SkyWeek

Last updated

SkyWeek
Genre Astronomy
Educational
StarringTony Flanders
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes52 episodes annually
Production
Camera setup Green screen
Running time3 minutes
Release
Original network PBS
Original releaseOctober 19, 2011 (2011-10-19) 
April 28, 2014 (2014-04-28)

SkyWeek was a weekly astronomy television program created by Sky & Telescope magazine. [1] The show was hosted by Tony Flanders, associate editor of Sky & Telescope magazine. [2] Each episode of the program was released in one, three, and five-minute formats; and, the show's content and format were similar to that of another weekly astronomy program called Star Gazers . [3] SkyWeek was carried by many PBS affiliates.

Contents

Content

SkyWeek was an educational program that described celestial events for the upcoming week. The show was aimed primarily at the general public and required no prior knowledge of astronomy. However, it also contained information that was likely to be interesting to experienced amateur astronomers. It depicted celestial objects in the night sky that could be seen without special equipment such as telescopes. [4] Sky and Telescope's associate editor, Tony Flanders hosted the show, [5] which was available in one-, three- and five-minute versions. [4]

Production

SkyWeek was produced by New Track Media, which publishes Sky & Telescope magazine. The show was distributed to PBS stations through American Public Television. [4]

Images from the Hubble Space Telescope and many other professional and amateur sources were used in the production of the show. [4] [6]

On April 16, 2014, Tony Flanders announced that the episode covering the week of April 28 to May 4, 2014, would be the last for the series. Flanders reported that the series was being discontinued because of insufficient money from sponsors required to cover the show's costs. [7]

Episodes

Episodes were titled by the week of the events they describe. The production code used was of the form YYMMDD (2 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day) for the date the episode was best suited to be broadcast. [8]

Season 1: 2011

The show premiered on November 19, 2011, with the inaugural episode covering the week of November 21 to 27, 2011. [1]

Series #Episode #TitleView EpisodeOriginal air dateProduction Code
11"SkyWeek November 21–27, 2011" view November 20, 2011 (2011-11-20)#111120
Thanksgiving week is new Moon week, allowing what might be our last good view of the summer Milky Way. Also, let’s take a look at Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets.
22"SkyWeek November 28 - December 4, 2011" view November 27, 2011 (2011-11-27)#111127
As the Moon waxes to half lit, let’s take a look at the brightest star in each section of the sky: Vega setting in the west, Fomalhaut cruising low over the southern horizon, and Capella rising in the east.
33"SkyWeek December 5–11, 2011" view December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)#111204
This week the Moon puts on the best sky show of the year for stargazers in the western U.S. — a total lunar eclipse. And we’ll look at Jupiter, the king of the planets.
44"SkyWeek December 12–18, 2011" view December 11, 2011 (2011-12-11)#111211
This week boasts one of the year’s best meteor showers — though the nearly full Moon will interfere with viewing them. And we’ll look at a constellation that flies upside-down in the sky.
55"SkyWeek December 19–25, 2011" view December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)#111218
Wednesday December 21st is the longest night of the year and the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Leading the pack of winter constellations is Taurus, the Bull.
66"SkyWeek December 26 - January 1, 2012" view December 25, 2011 (2011-12-25)#111225
Orion, the Hunter, may be the most amazing constellation in the sky. And Betelgeuse, the star marking Orion’s left shoulder, is a red supergiant that’s ripe to explode as a supernova.

Season 2: 2012

The 2012 season started on January 1, 2012.

