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Monthly Archives: April 2023

FTV: The American Eclipse

       There was a time when Europeans looked down at just about everything that happened in England’s former colony.  Throughout the early decades of the 1800s, the general European view of the young United States was less than flattering – we were considered the rude, crude cousin no one wanted to associate with at a […]

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AstroCal – May 2023

       Greetings sky watchers – let us kick off May with a run down of things to look for in the morning sky.  Saturn can be found in Aquarius, the Water Bearer in the ESE to SE as dawn brightens.  Shining at +0.9 magnitude, a telescopic view would show the rings tipped just 8.0 degrees […]

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FTV: Driver’s Ed

       “Okay,” my father said, “Push in the clutch, pull out the choke, turn the key, and step on the starter pedal.”  When the engine came to life, he had me adjust the choke until the engine was idling smoothly and then continued:  “Now put the shift down into first like I showed you.  Give […]

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FTV: R.I.P. Lightsail 2

       On November 1 , 2022, an Earth orbiting probe ended its three and a half year mission with a firey plunge through the atmosphere.  Amazingly, the mission was slated to last a year, so the sponsoring organization, The Planetary Society, got a lot more bang for their buck.  Launched  on June 25, 2019, the […]

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