(April crescent moon, photographed by Trileigh Tucker)

By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

We’re coming into some reliably clear skies as summer approaches, and better than that, it’ll be warm enough some nights to go stargazing without layering jackets, hats, and long underwear.

Unfortunately, with this warmer weather comes more unstable air, so the seeing isn’t as good as it was in winter. Seeing is all about how easy it is to see the objects in the night sky: how much twinkle is in the stars, or how much the atmosphere blurs what you can see.

Hey! What’s That?

There are fewer bright objects in the sky than the last few months, but what you noticed most recently was probably one of these three: the stars Capella, Arcturus, or the planet Saturn.

If you saw it in the Northwest: it was Capella.

If you saw it in the Southeast: it was either Arcturus or Saturn. Arcturus is higher in the sky, Saturn is nearer the horizon.

Keeping the Sky Dark

As we move into summer, more of us will be looking to enjoy the night sky, especially on lazy nights from right here in the city. If you’d like to help out your West Seattle neighbors, remember to turn off your outdoor lights when you’re not using them.

You can also consider installing dark-sky-preserving light fixtures for your outdoor lighting. Dark-sky lighting also increases safety by directing light to where you want and need it and reducing glare. (You know how if you stand under a bright streetlight and look across to the dark alley, you can’t actually see what’s there? That’s due to glare and your eyes dark adapting. The opposite is also true: if you stand in the dark alley you can clearly see everyone that’s standing “safely” under the brightly lit streetlight).

I’ll admit to you this though: my International Dark Sky Association light fixture for my garage is still in its box, so I completely agree that we can just take baby steps on this. Okay, I’m done with the editorializing, back to what’s up in the sky!

Planets (and the rest of the Solar System)

We still have a little bit of Jupiter after sunset, in fact it may even be “the first star you see tonight,” but it will set in the West before it gets dark enough for great observing.

Comet PANSTARRS is still visible: with a great telescope and a camera. You can see it in these pictures from Jason, and notice how the tails have changed since we saw it in March.

(Comet photos by Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen)
Now the tails are about 120° apart.

Events

Take advantage of the clear, warm nights as they come up, and step out into your yard and look up. I’m not planning any star parties this month, but there is one almost-local event in the first week of June.

Saturday, June 8 – Puget Sound Star Party. I’ll be down at Southcenter with some telescopes. (Oh, excuse me I think it is now called Westfield Southcenter Mall, but because I’ve been here since the ’80s, I’ll probably always just call it “Southcenter.”) I’ll bring some indoor activities in case of clouds.

So, not exactly West Seattle, but it isn’t that far away either.

The Moon

May 17, First Quarter: The first quarter moon is ideal for late afternoon and early evening observation.

May 24, Full Moon: The full moon rises at sunset, and sets at sunrise.

May 31, Last Quarter: The week around the last quarter moon, it is visible in the early morning sky.

June 8, New Moon: the day of the new moon you won’t see the Moon at all, but in a few days before or after you might see a tiny sliver of a crescent Moon in the mid-day sky

Resources:

Stellarium: free planetarium software for your home computer. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world, any time and date in history or the future.

Clear Sky Chart: the astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloudcover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart.

USNO: dates and times of astronomical happenings.

International Dark Sky Association

Who is Alice?

Alice is many things and works and volunteers for a few different notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no-one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at alicesastroinfo.com.

Image was created from a stack of five 120-second exposures at ISO 400, on 2013-05-06.

A big solar wind “gust” just passed over the Earth, so tonight is prime aurora viewing. Check spaceweather and softservenews but it could even be worth driving somewhere out from under these big clouds.

(Comet PanSTARRS’ ‘last hurrah,’ from WSB reader John Hinkey)
By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

We had some amazing nights last month, despite it being March. Now that it is officially spring, it’s started raining again. This month we have two planets in the night sky, and solar activity continues to ramp up towards Solar Maximum in November. It’s Global Astronomy Month, according to Astronomers without Borders, as well as Astronomy Day and Astronomy Week towards the end of the month as declared by the Astronomical League.

Hey! What’s That?

Did you see something in the sky recently, and wonder what it was? There are several options, but I’m betting you probably saw Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. It twinkles and flashes like anything in the mid-low sky between southeast and southwest. You probably will even think it is an airplane at first, until you realize it isn’t moving.

