There seems to be a renewed interest of late in the great beyond that is space. After the Red Bull Space Jump and the retirement of space shuttle Endeavor, space is kind of cool again. The easiest way to get in on the astronomy action at home is to check out the starry skies ...more
This article will show you how to make a proportionally correct 1/187 (about) size Hubble Space Telescope. I tried to add as many details as possible, but it was hard at such a small size. It was really easy, but it did take a while to make. Here are some specs for the real H ...more
Checkout this how-to video to make a simple focusing mask that works great. When not helping you to focus your camera, it also extends your dew shield to keep dew off of your lens. The materials you need to make this focusing mask are: 1 Foam Sleeping Pad 1 Roll Of Masking T ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a small, easy, functional telescope. First, glue a lens in place with glue underneath a piece of cardboard with a circle cut in it. Then, cut this into a circle and tape it to a paper towel holder. Then, you can wrap this in some paper ma ...more
Are you interested in a fun way for your kids to develop interest in the world around them? Learn how to make an upside down telescope in this free crafts video series. Part 1 of 6 - How to Make an upside down telescope. Make an upside down telescope - Part 2 of 6. Click throu ...more
The first thing anybody really thinks about after watching Rear Window is how much they want their own telephoto lens. These days, they aren't cheap, so how do you go about spying on your neighbors without putting down so much dough? You can simply build one yourself for arou ...more
Before I really get into this article, it's important to note that you do not need a Steampunk persona (or "steamsona") in order to be a Steampunk, or wear Steampunk clothes. Some people like to pretend to be a different person when dressed up in Steampunk clothing, but that i ...more
In my opinion, Isaac Newton is definitely the number two astronomer, right below Galileo Galilei. His discoveries were very important to uncovering the secrets of space, and he deserves to be remembered. Isaac Newton (January 4, 1643 – March 31, 1727) Isaac Newton was born t ...more
Just a couple Saturday's ago, we were blessed with the Supermoon, where the moon was at perigee with our planet, creating a larger than usual Moon for us here on Earth. Now, we've got another spectacular show in the skies coming up, only this one isn't at night. There will be ...more
There is no greater, simpler pleasure than having a picnic with your boyfriend or girlfriend at night in a deserted park while gazing at the night sky. Unfortunately, you probably can't see much of the night sky anymore because of all the light pollution in the city. View the ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
We've all seen the breathtaking, colorful photos of the Eagle, Egg and Cat's Eye Nebulae. You may not recognize them by name, but you've seen them, whether in astronomy textbooks, magazines, websites, album covers, or tee shirts. They are some of the most striking photographs ...more
It's truly amazing how far smartphone camera hardware has come in such a short period of time. It took roughly 5 years to advance the image processing capabilities from a pixelated mess to the crisp and clear photos we can take today. This reaches well beyond the megapixel spe ...more
As discussed earlier, there are many ways to view the upcoming solar eclipse, whether it be with actual eclipse glasses, welder's lenses, eclipse-approved filters, or a solar telescope. If you can't get your hands on any of those, the safest way to view the solar eclipse this ...more
All you science and astronomy nuts out there, pay attention, this detailed video tutorial series will tell you everything you need to know about using the Meade DS-2000 Series Telescope to ogle the universe. Meade's DS-2000 Series Telescope is a fully GoTo telescope. It’s onb ...more
This shows you how to modify a webcam so that you can attach it to a telescope. Just think, you'll never have to look in that eyepiece again. Just stuff this thing down there.
Get ready to look up in the night sky very soon, because you're in for a real treat. There will be a total lunar eclipse on the night of Monday, April 14th, and folks living in the United States, Canada, and parts of Central and South America will be able to see the moon turn ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
I recently bought a new telescope and thought I would share a few images that I have taken with it. I am very new to astrophotography, but I hope to be able to post up some more images in the near future. Moon (at slightly gibbous phase): Crop of the Moon from the image abov ...more
If you've got a school science project coming up, or are looking for something fun to do with the kids, you can make this awesome solar system diorama that's shaped like a telescope so you can view the planets by looking into the telescope! In this video you will learn how to ...more
Learn how to take detailed photographs of outer space using a modified webcam. These are some really cool hacks & mods from a guy on youtube. Avoid the high costs of telescope cameras and supplement with an inexpensive webcam.