Series #Episode #TitleView EpisodeOriginal air dateProduction Code
71"SkyWeek January 2–8, 2012" view January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01)#120101
Weather permitting, North Americans can enjoy a little-known but unusually strong meteor shower before dawn on Wednesday morning.
82"SkyWeek January 9–15, 2012" view January 8, 2012 (2012-01-08)#120108
Sirius, the night sky’s brightest star, is on great display during January evenings.
93"SkyWeek January 16–22, 2012" view January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15)#120115
The constellations Perseus, Cassiopeia, and Andromeda are linked together in the sky, and in Greek mythology.
104"SkyWeek January 23–29, 2012" view January 22, 2012 (2012-01-22)#120122
Learn how Perseus rescued Andromeda, and find out how and why Queen Cassiopeia is doomed to rotate forever in the sky.
115"SkyWeek January 30 - February 5, 2012" view January 29, 2012 (2012-01-29)#120129
This week Eros, the grandaddy of all near-Earth asteroids, is making its closest approach to Earth since 1975, just 16.6 million miles away. That make it our second-closest neighbor after the Moon.
126"SkyWeek February 6–12, 2012" view February 5, 2012 (2012-02-05)#120205
Mars, the Red Planet, is beginning to appear in the evening sky. In many ways, Mars is the planet most like Earth, with deserts, dust storms, and maybe even running water on rare occasions.
137"SkyWeek February 13–19, 2012" view February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12)#120212
Orion is center stage in the south as the sky grows dark. This constellation contains 7 of the sky’s 100 brightest stars. And most of Orion’s main stars are physically related.
148"SkyWeek February 20–26, 2012" view February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19)#120219
The waxing crescent Moon passes close to three planets this week: Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. All of them travel along a path in the sky called the zodiac.
159"SkyWeek February 27 - March 4, 2012" view February 26, 2012 (2012-02-26)#120226
This week the night sky’s six or seven brightest objects are all visible 45 minutes after sunset, something that won’t happen again for decades.
1610"SkyWeek March 5–11, 2012" view March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04)#120304
This is a dramatic week for planet watchers. In the east, Mars is at its brightest and closest to Earth for 2012. On the opposite side of the sky, Venus and Jupiter form a spectacular pair.
1711"SkyWeek March 12–18, 2012" view March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11)#120311
Venus and Jupiter are paired spectacularly in the western sky. Meanwhile, the twin stars Castor and Pollux form a less glamorous but much longer lived pair high in the south.
1812"SkyWeek March 19–25, 2012" view March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18)#120318
Spring starts this week on Monday night, a date called the Vernal Equinox. For the next six months, days will be longer than nights in the Northern Hemisphere.
1913"SkyWeek March 26 - April 1, 2012" view March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25)#120325
The Big Dipper, the best-known star pattern in the sky is now high in the northeast in the evening. It’s just part of the much larger constellation Ursa Major.
2014"SkyWeek April 2–8, 2012" view April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)#120401
Venus passes through the Pleiades star cluster on Monday and Tuesday. And Saturn, the magnificent ringed planet, is now well up in the evening sky.
2115"SkyWeek April 9–15, 2012" view April 8, 2012 (2012-04-08)#120408
You can see five great star clusters with your unaided eyes on evenings at this time of year. One of them is widely known, but rarely recognized as a true star cluster.
2216"SkyWeek April 16–22, 2012" view April 15, 2012 (2012-04-15)#120415
Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is a compact jewel of a constellation. And the dazzling orange star Arcturus nearby may be a visitor from another galaxy.
2317"SkyWeek April 23–29, 2012" view April 22, 2012 (2012-04-22)#120422
