Clik here to view.
Naked Eyes–Naked Sky (Lesson 1)
The dream or quest of many observers of the heavens is more and more reach or, in other words, more and more aperture. “Birders” are often the same. First they want a good binocular, then a better one,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ready to go out in the dark? (Lesson 2)
FIRST STEPS. Last time we covered getting your eyes, your splendidly designed eyes, adapted to the dark. It takes 15 minutes to see marginally but almost 50 minutes to be completely dark adapted. 15 is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oh my goodness! The sky moves? (Lesson 3)
We did a little exercise with some teachers and staff in the Philippines. After teaching them a few basics, it was time to get their heads out of the classroom. The assigned task was simple: from a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Time and Color: Part of Heavens Delight (Lesson 4)
Little Review. So we have learned a few things about observing the night sky: (1) being patient with our eyes to get dark adapted, (2) understanding that observing involves some seeing but observing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Summer Midnight Madness (Lesson 5)
This is a practical section that will use your body and your eyes to discover some stuff about the created heavens. First consider the wonder of it all: a safe platform (earth) with a transparent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
March of the Stars and Planets (a practical demo)
Beginning observers get pretty excited as the sky begins to open up, and it honestly takes a few times to begin to realize that is has a hidden beauty until one learns a few disciplines to understand...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Late Summer Delight (Lesson 8)
It’s that time for new observers from northern lattitudes to try some new delights in the southern night skies. In late August and early September, when you look directly south, the Milky Way rises in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Decreasing and Increasing
This post of the Parable of the Sky begins with a daytime observation of the moon a few days before full moon. At this juncture the moon phase is called “waxing gibbous,” which essentially means it is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lunar Eclipse a Harbinger?
Much of the Eastern Seaboard of the US was clouded over for the lunar eclipse on September 27, 2015. I happened to peruse a site of fellow astro-video users and found a series of photographs that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Wise Men Approach
Remember the wise men from the east in the Christmas story? They were expert at studying the night skies over time. We don’t know there were three but it was certainly at least three based on the three...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vicarious Observing a World Apart
Observing the created heavens with our Filipino friends is being done from the US through a combination of astro-video tools and streaming video from www.nightskiesnetwork.ca. It is a story worth...
View ArticleClik here to view.
3 A.M. Delight
There are those special nights when I awake alert, so I am ready to observe and report. As you read this, I invite you to be with me to see what I see and appreciate the wonder of it all. It’s 3 a.m....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Big Purpose, Friends, and Little Visitors
The mission purpose is pretty simple but bigger than us. Writing is a big part because I am writing a curriculum. Faylene will be writing other things. So we have our work stations set up side by side....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Questions on Creation
I had question after question on biblical creation from children on my last visit to the Philippines. Since I have returned, it is the same. I have had people in the US stand around telescopes and I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fake News and the Truth
Fake news only has credibility when the sources are not checked and it appears that someone reputable was not actually present. in the digital age when things can be made to appear real, altering...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Childrens’ Quests and the Morning Moon
We planned an early rise to check the tropical skies, hoping to get a little observing of the day-time moon. With cups of coffee in hand after a quick set up, we were ready to sit together and enjoy a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sky Wonders and Ground Truth
So, I asked, “Come see Saturn’s rings!” Although clouds were overhead, we quietly set up an 8 inch telescope. Clear tropical skies are hard to find in the Philippines, but the day had been drier than...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hope Moon
Hope Moon. “I don’t see it.” I tell the man. “It’s there. The clouds are covering it,” he explains. “How can you be sure?” “It’s right above the sunset.” He searches in the binoculars. It takes him...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Winter Circle and Moonscape
The winter circle is high overhead in the early evenings of March in the Philippines. It’s name draws questions because Philippine children do not know four seasons, so I have to explain to them how it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Declare His Works — Even in a Messed Up World
‘What is there to declare of God’s works? You say the Lord reigns, but it’s a mess around me! A good god would not tolerate all this evil. You say that he made us? It took millions of years for us to...
View Article