The other prime options are Jupiter and Saturn, depending on when and where you’re looking. Both of them will appear extremely bright, but Jupiter is in among a number of similarly bright stars, and Saturn will be rising later in the evening.

Planets (and the rest of the Solar System)

What a nice segue into the planets visible now, if the skies clear.

We’ve had Jupiter for a few months now, not terribly far away from Orion in the West after sunset, and Saturn rises in the East a couple hours later in the same part of the sky as the bright stars Arcturus in Boötes and Spica in Virgo.

For a few fleeting moments at the end of the month you might catch Venus in the West just after sunset. Next month will be better for that.

It may not be a planet, but Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS to be exact) continues to be in the night sky, visible with a telescope. On April 6th or 7th it becomes circumpolar—visible all night long in the Northern sky for the rest of April. It is a good target for practicing astrophotography, point your camera north and leave the shutter open for 10-30 seconds. See what you get.

I hope you were able to join us for some of the fun comet-gazing nights last month, here are a couple pictures we’ve held in reserve, as thanks for braving the changing clouds and chilly winds of mid-March. I always love these people and stars photographs:

(Finding PanSTARRS with a telescope, from Jason Gift Enevoldsen)

(PanSTARRS, between the cart and the telescope, and comet gazers in Lincoln Park from Jason Gift Enevoldsen)

One more event within our Solar System: the Lyrid meteor shower peaks after midnight on April 21 (so, technically that is the morning of April 22). It’s not predicted to be a great year for Lyrids due to the bright waxing Moon, and in general this isn’t one of the more spectacular meteor showers. So, if you happen to be out and it happens to be clear, go ahead and look towards the Northeast. You can also expect to see a few more meteors than usual on the days around April 21.

The Sun

Have you noticed how every day seems so much longer than the last this week? That’s springtime for you. The weather doesn’t seem it, but we’re irrevocably on our way to summer.

(Jason Gift Enevoldsen took this from our backyard using a white light solar filter on March 31, just before the weather turned. Never use an unprotected camera, telescope, or binoculars to look at the Sun. Use proper eye protection (not just sunglasses) when viewing the Sun directly.)

Unrelated to spring and summer, solar activity is also increasing, and because this is a solar maximum year, activity will continue to increase until at least November. If you have a hankering for aurorae, this is your year. We generally have about three days of warning before increased solar activity reaches the Earth and makes aurorae.

Here are some sources for good forecasts:

spaceweather.com – This is THE source for information about solar activity.

softservenews.com/Aurora.htm – I have found this to be a bit more readable than Spaceweather.com

gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/NorthAmerica – This picture shows you where the aurorae will be if there is activity.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since Alice sent this in a few days ago, there has indeed been some indication of solar activity.)

Events

Yuri’s Night is Friday, April 12th. This is generally a 21+ celebration of humankind’s first steps into space: Yuri Gagarin’s historic first manned flight into outer space occurred on April 12, 1961. The Museum of Flight is hosting an event, or you can host your own anywhere you like.

Astronomy Day is Saturday, April 20th. Pacific Science Center’s Track for Earth and Space Science Achievement teens (some of whom are local to West Seattle) will be hosting a celebration one week later on Saturday, April 27th.

The Moon

April 18, First Quarter: the first quarter moon is ideal for late afternoon and early evening observation.

April 25, Full Moon: The full moon rises at sunset, and sets at sunrise.

May 2, Last Quarter: the week around the last quarter moon, it is visible in the early morning sky.

Resources:

Stellarium: free planetarium software for your home computer. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world, any time and date in history or the future.

Clear Sky Chart: the astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloudcover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart.

USNO: dates and times of astronomical happenings.

International Dark Sky Association

Who is Alice?

Alice is many things and works and volunteers for a few different notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no-one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at alicesastroinfo.com.

11:12 PM: Thanks to John Hinkey for the photos (above and below) of Comet PanSTARRS from tonight.