The waxing crescent Moon appears higher in the west each evening this week. And the planet Venus is also now a crescent, a phenomenon of great historical importance.
2418"SkyWeek April 30 - May 6, 2012" view April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29)#120429
The closest and biggest full Moon of 2012 happens on Saturday, May 5th. That means that high tides will be unusually high and low tides will be unusually low.
2519"SkyWeek May 7–13, 2012" view May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)#120506
Venus, Mars, and Saturn are all paired with bright stars this week. Saturn is in Virgo, the great constellation of spring, and the site of a remarkable galaxy cluster.
2620"SkyWeek May 14–20, 2012" view May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13)#120513
A partial solar eclipse is visible over most of the U.S. on Sunday, May 20th. And in parts of the West the eclipse is annular, with a ring of sunlight all around the Moon’s dark disk.
2721"SkyWeek May 21–27, 2012" view May 20, 2012 (2012-05-20)#120520
This week is your last easy chance to see Venus before it crosses the Sun’s disk on June 5th. And the constellation Hercules, with its magnificent star cluster, is rising in the east.
2822"SkyWeek May 28 - June 3, 2012" view May 27, 2012 (2012-05-27)#120527
Get ready for the partial lunar eclipse before dawn on June 4th and the twice-in-a-lifetime chance to see Venus’s dark disk cross the Sun on June 5th.
2923"SkyWeek June 4–10, 2012" view June 3, 2012 (2012-06-03)
The Moon experiences a partial lunar eclipse before dawn on Monday. And we look at the historical and scientific importance of Tuesday’s Transit of Venus across the Sun.
3024"SkyWeek June 11–17, 2012" view June 10, 2012 (2012-06-10)
The huge intertwined constellations Ophiuchus and Serpens fill much of the southeastern sky. Ophiuchus is sometimes called the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac.
3125"SkyWeek June 18–24, 2012" view June 17, 2012 (2012-06-17)
Summer officially begins on Wednesday this week. In addition to having the longest days, this time of year has the most luxurious sunrises, sunsets, and twilights.
3226"SkyWeek June 25 - July 1, 2012" view June 24, 2012 (2012-06-24)
The waxing Moon passes Mars, Spica, and Saturn this week. Saturn possesses an extraordinary retinue of moons, including the amazingly Earth-like moon Titan.
3327"SkyWeek July 2–8, 2012" view July 1, 2012 (2012-07-01)
Vega, Altair, and Deneb, the three bright high-flying stars of summer, are now well up in the east. Together, they form a huge shape called the Summer Triangle.
3428"SkyWeek July 9–15, 2012" view July 8, 2012 (2012-07-08)
Magnificent Scorpius, the Scorpion, is at its highest around 10 or 11 pm. Its brightest star is dazzling reddish Antares, meaning "rival of Mars."
3529"SkyWeek July 16–22, 2012" view July 15, 2012 (2012-07-15)
Summer evenings are when the Milky Way’s brightest part is visible. Unfortunately, the Milky Way is easily overwhelmed by poorly designed artificial lights.
3630"SkyWeek July 23–29, 2012" view July 22, 2012 (2012-07-22)
Vega and Altair, the brightest stars of the Summer Triangle, are linked in legends worldwide. And their names tell a fascinating story.
3731"SkyWeek July 30 - August 5, 2012" view July 29, 2012 (2012-07-29)
Mars approaches Saturn and Spica dramatically this week at dusk. And the Day Star, the Sun, is a never-ending source of astronomical wonder.
3832"SkyWeek August 6–12, 2012" view August 5, 2012 (2012-08-05)
Mars, Saturn, and Spica form a triangle low in the southwest. And the Perseid meteor shower will be at its best late on Saturday night.
3933"SkyWeek August 13–19, 2012" view August 12, 2012 (2012-08-12)
Mars threads the narrow gap between Saturn and Spica. And later in the evening we can look deep into the heart of the Sagittarius Milky Way.
4034"SkyWeek August 20–26, 2012" view August 19, 2012 (2012-08-19)
Between and below Cygnus the Dolphin and Aquila the Eagle lie two tiny but very attractive constellations: Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow.
4135"SkyWeek August 27 - September 2, 2012" view August 26, 2012 (2012-08-26)
The Moon is more than one-quarter the diameter of Earth. The only comparable pair in the Solar System is Pluto and its moon Charon.
