The bright star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major gave rise to the concept of "dog days," referring to summer's heat, but the depth of winter is the perfect time to observe it.

Story is a time-honored way for humans to communicate meaning, to shape minds, to pass along cultural ways, to reach another person’s heart. Maybe this is why there are so many stories for the constellation commonly known as Cassiopeia.

In his 1925 poem “The Hollow Men,” English poet T. S. Eliot wrote “this is the way the world ends / not with a bang but a whimper,” referring to the irony of modernity. But Eliot could have easily been speaking about the cosmic condition-- how everything may end. Cosmologists generally agree on the Universe’s beginning, as an instantaneous, seething quantum inflation of space, time, and energy— the Big Bang. But its swan song is open to debate, with several theoretical scenarios in play.

If you stay up late on the night of November 18, or get up very early on November 19, you can see a special treat: the second lunar eclipse of 2021 - provided of course, that skies are clear.

Do you remember the last time you heard a helicopter’s whirring rotors in the distance, so distinct from its other flying cousins? Once the machine appears in the sky, you have to wonder: “Where is it going? Where did it come from? What happened?”

Do you remember the last time you heard a helicopter’s whirring rotors in the distance, so distinct from its other flying cousins? Once the machine appears in the sky, you have to wonder: “Where is it going? Where did it come from? What happened?”

Most of us are probably familiar with the massive asteroid that impacted Earth near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula some 65 million years ago. This asteroid, with a supposed diameter of around six miles, is the one often held responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs. Yet this asteroid is just one of many that have whizzed through our atmosphere and slammed into Earth’s surface over the course of our planet’s history.

Crisp, clear Autumn nights are some of the best nights for stargazing here in western Colorado. As you head out to enjoy the view, remember these seven tips to help you make the most of your stargazing experience.

Grand Mesa Observatory. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the old, small building on top of the mesa where the chipmunks live!

Have you ever had the chance to gaze upon the Milky Way? Our ancestors could easily see the Milky Way and thousands of stars in the night sky from their homes. In the present day, if you get a chance to enjoy a truly dark sky, then you’re one of the lucky ones! According to the 2016 World Atlas of Artificial Brightness, the Milky Way is not visible to about two-thirds of the world’s population, including about 80% of North Americans.