Where can I go stargazing in the Boston area? I want to take my wife to see the Leonids next week. Where can we go in the area that's as dark as possible but is convenient, comfortable, and legal?
posted by Plutor on Nov 9, 2009 - 17 answers

Back about a decade ago, I happened to be watching in early evening as the moon went from thin sliver to complete disappearance. It was one of those unexpected and somewhat wondrous moments of my life (due to many circumstances of the time, and the unplanned coolness of it). I'd like to see it again. Is there some schedule for me to tell when this is going to happen again visible from my area? [more inside]
posted by Kickstart70 on Oct 23, 2009 - 8 answers

Is there a distance at which a satellite will orbit a body indefinitely? Is this distance a universal constant? [more inside]
posted by doublehappy on Oct 16, 2009 - 28 answers

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

How can I be use my spare time to advance a scientific cause? [more inside]
posted by adverb on Oct 6, 2009 - 16 answers

Can someone recommend an online introductory college-level Astronomy course? [more inside]
posted by OlderThanTOS on Sep 14, 2009 - 2 answers

How can I estimate the time that a photo was taken? [more inside]
posted by zvs on Aug 5, 2009 - 11 answers

Any Cloudy Nights folks on MeFi? I am googling around in getting going with backyard astronomy and Cloudy Nights appears to be (or to have been) a decent resource, but it has been nothing but failed MySQL connections and php pathing errors since I started digging. Any info? Is it dead, Bones? [more inside]
posted by mwhybark on Aug 4, 2009 - 4 answers

What are some educational (yet interesting) podcasts? [more inside]
posted by Dreamcast on Jul 22, 2009 - 20 answers

Was the entire universe created by the Big Bang, or is the space/time generated by the Big Bang part of a larger universe? [more inside]
posted by Lownotes on Jun 23, 2009 - 23 answers

What resolution would the Hubble Telescope be able to discern, if we pointed it at my back yard instead of into the stars? Would it be able to pick up individual blades of grass? Would it be able to see bacteria or anything not visible to the naked eye? Could it see the illuminated dial of my watch at night? [more inside]
posted by crazyray on May 12, 2009 - 19 answers

Do radio waves attenuate and become noise or do they go on forever? [more inside]
posted by MrMulan on May 12, 2009 - 14 answers

I've been rewatching Carl Sagan's Cosmos since I found out it's available on Hulu. Last night, I was watching the episode in which Carl describes how the solar system was formed via the coalescence of particulate matter. But, something struck me as rather odd: if hydrogen and helium are lighter than the heavy elements (duh!) why is it that THEY coalesced into the center of the solar system to become the Sun? It seems to me the heavier elements would migrate towards the center of the maelstrom a bit faster than the lighter ones. Haven't been able to find out the reason for this, hoping the hive can help.
posted by Spoonman on Mar 31, 2009 - 30 answers

I recall reading a thread years ago on alt.astronomy or one of the similar news groups regarding the, "Pail of Air" scenario. The basic idea is, if the sun were to go out tomorrow how long would life on earth survive? The thread had hundreds, perhaps thousands, of posts and lasted for months. Does anyone have a link to a copy of that discussion?
posted by dustsquid on Mar 26, 2009 - 2 answers

How can I determine at what time the midtown Manhattan skyline will be lit up at sunset on June 20th, 2009? [more inside]
posted by dansays on Mar 21, 2009 - 10 answers

Attention music lovers: I’m looking for music to accompany a gorgeous planetarium show about philosophy, cosmology, perception and the known universe. [more inside]
posted by Jennifer S. on Feb 24, 2009 - 43 answers

I am going crazy trying to get a sighting of Comet Lulin, and I don't want to blow the best chance tonight! I live east of Rockville, MD, and there is a fair amount of light pollution in the area. I just got a 6" Dobsonian Telescope (Orion XT6), but know very little about finding my way around the sky. [more inside]
posted by RobotNinja on Feb 23, 2009 - 7 answers

Reading this article (and a USA Today story linked in it) this morning, and I'm curious about an astronomical event mentioned in it. [more inside]
posted by jasondbarr on Feb 10, 2009 - 12 answers

Are specific times of day ever mentioned in the Old Testament or in its apocryphal writings? [more inside]
posted by np312 on Feb 3, 2009 - 8 answers

How do I calculate x,y values for a celestial body using a gnomonic projection? [more inside]
posted by zackola on Nov 19, 2008 - 7 answers

Wanting to leave academia after astrophysics PhD (oscillations in atmospheres of rotating starts, planets and discs). Need some feedback, tags, hints, keywords, that I should search in google and some suggestions of where my skills (look in the extended explanation) would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by gradstu1980 on Nov 9, 2008 - 11 answers

What planisphere would you recommend for 15 degrees South latitude? [more inside]
posted by jet_silver on Oct 9, 2008 - 3 answers

When is Torontohenge? [more inside]
posted by thenormshow on Sep 29, 2008 - 2 answers

This week I saw something very strange in the sky - maybe you can identify what it was. [more inside]
posted by dydecker on Sep 16, 2008 - 26 answers