4236"SkyWeek September 3–9, 2012" view September 2, 2012 (2012-09-02)
The small but shapely constellation Lyra is chock-full of celestial wonders. In Greek mythology this Lyre belonged to the great musician Orpheus.
4337"SkyWeek September 10–16, 2012" view September 9, 2012 (2012-09-09)
Cygnus the Swan flies high overhead. The Great Rift that splits the Milky Way in two starts near the heart of Cygnus.
4438"SkyWeek September 17–23, 2012" view September 16, 2012 (2012-09-16)
The planet Uranus is extraordinarily close to a similarly bright star. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by an amateur astronomer named William Herschel.
4539"SkyWeek September 24–30, 2012" view September 23, 2012 (2012-09-23)
The elegant but little-known constellation Draco the Dragon lies coiled around the Little Dipper, with its head high in the sky.
4640"SkyWeek October 1–7, 2012" view September 30, 2012 (2012-09-30)
The constellations of the Great Sea spill from the jug of Aquarius, the Water Carrier. And Neptune, the outermost planet, is in Aquarius now.
4741"SkyWeek October 8–14, 2012" view October 7, 2012 (2012-10-07)
Cassiopeia and Perseus are the prime constellations of the autumn Milky Way. And they’re home to some of the sky’s finest star clusters.
4842"SkyWeek October 15–21, 2012" view October 14, 2012 (2012-10-14)
The constellations Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Perseus are linked in Greek mythology by a wonderful story.
4943"SkyWeek October 22–28, 2012" view October 21, 2012 (2012-10-21)
The Moon, our closest neighbor in space, is amazing to the unaided eye and binoculars. Its surface reveals a lot about Earth’s history, too.
5044"SkyWeek October 29 - November 4, 2012" view October 28, 2012 (2012-10-28)
Jupiter’s four biggest moons are whole worlds in their own right. They include the most active volcanoes known and a suspected habitat for life.
5145"SkyWeek November 5–11, 2012" view November 4, 2012 (2012-11-04)
The Andromeda Galaxy is on fine display these evenings. It’s the most distant object you’re likely to see without binoculars or a telescope, but it’s right next door in cosmic terms.
5246"SkyWeek November 12–18, 2012" view November 11, 2012 (2012-11-11)
A superthin Moon floats below Venus before sunrise on Monday, November 12th. And you might be able to spot the reborn crescent on Wednesday or Thursday evening.
5347"SkyWeek November 19–25, 2012" view November 18, 2012 (2012-11-18)
Dazzling Jupiter blazes near the sky’s two most spectacular star clusters — the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, and the Hyades, the closest rich star cluster to Earth.
5448"SkyWeek November 26 - December 2, 2012" view November 25, 2012 (2012-11-25)
Saturn glows very close to brilliant Venus before sunrise on Monday, November 26th. And the Moon is spectacularly close to bright Jupiter on Wednesday evening.
5549"SkyWeek December 3–9, 2012" view December 2, 2012 (2012-12-02)
Three of the sky’s finest star formations are climbing the southeastern sky. The Pleaides lead the way, then Jupiter with the Hyades, and magnificent Orion rounds out the group.
5650"SkyWeek December 10–16, 2012" view December 9, 2012 (2012-12-09)
The Geminid meteor shower will be strongest from Thursday evening through Friday morning, though more meteors than usual will fall all week. Conditions are perfect this year, with no Moon to blind you to the faintest meteors.
5751"SkyWeek December 17–23, 2012" view December 16, 2012 (2012-12-16)
Winter starts on Friday, and coincidentally the ancient Mayan calendar flips over to a new "baktun." Contrary to the doomsayers, nothing unusual will happen. But some astronomical phenomena are genuinely dangerous.
5852"SkyWeek December 24–30, 2012" view December 23, 2012 (2012-12-23)
The Moon pairs spectacularly with Jupiter on the evening of Christmas Day, December 25. And Sirius, the night sky’s brightest star, is at its highest at midnight as the year winds to its end.
5953"SkyWeek December 31 - January 6, 2012" view December 30, 2012 (2012-12-30)
A splendid vista of bright stars and one dazzling planet greets stargazers on the stroke of the New Year. And two remarkable stars that vary in brightness are high in the northwest.

