Sunspot solar maximum Solar Cycle 25

Solar Cycle 24 Review

Recently, NASA announced that they could say the sun had entered solar cycle 24, and the start of solar cycle 25. This announcement comes after the December 2019 solar minimum, which will make the start…



Space Weather Portland Astronomy

Space Weather: An Introduction

The technical definition of space weather can be said to be a branch of space physics and aeronomy concerned with the time varying conditions within the Solar System. It is worth noting that these features are distinct from but…


Venus

Venus: Potential Discovery Of Life?

Waking up on the West Coasst of the US in 2020, one might think that it is just another day with wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. But today is different, as a major announcement and…


Messier 9

Messier 9

Messier 9 is one of the nearest globular clusters to the centre of the Milky Way, lying 5,500 light years from the center of the Milky Way. Therefore, as a result, M9 will appear a…


Atmosphere Atmospheric Science

The Atmosphere Of The Earth: An Introduction

The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, commonly known as air, that surrounds the planet Earth and is retained by Earth’s gravity. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for liquid water to exist on the Earth’s surface, absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the…


Messier 8 Lagoon Nebula

Messier 8 Lagoon Nebula

Messier 8, the Lagoon Nebula is a wonderful target for observers and photographers alike. Being one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the eye from mid-northern latitudes, M8 is a wonderful sight to see. Although…


Focal Reducer

Focal Reducer

A focal reducer, otherwise known as a telecompressor, is an optical element used to reduce focal length, increase lens speed, and in some instances improve optical transfer function performance. Although the popular applications include photography, videography, and astrophotography, we will be focusing on the…


Gravitational Waves

Gravitational Waves: An Introduction

Gravitational Waves can be defined as disturbances in the curvature of spacetime, generated by accelerated masses, that propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light. This means that gravitational waves transport energy as gravitational radiation, which is…


Messier 7

Messier 7 Ptolemy Cluster

One of the earliest known stars to be recoded, Messier 7, the Ptolemy Cluster is a wonderful bright open cluster to observe. Being the southernmost Messier object in the sky, M7 is very hard to DescriptionVisible…