June is here, with our longest days and shortest nights. At the start of June, sunset occurs at about 8:50 p.m. On the summer solstice, June 21, the sun will set at about 9 p.m. Sunset will remain at about 9 p.m. for the rest of June. Darkness will obviously come late — on June 21 it will not get completely dark until after 11:30 p.m.
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(The Center Square) – NASA unveiled nearly $1 billion in new moon base contracts Tuesday as its top official called for less reliance on taxpayer funding and a faster path to putting astronauts on Mars.
Wire
(The Center Square) – America is going back to the moon, after Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday evening, more than five decades after Americans last set foot on the moon.
Wire
(The Center Square) – The countdown has begun, for the first time in more than 50 years, NASA is launching a lunar mission in preparation for humans landing on the moon once again.
Welcome to April! If you were not able to view the March 3 Lunar eclipse, check it out on the Goldendale Observatory website, at www.goldendaleobservatory.com. Look under “special events” and you can watch a video of the entire eclipse, or a two-minute timelapse.
Our third month of the year brings us a total Lunar Eclipse, the vernal equinox, and a nice pairing of the Moon and Jupiter. Hopefully the clouds will part at the right time for viewing some of these events.
Happy New Year! Welcome to January. Our first month features Jupiter’s closest approach for the year, and plenty of bright stars to view. Nights will be cold and mostly cloudy, but step outside when skies clear for a stunning view, even if it is a short one!
Welcome to December, the last month of the year, the holiday season, and the winter solstice. December does not have a lot of clear skies, but…
Welcome to October, the first full month of Autumn. Nights grow significantly longer this month. By the end of October, sunset comes before 6 p.m.! Earlier darkness makes for good evening stargazing, when skies are clear. Nights are colder, but not as frigid as in winter.
September is here, a month for seasonal change. The autumnal equinox occurs on Sept. 22, marking the start of fall. The Sun will be straight overhead at the equator, and we’ll have about equal amounts of daylight and night.