Season 3: 2013

The 2013 season started on January 1, 2013.

Series #Episode #TitleView EpisodeOriginal air dateProduction Code
601"SkyWeek January 7–13, 2013" view January 6, 2013 (2013-01-06)
Auriga the Charioteer is nearly overhead in the evening sky. Its prominent pentagon includes dazzling Capella, meaning She Goat, the sixth brightest star in the night sky.
612"SkyWeek January 14–20, 2013" view January 13, 2013 (2013-01-13)
This is a great week to observe the Moon, Earth's closest neighbor in space. It shows much detail to the unaided eye, and it’s amazing through binoculars and small telescopes.
623"SkyWeek January 21–27, 2013" view January 20, 2013 (2013-01-20)
The Moon forms a spectacular pair with Jupiter high in the southeast. They’re in the constellation Taurus the Bull, which was the first constellation of the zodiac at the dawn of history.
634"SkyWeek January 28 - February 3, 2013" view January 27, 2013 (2013-01-27)
Look just below Orion’s Belt for his Sword. It’s centered on the Great Orion Nebula, which is currently giving birth to hot young stars at a furious rate.
645"SkyWeek February 4–10, 2013" view February 3, 2013 (2013-02-03)
Mars is spectacularly close to Mercury shortly after sunset on Friday February 8th. Spot the two smallest planets side by side in the sky — but nowhere near each other in space.
656"SkyWeek February 11–17, 2013" view February 10, 2013 (2013-02-10)
A beautifully thin crescent Moon floats upper right of Mercury on Monday. This is a great week to spot Mercury, something few people have knowingly done.
667"SkyWeek February 18–24, 2013" view February 17, 2013 (2013-02-17)
The constellation Gemini, the Twins, flies almost overhead in late February and early March. Its brightest stars are Castor and Pollux, named after the famous twins of Greek and Roman mythology.
678"SkyWeek February 25 - March 3, 2013" view February 24, 2013 (2013-02-24)
Splendid Leo the Lion rears up on its hind legs in the evening sky. Most constellations bear little resemblance to their names, but Leo really does look like a lion.
689"SkyWeek March 4–10, 2013" view March 3, 2013 (2013-03-03)
Cancer the Crab is home to the Praesepe, or Beehive. It looks like a cloud of light to the unaided eye, but binoculars show that it’s a glorious star cluster.
6910"SkyWeek March 11–17, 2013" view March 10, 2013 (2013-03-10)
If we’re lucky, Comet PANSTARRS will shine low in the west shortly after sunset this week. But comets are notoriously unpredictable, so we won’t know for sure until the day arrives.
7011"SkyWeek March 18–24, 2013" view March 17, 2013 (2013-03-17)
Spring begins this week on Wednesday morning. This is the day when the Sun rises due East and sets due West all over the world.
7112"SkyWeek March 25–31, 2013" view March 24, 2013 (2013-03-24)
The Big Dipper, the sky’s best-known star pattern, is now high in the northeast. Find out how you can use it to tell the directions and the time of night.
7112"SkyWeek April 1–7, 2013" view March 31, 2013 (2013-03-31)
The constellation Puppis floats lower left of dazzling Sirius. It’s just the tip of the gigantic ancient constellation Argo, the ship that carried Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece.
7213"SkyWeek April 8–14, 2013" view April 7, 2013 (2013-04-07)
The Moon pairs beautifully with Jupiter on Sunday, April 14th. Take a good look at Jupiter, the king of the planets, because it’s getting lower each evening.
7314"SkyWeek April 15–21, 2013" view April 14, 2013 (2013-04-14)
Three bright lights dominate the late-spring sky: Spica, the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden, Arcturus, the brightest star of Boötes the Herdsman, and the ringed planet Saturn.
7415"SkyWeek April 22–28, 2013" view April 21, 2013 (2013-04-21)
Saturn is the second-biggest planet in the Solar System, big enough to fit 800 Earths inside. Its most prominent feature is its magnificent ring system, made of countless chunks of ice.
7516"SkyWeek April 29 - May 5, 2013" view April 28, 2013 (2013-04-28)
The Big Dipper is now at its highest in the northern sky. Galileo discovered the double star Mizar in its handle because he was looking for parallax, trying to prove that Earth goes around the Sun.
7617"SkyWeek May 6–12, 2013" view May 5, 2013 (2013-05-05)
The faint constellation Coma Berenices hosts one of the closest star clusters in the sky. It has a fascinating history and is a splendid sight through binoculars.
7718"SkyWeek May 13–19, 2013" view May 12, 2013 (2013-05-12)
Stargazers throughout the contiguous U.S. can see parts of the huge, ancient constellation Centaurus poking above the southern horizon. From Hawaii or southern Florida this constellation is splendid indeed.
7819"SkyWeek May 20–26, 2013" view May 12, 2013 (2013-05-12)
The planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury form an amazingly tight triangle by the end of this week. This is the closest conjunction of three bright planets until January 2021.
7920"SkyWeek May 20–26, 2013" view May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19)
The planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury form an amazingly tight triangle by the end of this week. This is the closest conjunction of three bright planets until January 2021.
8021"SkyWeek May 27 - June 2, 2013"[ view]May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19)
8122"SkyWeek June 3–9, 2013" view June 2, 2013 (2013-06-02)
This is the best week in 2013 to view Mercury, the elusive innermost planet. And find out how the quasar 3C 273 was first discovered.
8223"SkyWeek June 10–16, 2013" view June 9, 2013 (2013-06-09)
A beautifully thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Mercury and Venus after sunset on Monday. Then Venus appears a little higher each evening and Mercury a little lower.
