Members Reports

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (26) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 14 hours ago
FIRST DAY OF GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH 2026 (2) Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . Even the clouds were beautiful that day. One of them, playing with the Sun, looked like the Horsehead Nebula! I also admired them to the east when the Sun was setting to the west. Then the clouds were kind to let me see the planet Venus above the color of twilight. . #poetry

AWB SERBIA - ASTRONOMY QUIZ ON MARCH 15th 2025

By Liliana Gracanin posted 2 days ago
Every 15th of the month, except in April, AWB-Serbia is organizing a small quiz featuring 10 questions on a selected astronomical theme. On March 15th, was the theme of 93th Quiz: "Open star clusters". Each person got an e-book about astronomy and a certificate.

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (25) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 2 days ago
FIRST DAY OF GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH 2026 (1) Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . In the very first seconds after midnight, I looked for the Moon, but she was defeated by the clouds. Afterwards, in the light of day, I looked for the Sun, asking buds and flowers (stars of the Earth) to help me. And the Sun appeared in all his splendor! . #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (24) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 2 days ago
LAST EVENING BEFORE GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH 2026 Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . "It will start tomorrow!" - a pigeon said to me from a street lamp. "It will start tomorrow!" - some buds said to me next to another street lamp. "It will start tomorrow!" - the Moon said to me from the branches of the trees. . #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (23) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 2 days ago
CLOUDY EQUINOX Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . March 14, 2026. I saw the sunset and said goodbye to Procyon, the last star of the Winter Triangle. Then… more cold and cloudy days. On the day of the equinox, the Sun was only visible for a few seconds. I could see him again in full on March 24. Just then astronomical spring began for me! . #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (22) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 3 days ago
MARCH 3-9, 2026 Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . The rising of a Full Moon, high Capella, the Full Moon with a halo, Jupiter near Pollux and Castor, the Morning Moon... . The charm of the night, astronomical winter, happy to see stars! . #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (21) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 3 days ago
SUNSET ON MARCH 6, 2026 (STILL IN ASTRONOMICAL WINTER) Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . Sometimes a sunset makes me ignore you, winter without stars! . #poetry

TO DISTANT SPACES

By Mirosław Wójcik posted 4 days ago
Image details: Comparison of the TRAPPIST-1 system and the Solar System Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1805i/ ––– |TO DISTANT SPACES| T o distant spaces, there among the plenitude of stars, something, somehow tempts us so extremely… These are, however, still mysteriously strange worlds albeit, perhaps, somewhat less than once Meanwhile, to distant spaces are wandering bravely next, hi-tech emissaries bringing news about the existence of curious beings Perhaps there, among the stars, someone (thing) had read the message and even sent us a thought-provoking answer ...

The Science of Science Fiction (A Free, Hybrid Lecture)

By Donna McCormick posted 5 days ago
On April 29th at 7:00pm, ET, Dr. Frederick Walter, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Stony Brook University will discuss "The Science of Science Fiction." We have all been enthralled by the imaginings of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Gene Roddenbury, Jules Verne, and so many others who have foreshadowed future science. In this talk, you'll learn the reality behind their work--what might have been, what is, and what might be possible. This HYBRID event will be held in-person at the East Hampton Library and online via Zoom. Weather permitting, the talk will be followed by guided tours of the night sky via telescope; feel free to bring your own. ...

Beyond the Clouds

By Clarence G. Underwood posted 5 days ago
Beyond the Clouds. . By Clarence G. Underwood . As man soars beyond the clouds And the rockets scream and Roar. The ship takes off into the The sky. Rising higher than before. Apollo’s sister takes aim At the Moon. Shooting with her Arrow. Shot by Artemis, Orion Rises high. Passing the Moon as It flies by. Going a distance not Reached before, it now begins to Open exploration’s door. Hello Solar System, here we come. This time each new voyage will Be a manned one! A new era Began today as a capsule from Space splashed down from far Away! To the Moon and back, This time we’ll build a home Away from home. ...