Last night was the so called "Supermoon," where the moon was at perigee, which is the closest orbital point to the Earth while the moon was in full phase. This makes the moon appear larger by up to about 14% and brighter by up to around 30%. I went out and used my 5-inch refra ...more
Paracord, or parachute cord, has a very interesting history. As its name implies, it was used to suspend parachutes in WWII. The super lightweight cord is used nowadays as a utlity cord in the military and other applications. The paracord, also known as 550 cord, has even been ...more
Since the Geminid Meteor shower is intensifying more every year, grab your binoculars and lay down in a field to enjoy the show! If you are going to observe one day, do it on the peak: December 14th. The shower is caused by Palladian asteroid 3200 Phaethon. This, along with t ...more
For newbies to astronomy, expensive equipment is an understandable deterrent. But with some thorough Google searching, you can find plenty of How-To's for making your own tools for less. Below are a few sites with several cool projects to offer. Sky & Telescope Sky & Telesco ...more
There is going to be an annular solar eclipse on May 20th that will be visible in a narrow pathway that covers part of Eastern Asia and the Western United States. The eclipse will be seen as a partial eclipse over a much greater region of the World. I live in Redding, Californ ...more
Some of these look like illustrations done by adolescent sci-fi/anime nerds. Totally unreal. A selection from National Geographic's best space pictures of 2010: An airplane is silhouetted against the first solar eclipse of the decade, seen over Bangkok, Thailand, in January.. ...more
Artist Pery Burge uses water, paint and ink to create images that look like they might have been captured by the Hubble Telescope or under the super-zoom of a powerful microscope. "I use a Canon EOS 500D digital camera with EF100mm F2.8 macro lens and Speedlite 420EX flash, a ...more
NASA just released this beautiful image of what's leftover from a supernova explosion. The red cloud is expanding cosmic debris, the blue is a blast wave of electrons, and the stripes at the edge tell of a high energy burst of x-rays that may be bound for earth. This image was ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
WonderHowTo is made up of niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. Thanks to all of our moderators and contrib ...more
I'm starting a series on the top astronomers, with probably about eleven astronomers that I will be covering overall. So, let's start out from the top, with the top most important astronomer. In my opinion, Galileo Galilei is the top astronomer. Galileo Galilei (February 15, ...more
You're probably already impressed at some of the photos amateur astrophotographers can capture with their 16-megapixel digital cameras. I know I am. That's why I'm beefing up my camera skills, so I can also take some amazing pictures of our skies above. But if you can take pho ...more
Discover the art of Telescopic Pole Setup in this informative video, where we guide you through the process of preparing your pole for speedfishing. Whether you're targeting Bluegill, Crappie, Trout, or Perch, pole fishing stands out as one of the most effective methods to ree ...more
All you science and astronomy nuts out there, pay attention, this detailed video tutorial series will tell you everything you need to know about using the Meade ETX-AT Series Telescope to ogle the universe. You don’t need to know star charts and celestial coordinates to find ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
Mind blowing cosmos art, seen through the lens of the Hubble telescope. Click through to Discovery News for more information behind these beautiful images. Previously, 2009's Most Amazing Scientific Images. 2009's Wackiest Inventions. 2009's Craziest Adrenaline Junkies.