8324"SkyWeek June 17–23, 2013" view June 16, 2013 (2013-06-16)
This week features a close pairing of Mercury and Venus, the beginning of summer, and the largest and closest full Moon of the year.
8425"SkyWeek June 24–30, 2013" view June 23, 2013 (2013-06-23)
Days are long and nights are short during the first full week of summer. Learn how summer is defined in astronomical terms, and why it matters to all life on Earth.
8526"SkyWeek July 1–7, 2013" view June 30, 2013 (2013-06-30)
As the sky grows dark in the evening, the stars of the Summer Triangle are rising in the east: Vega in the constellation Lyra, Altair in Aquila, and Deneb in Cygnus the Swan.
8627"SkyWeek July 8–14, 2013" view July 7, 2013 (2013-07-07)
Magnificent Scorpius is near its highest at nightfall. This is one of the few constellations that really resembles its name. Antares, its chief star, is strikingly bright and red.
8728"SkyWeek July 15–21, 2013" view July 14, 2013 (2013-07-14)
Three spectacularly close approaches take place in the heavens this week. The Moon meets the stars Spica and Zubenelgenubi, and Venus passes close to Regulus.
8829"SkyWeek July 22–28, 2013" view July 21, 2013 (2013-07-21)
Two fine constellations are side by side in the south: hook-tailed Scorpius and Sagittarius, the Archer. The center of our Milky Way galaxy lies behind the stars of Sagittarius.
8930"SkyWeek July 29 - August 4, 2013" view July 28, 2013 (2013-07-28)
The Milky Way band is one of nature’s most magnificent sights. But most Americans are unable to see it because of the creeping blight of light pollution.
9031"SkyWeek August 5–11, 2013" view August 4, 2013 (2013-08-04)
The Perseid meteor shower is ramping up this week, reaching its strongest from midnight on Sunday, August 11th, to dawn’s first light the next morning.
9132"SkyWeek August 12–18, 2013" view August 11, 2013 (2013-08-11)
The Perseid meteor shower winds down this week. Learn about the different kinds of meteoroids, and what happens on the rare occasions when they strike Earth’s surface.
9233"SkyWeek August 19–25, 2013" view August 18, 2013 (2013-08-18)
Vega, the brightest star of the Summer Triangle, is almost overhead now. Together with five fainter stars, Vega forms the strikingly geometric constellation Lyra, the Lyre.
9334"SkyWeek August 26 - September 1, 2013" view August 25, 2013 (2013-08-25)
Deneb, the faintest star of the Summer Triangle, belongs to the magnificent constellation Cygnus, the Swan, which flies along the Milky Way. Cygnus’s brightest stars form the splendid Northern Cross.
9435"SkyWeek September 2–8, 2013" view September 1, 2013 (2013-09-01)
The Moon pairs with Mars early on Monday morning, and it’s spectacularly close to Venus at dusk on the following Sunday. In between, Venus passes a finger’s width above the bright star Spica.
9536"SkyWeek September 9–15, 2013" view September 8, 2013 (2013-09-08)
The waxing Moon traverses the sky this week, and can be tracked in its appearance each night as it changes from 20% to 85% lit. The same side of the Moon always faces Earth.
9637"SkyWeek September 16–22, 2013" view September 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)
Autumn begins on Sunday, September 22nd. The full Moon closest to this date, called the Harvest Moon, rises just before sunset on Wednesday and sets just after sunrise on Thursday.
9738"SkyWeek September 23–29, 2013" view September 22, 2013 (2013-09-22)
You can view the change of seasons in the evening sky. The signature constellations of summer are setting in the west, while bright Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda, and Pegasus rise in the northeast.
9839"SkyWeek September 30 - October 6, 2013" view September 29, 2013 (2013-09-29)
Jupiter, the king of the planets, passes extraordinarily near the star Wasat in the sky. Although they appear close together, they’re actually totally different kinds of objects at wildly different distances from Earth.
9940"SkyWeek October 7–13, 2013" view October 6, 2013 (2013-10-06)
Venus passes the star Delta Scorpii this week. In June 2000, Argentine stargazer Sebastián Otero caught Delta in a midlife crisis, changing from a normal star to one that varies in brightness.
10041"SkyWeek October 14–20, 2013" view October 13, 2013 (2013-10-13)
Dazzling Venus creeps through Scorpius, passing a short distance above the strikingly red star Antares. And in the predawn sky, Mars passes slightly farther from Regulus, the brightest star of Leo.
10142"SkyWeek October 21–27, 2013" view October 20, 2013 (2013-10-20)
The Perseus constellation group fills the northeastern sky. The W of Queen Cassiopeia is most striking. Her son-in-law Perseus below is home to one of the sky’s best but least-known star clusters.
10243"SkyWeek October 28 - November 3, 2013" view October 27, 2013 (2013-10-27)
Look to the right of Cassiopeia for a formation that I call the Really Big Dipper. It’s composed of the three brightest stars of Andromeda together with the Great Square of Pegasus.
10344"SkyWeek November 4–10, 2013" view November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03)
The ancient constellations of the Great Sea fill the southern sky, from Cetus the Sea Monster to strange Capricornus the Sea Goat, whose origin is lost in the mists of time.
10445"SkyWeek November 11–17, 2013" view November 10, 2013 (2013-11-10)
Comet ISON may become faintly visible in the predawn sky this week. But comets are notoriously unpredictable, so this is not a certainty.
10546"SkyWeek November 18–24, 2013" view November 17, 2013 (2013-11-17)
Mercury, the innermost planet, appears in the predawn sky as Comet ISON races toward its rendezvous with the Sun. And Saturn, the ringed wonder, joins the action late in the week.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Plait</span> American astronomer, writer, and skeptic (born 1964)

