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The Celestial Experience
By Monica Young “Wow, the Moon is so big!” I've invited friends over to see the so-called supermoon. I know that this particular full Moon isn't noticeably bigger than any other month, but why not take advantage of the hype? I now have two five-year-olds, a two-year-old, and even a one-year-old out in the dark, all of them vying for turns at my telescope. The hands-on experience is a far cry from my graduate school days, many of which were spent at a computer analyzing thousands of X-ray sources and examining their spectra. I pored over images from the XMM-Newton...
On the Persian New Year and Being Human
By Mike Simmons With the recent passing of the March equinox, those in Earth's northern hemisphere look forward to spring. The season represents a new cycle of life, and a time to focus on the things that make our lives special. Across the lands of the former Persian Empire, the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator marks the beginning of a new year on the Persian calendar, and the start of the ancient celebration of Nowrouz. With up to 13 days of celebration, Nowrouz is like an amalgam of several US holidays: New Year, Christmas, Chanukah, Thanksgiving, and more...