This tutorial shows you how to take nice star pictures and star trail pictures with just a camera. This video also provides tips on choosing film, digital processes, and how to take late night photographs of stars in the night sky. You will need a tripod or a way to keep your ...more
The peak of the Lyrid meteor shower of 2012 was the night of Saturday, April 21, and I went to Whiskeytown Lake near Redding, California and took about 1,000 pictures. I used 3 Panasonic GH2s with various lenses and edited all of the shots together to make the time-lapse video ...more
Forget backpacking through the Himalayas— Google lets you enjoy the vistas from the comfort of your own home with Google Earth. Forget about snorkeling on your next trip to the Bahamas— you can go under the sea without even getting wet with Google Ocean. Forget about stargazin ...more
How about a laser? One that is strong enough to nudge debris out of earth orbit. That's what NASA contractor James Mason wants to do, and his lab simulations suggest that the idea is possible. Mason wants to use a 5kW ground-based laser and a ground-based 1.5 meter telescope t ...more
If you haven't seen one, a comet is one of the most spectacular astronomical objects in the sky, partially because it is so close to Earth. At the closest, it is only 1.3 a.u. (194,477,400 kilometers) away from Earth. Comet C/2009 P1 Garradd was discovered by Gordon J. Garradd ...more
Have you ever felt the desire to reach out and touch a galaxy? Or "feel" those stunning nebulas and planets you see in Hubble photos? As alluring as it sounds, it's safe to say the odds of your whim coming true are nonexistent. You'd have to travel about 6 earth years and spen ...more
NASA announced yesterday that their Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-sized planets orbiting a sun-like star outside of our solar system. Could this mean aliens? Unfortunately, no. The two newly discovered planets, Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are 0.87 and 1.03 time ...more
All you science and astronomy nuts out there, pay attention, this detailed video tutorial series will tell you everything you need to know about using the Meade EQ Series Telescope to ogle the universe. LARGE APERTURE MANUAL TELESCOPES Because the earth rotates once on its a ...more
Earlier this year, NASA reported on findings that might point to water, and microbial life, on moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. Named Europa and Enceladus, those moons contain large oceans under their icy surfaces, which many speculate could hold microbial life. On Earth, l ...more
All you science and astronomy nuts out there, pay attention, this detailed video tutorial series will tell you everything you need to know about using the Meade EXT Backpack Telescope to ogle the universe. Unlike other sciences, astronomy welcomes contributions from amateurs. ...more
What's the next best thing to being an official scientist? Being a non-official one. A new website called Science for Citizens helps you find the science experiment of your dreams, hook up with the scientists involved, and actually take part in the experiment itself. Here are ...more
This is actually a forum page, but they're discussing making you own finder scopes and medium power telescopes. There's a lot of information here.
When photographer Gerco De Ruijter set out to reveal "the Dutch culturally defined landscape"—a hard regiment of efficiency, gridded out by urban and rural planners—he came up with a beautiful aerial representation of abstract patterns. The series, entitled Baumschule, was cap ...more
Looking for a cheap addition to your KGB-esque arsenal of spyware? Here's a hack using a webcam and a telephoto lens to record some far out sights. Build a $40 USB spy telescope.
All you science and astronomy nuts out there, pay attention, this detailed video tutorial series will tell you everything you need to know about using the Meade EXT-80-TC Telescope to ogle the universe. Meade’s new, larger 80mm diameter ETX-80-TC delivers more light-gathering ...more
Looking for a primer on how to solve a telescoping series using partial fractions? See how it's done with this free video college algebra lesson. From Ramanujan to calculus co-creator Gottfried Leibniz, many of the world's best and brightest mathematical minds have belonged to ...more
Take out your wand and get ready to give it a whirl…'cause conjurer Ryan Oakes is going to show you how to make an awesome magic paper tree! All you need is a newspaper, scotch tape and scissors! Sometimes we use materials that require adult supervision... like scissors so mak ...more
All you science and astronomy nuts out there, pay attention, this detailed video tutorial series will tell you everything you need to know about using the Meade AZ Series Telescope to ogle the universe. Whether used as casual telescopes for astronomy or as high resolution spo ...more
Apparently a little amateur astronomy can go a long way. On March 21, 2009, Ralf Vandebergh, sitting in his backyard, pointed his 10 inch telescope at the sky and "saw a few bright pixels appear precisely where the work was going on at exactly the moment it was being conducted ...more
A little about myself and astronomy: I created this world because I love astronomy. I really, really, love astronomy. When I was ten, I went to a restaurant and saw a huge wall mural of the Andromeda Galaxy. At my house, we had a tiny refractor telescope. I knew this wasn't en ...more
Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This weekly Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. This week's column starts with a stock price ...more
I managed to take a few snapshots of the solar eclipse in the Malibu area, where it was just a partial. Just wanted to share a few. I've still got the same setup as when I took my supermoon pics, but hopefully one day I'll be able to get something bigger than my 105mm capabili ...more
Want to be an astrophotagrapher? Here is the simple facts of taking photos of those beautiful stars using your telescope and a camera. More advanced photographers tend to use a chilled camera though, so watch and learn. Timothy Ferris explains.