How to Take a Field Trip to the Next Solar Eclipse
On Monday, April 8, 2024, millions of people in the United States will experience a unique event: a total eclipse of the sun. Below is a guide for planning a field trip to see the next solar eclipse. It's a rare event you won't want to miss! What is a Total Solar...
Planning for the August 27 Planetary Conjunction
What is a planetary conjunction? A planetary conjunction is when two or more planets converge very close together in the sky. What causes a planetary conjunction? During a planetary conjunction, the planets are not actually close to each other in space. It merely...
Astronomy Activity for Kids: “How Big is the Solar System?”
Here's an odd fact: nearly every model of the solar system you've ever seen—every image, every 3D model, every coat-hanger-with-styrofoam-balls project—is wrong. Just wrong. This is because you need an enormous amount of space to create an accurate model. But this...
How a Lunar Eclipse Saved Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus is famous for "discovering" America in 1492 (and sailing the ocean blue). He really didn’t discover America, per se. The Russians, Chinese, and Vikings already knew about it—and, of course, the first people to the Americas were the native...
Andromeda and the Sea Monster
A long time ago in the wondrous land of Ethiopia, there lived a king whose name was Cepheus. He cared about his subjects and always did everything that he could to protect them. Unfortunately, he was married to a beautiful yet vain woman named Cassiopeia. They had a...
Taurus: The Myth of Europa and Jupiter
Once, the land of Sidon was the home of the extraordinarily beautiful princess Europa. Her beauty was such that it caught the ever unfaithful eye of Jupiter, king of the gods. He was enamored with her beauty, and he wished desperately to have her as his own. His...
The Pleiades: The Myth of the Seven Sisters
Once upon a time there lived seven sisters: Maia, Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Calaeno and Merope. They were the hunting companions of the goddess Artemis. One day all seven were playing in a secluded glade in the forest. Their laughter rang merrily through...
Draco: Guardian of the Golden Apples
“Courage is almost contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.” – G.K.Chesterton Though the dropping branches appeared to be inadequate to bear any fruit, Hera knew with patience and time the little sapling, which Zeus...
Corona Borealis: The Crown of Ariadne
“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” – Og Mandino The stars have always been seen as a source of inspiration and the birthplace of many myths and legends. The constellation Corona Borealis, or...
Orpheus in the Underworld
Let me tell you my version of the old love story, for it was I, Orpheus who was a part of this tale. It started one very lovely day when I saw a beautiful young lady. I was a talented musician, as you may know. I played the lyre and, not to brag, but I could make...
Why isn’t Pluto a planet anymore?
Every year I offer to teach a course in our homeschool co-op, and I've taught astronomy many of those years. One year I was given a class of 3rd and 4th graders, and the focus of the class was planetary astronomy. Every week I grilled them on the names of the 8...
What is a Meteor Shower and Why Do They Happen?
A meteor is sometimes called a shooting star or falling star, but a meteor is not a star at all. Meteoroid vs. Meteor vs. Meteorite Space is full of things called meteoroids. These are small bits of rocky or metallic space junk. Most are pebble-sized. When one of...