Philip Cary Plait, also known as The Bad Astronomer, is an American astronomer, skeptic, and popular science blogger. Plait has worked as part of the Hubble Space Telescope team, images and spectra of astronomical objects, as well as engaging in public outreach advocacy for NASA missions. He has written three books, Bad Astronomy, Death from the Skies, and Under Alien Skies. He has also appeared in several science documentaries, including How the Universe Works on the Discovery Channel. From August 2008 through 2009, he served as president of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Additionally, he wrote and hosted episodes of Crash Course Astronomy, which aired its last episode in 2016.

Arkansas PBS is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is operated by the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, a statutory non-cabinet agency of the Arkansas government operated through the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which holds the licenses for all of the public television stations based in the state. The commission is managed by an independent board of university and education officials, and gubernatorial appointees representing each of Arkansas's four congressional districts. Along with offering television programs supplied by PBS and various independent distributors, the network produces public affairs, cultural and documentary programming as well as sports events sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visible-light astronomy</span>

Visible-light astronomy encompasses a wide variety of observations via telescopes that are sensitive in the range of visible light. Visible-light astronomy is part of optical astronomy, and differs from astronomies based on invisible types of light in the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, such as radio waves, infrared waves, ultraviolet waves, X-ray waves and gamma-ray waves. Visible light ranges from 380 to 750 nanometers in wavelength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Year of Astronomy</span> 2009 UN theme year

The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) was a year-long celebration of astronomy that took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia nova in the 17th century. The Year was declared by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations. A global scheme, laid out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was also endorsed by UNESCO, the UN body responsible for educational, scientific, and cultural matters.

