The old saying goes: there’s no place like home. Thanks to Alex Mellinger of Central Michigan University, we now have one of the most detailed photos ever taken of our own galaxy. The photo is a compilation of 3,000 individual frames taken over 22 months from a number of locations around the world. The result is a truly breathtaking work of photographic genius. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…our home.

Image Credit: Alex Mellinger

Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus has released its 2010 star party schedule. All parties are subject to cancellation. Events begin with solar observing 2 hours before sunset. A short educational presentation follows at dusk, night viewing continues until 11 PM. For more information call 940-684-1670.

January 16 – DSO / January 23 – Lunar
February 13 – DSO / February 20 – Lunar
March 13 – DSO / March 20 – Lunar
April 17 – DSO / April 24 – Lunar
May 15 – DSO / May 22 – Lunar
June 12 – DSO
July 10 – DSO
August 12-13 – Perseid Meteor Shower Watch
August 14 – Lunar
September 11 – DSO
September 18 – Equinox Party
October 9 – DSO
November 6 – DSO
December 18 – Lunar 
December 21 – Lunar Eclipse Party

Open Campus Dates
Available for groups – BY RESERVATION ONLY.

January 19-22
February 15-19
March 15-19
April 19-23

I realize that I haven’t made many astronomy entries recently, but I refuse to apologize for it! I just finished upgrading all of my machines to Windows 7 (yay), and I’ve also been bogged down with school, work, and social commitments. Entries will resume shortly, but they will be much more sporadic than they have been in the past. I am working on new methods of content delivery, but I doubt that any of them will be ready before the end of the year. Please continue to check back for updates.

No, I have not created an app for this site, but I have added a new Wordpress Plugin that optimizes the site for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. It will also work with certain Blackberries and devices using the Android Operating System. The standard front page will appear for a moment before the plugin activates and switches to the new interface. Please be patient and allow the site time to load on your mobile device.

Image Credit: Apple/nightShifted Astronomy

~nomad

The weather is turning nasty around here and my desire to go into the cold is quickly dissipating. That is bad news because winter is often the best time to set up a telescope because of the target selection and lack of heat-affected skies. I finally have my Celestron C9.25 telescope back, but I do not have a suitable place to set it up. I wish that it were as easy to find a place in Ohio as it was in Texas. I even put in a request to my city council for a midnight park pass to set up my scope, but was blown off. I never even got a response, just a “we’ll look into it” and nothing more. My backup plan is to start calling local churches and see if they’ll allow me to use their parking lots or grass areas to set up on weekends. There was a church near my home in Wichita Falls that always welcomed me, so I am hoping that I can find a similar location out here. Maybe once I get back to regularly watching the skies, I’ll feel compelled to update this blog with regular science and astronomy updates. Until then, peace and clear skies.

~nomad

Welcome to the new (and stylish) nightShifted Astronomy. The site is still a work in progress, so please check back as I add new features and content in the coming weeks.

~nomad