So you’ve read about the big asteroid that collided with Earth 65 million years ago, wiping out the dinosaurs and leaving a 200km crater beneath the Yucutan peninsula.  You’ve heard all the wacky theories about the Tunguska incident and understand that it was just a small solar system body impacting Earth and detonating in the atmosphere (even if there’s still debate about the details).  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see such an impact for … Continue reading →

Most people have seen many Rainbows in their lives, and know that they have something to do with the sun shining through rain.  But the simple elements of water, ice and sunlight produce an astounding array of beautiful effects, of which the rainbow is merely the most common.  Most, like Halos and Sundogs, have been known to those who keep an eye on the sky for centuries.  The ethereal Glory, on the other hand, was only discovered recently as it … Continue reading →

continued from yesterday – Part 1 The second day of the symposium started with an interesting talk by Professor Barbara Cunow of the University of South Africa (Unisa).  Unlike many professional astronomers, she finds the time to continue her own amateur observations and has been monitoring Saturn for the past thirty years.  She does it the old fashioned way, too – through the same six inch reflector she used as a school girl, sketching the view by hand.  Over the … Continue reading →