With September, we come to my favorite month for stargazing. Darkness comes earlier, yet nights are still warm. Weather is usually good, parti…

Science has advanced in leaps and bounds over the last several centuries. Our knowledge about the cosmos, our planet and life on Earth increases almost daily.

What’s that smudge up in the sky? Say hello to our closest neighbor — only 2.9 million light years away! The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at the same time the nearest major galaxy to our neck of the woods, and the most distant object readily visible to the naked eye. M31 is often considered a replica of our own galaxy, the “Milky Way.”