<i>Star Gazers</i> US interstitial public television program about astronomy

Star Gazers is a short astronomy show on American public television previously hosted by Jack Horkheimer, executive director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium. After his death in 2010, a series of guest astronomers hosted until 2011, when Dean Regas, James Albury, and Marlene Hidalgo became permanent co-hosts. In 2019, Dean Regas and James Albury stepped down from the program and were replaced by Trace Dominguez. On the weekly program, the host informs the viewer of significant astronomical events for the upcoming week, including key constellations, stars and planets, lunar eclipses and conjunctions, as well as historical and scientific information about these events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabot Space and Science Center</span> Science center in California

Chabot Space and Science Center, located in Oakland, California, is a center for science learning featuring interactive exhibits, planetariums, a large screen theater, hands-on activities and three powerful telescopes.

WKMJ-TV is a PBS member television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the flagship station for KET2, the second television service of Kentucky Educational Television (KET), which is owned by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television.

Jack Horkheimer was the executive director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium. He was best known for his astronomy show Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler, which started airing on PBS on November 4, 1976.

Learn To Read is an adult educational TV series that consists of 30 programs, hosted by entrepreneur and literacy advocate Wally Amos. Co-instructors include Doris Biscoe and Charlotte Scot. Caitlyn Jenner guest-starred on the first episode. This was based on 27 million Americans having almost no reading skills. On Friday, there is a review of the week. The final program reviews the entire series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium</span> Natural science museum and planetarium in St. Johnsbury, Vermont

The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium is a combination natural science museum, history museum, and planetarium located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. It was founded in 1890 by businessman, politician, naturalist, and collector Franklin Fairbanks. The museum and its buildings are on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<i>StarDate</i> American science radio program

StarDate is a science radio program of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory, broadcast on over 300 radio stations. It is a daily guide to the night sky and breaking astronomical news. Typically heard without formal introduction, StarDate is a self-contained science news feature interwoven with routine radio programming. It is the longest-running science outreach program on U.S. radio.

KET ED, known as the Education Channel, was a digital television programming service operated by PBS member network Kentucky Educational Television. The service provided programming from the Annenberg/CPB project, along with encore presentations of some PBS programming, and much of KET's locally produced in-house instructional television (ITV) productions.

The Kentucky Channel, also known by its Program and System Information Protocol short name and on-screen logo bug as KET KY, is a full-time 24/7 statewide digital television programming service originating from PBS member state-network Kentucky Educational Television. The channel features programming related to the U.S. state of Kentucky, as well as coverage of Kentucky General Assembly when it is in session.

The 2019 season of the astronomy TV show Star Gazers starring Dean Regas and James Albury started on January 7, 2019. The last episode to feature Dean Regas and James Albury as hosts was aired during the week of November 25, 2019. The December 2019 episodes were produced only in the one-minute length format when production in the five-minute length format was discontinued. Trace Dominguez started hosting the program during the week of December 2, 2019. Episodes of the television series are released on the show's website at the start of the month, up to a month prior to any episode's broadcast date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Regas</span> American astronomer

Dean Regas is an American astronomer, public speaker, author, and television host. He is most widely known as the cohost of the syndicated television show Star Gazers, which airs daily on more than 100 PBS stations around the world. He was the Outreach Astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory from 2000 to 2023 where he specialized in astronomy education and public speaking. Regas is the author of three books Facts From Space!, 100 Things to See in the Night Sky, and 100 Things to See in the Southern Night Sky.

<i>The Sky Above Us with James Albury</i> American astronomy television show

The Sky Above Us with James Albury is a short American astronomy show hosted by James Albury, director of the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College. Each episode is approximately five minutes in length; and, a new episode is released every two or three weeks. Prior to hosting this series, Albury had spent eight years co-hosting the long-running PBS astronomy series, Star Gazers. The series is produced at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida.

The 2021 season of the astronomy TV show Star Gazers starring Trace Dominguez started on January 4, 2021. Episodes of the television series are released on the show's website at the start of the month, up to a month prior to any episode's broadcast date.

References

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  2. Flanders, Tony (November 7, 2011). "Meet the Staff: Tony Flanders". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  3. Sutherland, Paul (January 24, 2012). "Stargazing Live USA! Could it happen?". Skymania. Skymania News and Guide. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
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  5. Homan, Nate (April 2, 2012). "Students Invited to a Star Party at McCall Middle School". Patch Media . New York City, New York, USA: AOL . Retrieved April 14, 2012.
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