sky known as the Winter Triangle. And like Orion’s Belt, it can make for an excellent pointer and guidepost to the winter night sky.

2/6/23 - The Great Orion Nebula Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

As the moon wanes and rises later each night, the early evening skies are dark again, allowing us to see the faint deep sky marvels of winter. One of the most famous is actually visible to the naked eye – the Great Orion Nebula.

1/30/23 - The Snow Moon Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

The February Full Moon is often times called the Snow Moon because of the heavy snowfall typical in this month. But it’s also been referred to as the Hunger Moon or Bone Moon by Native Americans because of the lack of food.

1/23/23 - Comet ZTF Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

You might have heard that there's a big green comet coming our way. But how bright is it really going to get?

1/16/23 - Venus & Saturn Conjunction Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

As the planets slowly move among the stars, sometimes they appear close to each other in the sky – a meetup called a conjunction. The planets Venus and Saturn will be in just such a conjunction on January 23rd.

1/9/23 - Pollux and Castor Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

About two hours after sunset, look halfway up the eastern sky for two bright stars that are relatively close to one another. These are Pollux and Castor, the heads of Gemini the Twins.