Is the amount of matter in the universe infinite, too? How does that work? [more inside]
posted by borkingchikapa on Aug 20, 2008 - 51 answers

AstronomyFilter: What was that crazy thing I saw in the sky? [more inside]
posted by bmalicoat on Aug 15, 2008 - 19 answers

I have a PhD in astronomy, and am considering careers outside of academia or NASA. What other careers could I most naturally transition to? So far I have come up with Patent Agent/Lawyer or researcher at a think-tank like RAND. What are these jobs like, and how do you get them? [more inside]
posted by pizzazz on Aug 4, 2008 - 6 answers

Help me choose a physics/astronomy-related design for a tattoo. [more inside]
posted by nightengine on Jul 9, 2008 - 18 answers

What are some topics in astronomy or cosmology that you find fascinating and mind blowing? [more inside]
posted by tomcochrane on Jul 3, 2008 - 17 answers

Photostellar Geolocation - Assuming a 10X optical zoom camera, comprehensive star charts and a carpenter's level to determine "straight up", what global positioning accuracy could I achieve? [more inside]
posted by jayCampbell on Jun 16, 2008 - 13 answers

In my view of the sky from Mobile, AL - looking southward - there is a star shimmering brightly in red, yellow and even green. What is it? [more inside]
posted by magnoliasouth on May 31, 2008 - 25 answers

Help me find a cool screen saver that won't infect my computer. [more inside]
posted by Flying Saucer on May 15, 2008 - 11 answers

Astronomy question: there's been a vertical green glow in the night sky, south by southwest (near the moon) for the last two nights in the Pacific North West. Any suggestions what it might be? [more inside]
posted by phyrewerx on Apr 17, 2008 - 14 answers

cheap ass chinese binoculars - worth the peanuts? [more inside]
posted by bystander on Mar 25, 2008 - 6 answers

How has our understanding of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, etc. changed in the last five years? [more inside]
posted by Orange Pamplemousse on Mar 24, 2008 - 15 answers

I'm working on a computer simulation of the solar system, but I need data on the positions and velocities on planets and their moons. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by deansfurniture5 on Mar 17, 2008 - 5 answers

Where's a good spot to go stargazing around Austin (naked eye or with telescope in tow)? I noticed the AAS has a dark sky spot at Canyon of the Eagles, so places other than that. Preferably safe places that won't get me arrested.
posted by Roman Graves on Mar 13, 2008 - 8 answers

Astronomy buffs: Does it matter whether I get the $80 green laser pointer or the $5 one? [more inside]
posted by letahl on Mar 10, 2008 - 9 answers

Why is the Big Bang possible? [more inside]
posted by Bonzai on Feb 20, 2008 - 24 answers

An iCal feed containing events of astronomical interest? [more inside]
posted by Mwongozi on Feb 17, 2008 - 3 answers

I was thinking about something for my kids, but I think I might be wrong. Is it true that most or all of our religions and belief systems were developed prior to the knowledge that the moon revolves around the earth and that the earth revolves around the sun? [more inside]
posted by snsranch on Feb 6, 2008 - 12 answers

Can the Moon affect humans in specific ways? [more inside]
posted by malusmoriendumest on Jan 1, 2008 - 28 answers

We had a full moon a few days back, and it seemed - to me - to be floating very much higher in the sky than a full moon I watched last summer, which I think was at a much lower angle. But if the moon rotates around the equator, then wouldn't it always be the same height in the sky, for any particular position on earth? [more inside]
posted by woodblock100 on Nov 27, 2007 - 11 answers

Amateur astronomers and their crazily expensive telescopes. I remember reading about them at, I think, Wired's website, but I can't find the article. It wasn't a normal article, but more of a gallery with photos of the astronomers and theirs telescopes, including samples of their work. Please help me find it! [more inside]
posted by CKZ on Nov 14, 2007 - 5 answers

What's it like working for NASA these days? What will it be like in 5-10 years? [more inside]
posted by phrontist on Nov 9, 2007 - 21 answers

Astronomy image question: Where to find the best image of the hubble deep field? or the deep field south, or the ultra-deep field? I've got jpegs, but imagine I was a real astronomer looking at these things, where do i find the best, uncompressed versions?
posted by Gankmore on Oct 3, 2007 - 6 answers

Would we get enough warning to get out of the way if a big asteroid is bound to hit Earth? How big does an asteroid have to be to be visible for an extended period before it enters atmosphere?
posted by spacefire on Aug 31, 2007 - 26 answers

Where can I find some truly dark skies in western Washington state? [more inside]
posted by 0xFCAF on Aug 30, 2007 - 11 answers

What is the best reason to fund expensive astronomy / space exploration projects? Many projects cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Couldn't this money be better spent elsewhere? [more inside]
posted by chrisalbon on Aug 10, 2007 - 55 answers

Meteor Filter: On sunday or monday night I was hoping to take my special lady out to the middle of nowhere and watch the Perseid meteor shower, which is supposed to be quite a show this year. Where should we go to escape Chicago's light pollution? [more inside]
posted by buriednexttoyou on Aug 10, 2007 - 11 answers