When is Torontohenge? [more inside]
posted 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 on Sep 16, 2008 - 26 answers

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

AstronomyFilter: What was that crazy thing I saw in the sky? [more inside]
posted 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 on Aug 4, 2008 - 6 answers

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

What are some topics in astronomy or cosmology that you find fascinating and mind blowing? [more inside]
posted 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 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 on May 31, 2008 - 25 answers

Help me find a cool screen saver that won't infect my computer. [more inside]
posted 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 on Apr 17, 2008 - 14 answers

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

How has our understanding of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, etc. changed in the last five years? [more inside]
posted 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 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 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 on Mar 10, 2008 - 9 answers

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

An iCal feed containing events of astronomical interest? [more inside]
posted 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 on Feb 6, 2008 - 12 answers

Can the Moon affect humans in specific ways? [more inside]
posted 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 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 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 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 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 on Aug 31, 2007 - 26 answers

Where can I find some truly dark skies in western Washington state? [more inside]
posted 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 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 on Aug 10, 2007 - 11 answers

I've recently become more and more interested in Astronomy, and I'm hoping someone can point me in the direction of a solid university-level Astronomy textbook, something an undergraduate student studying Astronomy would be expected to read. [more inside]
posted on Aug 9, 2007 - 15 answers

Are there any great lecturers/public speakers in the realms of cosmology, astronomy and physics? [more inside]
posted on Jun 4, 2007 - 21 answers

If I looked up at the sky some time at night, pointed to the moon and gave you the exact orientation of my arm (the two angles in the north/south and east/west directions) and told you the exact time of night and date it was, would you be able to tell my exact location in the world? If so, how?
posted on May 30, 2007 - 39 answers

Astronomy-n00b question: Let's say I wanted to make a somewhat accurate 3D model of the major visible stars of the Pleiades cluster (say for, oh, i dunno.. an art project?). How would I go about acquiring the appropriate data? [more inside]
posted on Mar 2, 2007 - 6 answers

There's this rather unspecific Feynman story that I keep encountering. Its formulation as found on the Internets goes "One of the most impressive discoveries was the origin of the energy of the stars, that makes them continue to burn. One of the men who discovered this was out with his girl friend the night after he realized that nuclear reactions must be going on in the stars in order to make them shine. She said "Look at how pretty the stars shine!" He said, "Yes, and right now I am the only man in the world who knows why they shine." She merely laughed at him. She was not impressed with being out with the only man who, at that moment, knew why stars shine. Well, it is sad to be alone, but that is the way it is in this world." Does anyone know who he is talking about (Eddington? Perrin? Bethe?) and if there's any truth to the story?
posted on Jan 6, 2007 - 7 answers

Is there a way I can figure out the moon's path across the night sky as viewed from a specific location on Earth on a given day? [more inside]
posted on Oct 31, 2006 - 6 answers

Could telescopes eventually clearly show extra-solar planets? [more inside]
posted on Oct 8, 2006 - 12 answers

I've heard astronomy has given us great insights about basic physics (and could be seen as a form of basic physics research). What technologies do we have today that can trace their gensis to astronomical findings?
posted on Sep 29, 2006 - 10 answers

What would be the effects on the earth if the moon exploded? [more inside]
posted on Aug 28, 2006 - 29 answers

In a week or so, I'm going to visit a mountain observatory with two friends who are astronomy buffs. I will audio document their on-site conversations. What provocative things could I say to kick-start their interaction? [more inside]
posted on Aug 19, 2006 - 13 answers

The Perseid meteor shower will be in full swing Saturday night. Where should New Yorkers go to enjoy it? [more inside]
posted on Aug 11, 2006 - 7 answers

Observational astronomy aids in Palm OS 3 format? "Current viewable at this location and time" information about satellites a huge plus. [more inside]
posted on Jul 16, 2006 - 7 answers

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? I'm lying on the grass staring at the summer stars. I see a star that's moving slowly but steadily - if I stretch my hand right out in front, it crosses my palm in about 30 seconds. Using only common-sense, how can I work out what it is? [more inside]
posted on Jun 11, 2006 - 13 answers

I would like help understanding the CHANDRA xray satellite mission. [more inside]
posted on May 4, 2006 - 7 answers

AskMeFi Physics folk: How do astronomers account for the temporal distinctiveness of their galactic subjects in their calculations? I understand that observations of the red shift of quasars delinates a speed increase in the expansion of the universe - yet my brain explodes when I try to understand how the enormous expanse of time is factored into these models. [more inside]
posted on Apr 9, 2006 - 12 answers

If April 6 and September 10 are the same length from sunrise to sunset, does the sun take the same path across the sky on both days? [more inside]
posted on Mar 15, 2006 - 6 answers

Please help me find the name of a weird educational science film I watched in high school. It was about the Big Bang and astrophysics. The action took place aboard a set that was supposed to be some kind of space station, where about three people discussed these issues. At the end, everyone got sucked into a black hole and the film ended abruptly.
posted on Feb 10, 2006 - 5 answers

MacFilter. One of my applications won't open from finder. [more inside]
posted on Jan 8, 2006 - 7 answers

Given our current state of technology and the world's nuclear armaments, I ask the question that the world needs an answer to: Could we destroy Mars? [more inside]
posted on Dec 24, 2005 - 41 answers

What is your favorite astronomy picture? Would you please provide a link to it? The higher the resolution, the better. [more inside]
posted on Dec 16, 2005 - 29 answers

Does anyone know the website that shows the scale distance of planets in our solar system, with scale images by scrolling right , beginnning with the Sun?
posted on Nov 22, 2005 - 8 answers

Mefi astronomers: From San Diego, CA, I can see a very bright object in the lower Southwestern sky. Is this a planet? It is the brightest object in the sky and almost imperceptibly moving west along a plane. Note the time 7:06 pm PDT. [more inside]
posted on Oct 29, 2005 - 22 answers