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (20) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 6 days ago
MARCH 3, 2026 Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . Traces of snow still in the city, but the Sun shone brightly. I wanted to see the belt of Venus and the rising of the Full Moon. But I was able to photograph the planet Venus much later, on March 31st - of course, without any belt! . #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (19) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 7 days ago
FEBRUARY 21/22, 2026 Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . Another heavy snowfall, around a street lamp. But the Sun did not hesitate and, creating lights and shadows, he also called for the Moon to come out to counterattack. . #poetry

AN ASTROPOETRY DIALOGUE WITH VALENTIN GRIGORE By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 8 days ago
FOR GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH 2026 By Valentin Grigore and Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . The special emotion and well-being we feel when we look at the sky... the feeling that it doesn’t matter where we live on Earth, that regardless of the culture, faith or social status of each one, the sky is the same for all… The sky unites people! The night sky is our heritage as humanity, which we must keep and love! -Valentin Grigore- . Global (event) Astronomy (in glory) Month (with stars and people) -Andrei Dorian Gheorghe- #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (18) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 9 days ago
FEBRUARY 17/18, 2026 Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . Bucharest experienced a terrible snowfall. But, from outside the city, the Sun's reply was also terrible. . #poetry

A possible first telescope! (The Mirror and the Magnifying Glass)

By Clarence G. Underwood posted 10 days ago
A possible first telescope! (The Mirror and the Magnifying Glass) By Clarence G. Underwood Back in the 19th century Austin Henry Layard discovered a Lens in some Assyrian ruins. It was suggested that the Lens may have been part of a telescope. We understand that the telescope appeared in the 17th century, but is it possible that they existed before that? An online search will demonstrate that different ancient people reported seeing markings or wounds on the moon before that! In Africa and elsewhere, it was reported that skilled craftsmen made mirrors and lenses used for reflection and magnification. A further search on line reveals that tubeless telescopes ...

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (17) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 10 days ago
SUNSET Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . Beautiful sunsets always give beautiful fleeting feelings . #poetry

A WINTER WITHOUT STARS (16) By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

By Andrei Dorian Gheorghe posted 10 days ago
THE PROCESSION OF WINTER STARS Astro-photo-poem by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe . On February 11, 2026 the Sun was shy, but then I could enjoy, under Jupiter, the procession of winter stars: Aldebaran, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Sirius, Procyon... For me, it was an evening of rebirth of the sky! . #poetry

The Stars of the Controversies and How they Changed our Understanding of Universe (Part III)

By Bishal Neupane posted 12 days ago
HD 140283: The Star Older Than the Universe HD 140283 has been known to astronomers since before the start of World War I. William S. Adams measured its spectrum in 1912. He noted its exceptionally high proper motion, its angular movement across the sky due to its velocity through space. At approximately 350 kilometers per second relative to the local standard of rest, HD 140283 is racing through the solar neighborhood on a highly elongated orbit. This orbit will eventually carry it back out into the galactic halo, the ancient, roughly spherical distribution of old stars that surrounds the Milky Way's flattened disk. Spectroscopic analysis in the 1950s ...

The Stars of the Controversies and How they Changed our Understanding of Universe (Part II)

By Bishal Neupane posted 12 days ago
Betelgeuse: The Red Supergiant with a Hidden Partner Between October 2019 and April 2020, Betelgeuse underwent an unprecedented dimming event. This star, one of the brightest in the night sky and the prominent red supergiant marking Orion's shoulder, faded dramatically. The star normally varies between apparent magnitudes 0.0 and 1.3. It faded to magnitude 1.6, a factor of approximately 2.5 in brightness, over just a few months. This "Great Dimming" was visible to the naked eye. It sparked widespread speculation, including sensational media reports that the star might be on the verge of exploding as a supernova. Supernovae are rare enough that most astronomers ...

The Stars of the Controversies and How they Changed our Understanding of Universe (Part I)

By Bishal Neupane posted 12 days ago
Delta Cephei: The Standard Candle That Burns Imperfectly Henrietta Leavitt spent countless hours in the early twentieth century examining photographic plates of variable stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Working at Harvard College Observatory, she noticed something remarkable. A tight mathematical relationship existed between how long these stars took to brighten and dim (their period) and how intrinsically bright they were (their luminosity). This period-luminosity relation, which she published in 1912, transformed astronomy. For the first time, scientists had a reliable method to measure distances beyond our immediate ...