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Interesting Astronomy Perspectives & Photographs


Astronomy, photographs, interesting facts and perspectives


Is there really water on the Moon? What's the #1 question asked of the Astronauts? What can they see from the Shuttle? Have they ever seen UFO's? Who was the first American woman in space?What does a launch blast-off really feel like? How hot do the thermal heat tiles get on re-entry? Read through my astronomy page to get the answers.

I have always been interested in the science of astronomy, ever since I can remember. In 1985 I joined The Astronomical Society of Kansas City. With over 300 members, we always have some events going on! My passive interest quickly changed into active involvement, and I have been busy having fun with Astronomy ever since.


The best time to look for ANY meteors is usually in the early morning hours before dawn, although you may also see some good action in the early evening. The main point is to get away from city lights and watch during the times that the Moon is out of the sky. The bright glare from the Moon also makes it hard to distinguish the fainter meteors.


Year 1998 Leonid meteors were fantastic!

On Monday night November 16th 1998, into Tuesday morning the 17th, there was a fantastic showing of Mother Nature's fireworks. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. The sky in town was grayish colored, so I drove out of town and away from city lights, to find a good dark sky. Remember, when the sky appears nice and black it makes the meteors appear brighter and much easier to see. The skies over the great plains of Kansas were clear, dark and wide open for this viewing of Leonid meteors. That year also brought a lot more meteors than normal, and it was well worth my effort to drive down to southern Kansas. I viewed an average of 250 - 300 meteors per hour for five consecutive hours! Twelve large ones were so bright that they lit-up the entire countryside! I only had to wait a few seconds between seeing each meteor. The action was fast and furious.
The best way to witness a show like this is to make an effort to be outside in the right place and be looking up during the right period. Contact your local Astronomy Club to find out what to do for this meteor shower, and learn about other showers.


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First quarter Moons offer the best opportunities to go outside, watch the sunset, and then look overhead to see the Moon. Around this Lunar phase is always a great time to view our nearest neighbor with a telescope. The dark shadows add depth to the valleys and craters, and they add height to the mountains. Dust off those old telescopes, or maybe it would be a good time to try out your new telescope, and take the family outside to view the Moon. If it's not cloudy, you will see some real nice Lunar features at their best.

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A link to our Astronomy Club's Home page, telling you about: What's up in the sky, for latitude 40 degrees North (Kansas City, Kansas)and in Central Standard Time ASKC Club Events If you are wanting to buy a telescope, and have plenty of questions, than here are some interesting comparisons and information.


The Astronomical Society of Kansas City has many good active members, and hosts a multitude of different astronomy events throughout the year. If you are in the KC area, come and visit our huge 30 inch diameter reflector telescope. Originally built by one of our club members, this is the largest scope you can find in the five state area! It is housed in a nice 20 foot diameter domed observatory, with a state of the art computerized operating system. There's an attached classroom/bathrooms/kitchen area in this first class facility completed in 1985. All of this was built from the dedicated efforts of some club members who got involved.



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Here is an interesting article about the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride

On November 15th 1999 the tiny planet Mercury could be seen orbiting in front of the face of our Sun... Wow!

For the daytime hours, outside - An actual scale model of our solar system, where you can walk the distances between the planets. It is always a fantastic, fun and memorable way to learn Astronomy


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Links to other sites on the Web



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Interesting Astronomy perspectives

Milky Way Galaxy Perspectives Milky Way Galaxy Perspectives Shuttle Crawler facts Facts on Shuttle's Heat Tiles

Astronauts...The first...the oldest..the youngest...the most missions... Shuttle Looking Down at Earth Why, How and When Do We See Sattelites? Perspective on: How Much Is a Billion? Perspective on:What does an astronaut see when standing in the middle of largest crater Clavius?


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Astronomy Photos

Interesting Facts