Monthly Archives: June 2018

  1. Agena AstroProducts Observing Guide: The Planet Mars

    As one of the five bright planets visible to the unaided eye, Mars has perplexed and tantalized stargazers since antiquity. It's red-orange color, a consequence of iron-oxide in its surface sands, prompted classical astronomers to name the planet after the Roman god of war. Telescopic astronomers found Mars was remarkably Earth like. It had polar caps, seasons, an atmosphere, and surface features that seemed to change over days and weeks. Until the mid-20th century, a few astronomers even speculated there might be intelligent life and an advanced civilization on Mars.

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  2. An Introduction to Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA)

    In this Q&A article, we speak with amateur astronomer Jim Thompson about the basics of electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA). EAA is a relatively new and often misunderstood pastime, one that sits somewhere in the continuum between strictly visual observing and hard-core astrophotography. As a long-time EAA aficionado with a decade of experience, Jim is the perfect guide for observers who are curious about EAA or who may wish to actively move into this rewarding branch of amateur astronomy.

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