While it was just a TV show, that little speech at the beginning of the original Star Trek show really did do a good job of capturing our feelings about space.  It is those feelings that drive our love of astronomy and our desire to learn more and more about it.   The thing that is most exciting about studying the universe is also the most frustrating and that is that no matter how...

No matter how far along you are in your sophistication as an amateur astronomer, there is always one fundamental moment that we all go back to.  That is that very first moment that we went out where you could really see the cosmos well and you took in the night sky.  For city dwellers, this is a revelation as profound as if we discovered aliens living among us.  Most of us have...

If you’re a non-believer in astrology, spend a little time with the Secret Language of Birthdays by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Eiffers. We guarantee it’ll make a believer outta you. It’s a weighty tome, to be sure. Each birthday gets two full pages of on-target information as well as the usual celebrity birthdates, etc. Now, this is a good book to have. Even better is one of...

Tropical Astrology is the old astrological division of the sky. When the Zodiac was invented, the position of the constellations was written down. But since then, the whole Zodiac has shifted almost a whole sign due to the Precession, so whoever was once born a Virgo, is now probably born a Leo with the personality changes that come with it. Tropical Astrology ignores this and keeps using the...

So is there anything to zodiac compatibility? Does your astrological sign really have anything to do with who your ideal mate is Or who can be the best friend for you? Is there a reason why some siblings are rivals for life, while others are as close as twins? Consider the writer, who is a Virgo, although an atypical Virgo (we think). Her sister is a Capricorn, and according to astrology...

Tropical Astrology is the old astrological division of the sky. When the Zodiac was invented, the position of the constellations was written down. But since then, the whole Zodiac has shifted almost a whole sign due to the Precession, so whoever was once born a Virgo, is now probably born a Leo - with the personality changes that come with it. Tropical Astrology ignores this and keeps using the...

There is a lot of exciting stuff going on in the stars above us that make astronomy so much fun.  The truth is the universe is a constantly changing, moving, some would say “living” thing because you just never know what you are going to see on any given night of stargazing. But of the many celestial phenomenons, there is probably none as exciting as that time you see your...

If you have a passion for star gazing, telescopes, the Hubble and the universe and this thing we call “astronomy”, you are far from alone.  Of course, we know that astronomy is a highly respected science that has produced some of the most amazing accomplishments of the twentieth century.  On top of that, it is a thriving area of fascination and one of the most exciting...

If you are a serious astronomy fanatic like a lot of us are, you can probably remember that one event in childhood that started you along with this exciting hobby.  It might have been that first time you looked through a telescope.  But for many of us, it was the first time we saw a rain of fire from the sky that we eventually came to know as a meteoroid shower. At the time when you...

As parents, we often worry about what our children are getting excited about.  We hope we can guide them to “bond” with healthy things like a love of learning, family, and of healthy social activities.  But we also worry they will bond with the wrong people like internet stalkers or the wrong crowd at school.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness that...