He says they watched from a northwest West Seattle home, but “Could not have found it without Alice Enevoldsen’s directions!” Meantime, as for the Lincoln Park watch, we got to Lincoln Park minutes too late for the comet – Alice says it vanished behind the cloud shelf over the Olympics around 9:10 pm. We arrived around 9:15; thanks to Alice and husband Jason for sticking around for a little guided stargazing with one of their telescopes – Jupiter and star cluster Pleiades, If there’s a chance of visibility again tomorrow, they’ll be back, but that might be the last time for a while, so if you’re interested, make (tentative) plans to be there!

(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
Another beautiful night for comet-watching at Lincoln Park. This time, WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was watching the comet-watchers – like Donovan Huhner, above. He and others came to south Lincoln Park in hopes of spotting Comet PanSTARRS:

The park’s south beach is where Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info and WSB’s monthly Skies Over West Seattle has been holding court on clear(-ish) nights, along with her husband Jason Gift Enevoldsen:

If you can’t make it to Lincoln Park, Alice has an online guide for where/how to look for Comet PanSTARRS, which she calls a “cute little comet.” As she wrote on WSB earlier this month, this is considered to be the “Year of the Comet,” so there’s a lot more viewing to come.

Keep an eye on Alice’s Twitter feed (and ours) for updates on viewing opportunities while PanSTARRS is still in sight. (Here’s how it looked last weekend.)

A small but hardy group of skywatchers gathered at Solstice Park this evening for Alice Enevoldsen‘s quarterly equinox/sunset viewing, part of her public event schedule as a NASA Solar System Ambassador. A biting wind swept over the slope – that’s Alice, bundled up in blue – but the sun remained in view:

In addition to the globe she totes to explain the meaning of equinox or solstice, whichever applies, this time Alice brought a book she’s written:

This is the one and only copy of the book she’s written for young children, including her own daughter – but she’s looking for a publisher (any suggestions? you can reach her through her website alicesastroinfo.com).

After sunset, she was off to Lincoln Park to comet-watch, and reported via Twitter that PanSTARRS was visible again!

The sky cleared enough for Comet PanSTARRS viewing again tonight – and we have photos to share in case you missed it. Above, from Trileigh Tucker – click the image for a larger view. The remaining images are from WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams:

To help answer the question of “where to look?” check out his wide view:

That’s Blake Island, with the comet off in the center right – click that image for a larger view. And to get a step-by-step tutorial on where to look for it any time the sky clears in the nights ahead, here’s what local astro-expert Alice Enevoldsen has written about that – she was out with comet-watchers on the south shore of Lincoln Park, and they also viewed Jupiter – Nick sent in this photo as a result:

P.S. Along with comet-viewing any upcoming night it’s clear enough, you’ll find Alice at Solstice Park this coming Wednesday night for her traditional equinox/solstice sunset viewing – 7:13 pm, full details here.

P.P.S. From the archives in case you missed their original appearances – nice comet photos from Saturday night; also, the Northern Lights, seen from Alki!

(Click image for larger view; photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
Hours after Comet PanSTARRS made another appearance in the western sky (photo here and more to come), the Northern Lights were visible from West Seattle. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams says this image is from Alki Beach at 3:12 am. Depending on cloud conditions, the aurora might be visible again tonight – it’s from a coronal mass ejection on Friday. Skies Over West Seattle correspondent Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info recommends spaceweather.com for updates.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: If there’s a significant break in the clouds, Alice plans to be out at the south end of Lincoln Park beach around 7:45 tonight for aurora and comet watching. You can also watch her Twitter account for updates.

(Photo by Paul, added 9:45 pm)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:38 PM: Last night, Comet PanSTARRS was briefly visible in a gap between the clouds – and that might be the case again tonight, reports Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info fame and author of “Skies Over West Seattle” updates on WSB – so she’s planning to be on the south end of Lincoln Park at 8 pm. We’ll update if there’s a sighting! (And if you can’t join Alice at the park, the graphic in her March SOWS report shows you where to look.)

9:48 PM UPDATE: Sightings reported! First photo in is courtesy of Paul – added atop this story.

ADDED SUNDAY MORNING: Two photos from Alice’s husband Jason Gift Enevoldsen:

Jason reports that Alice couldn’t get to the beach so he led the comet-viewing there instead:

I took a couple scopes and some binoculars and set up at the south end of the beach again. There was soon a small crowd and we all enjoyed the significantly-improved views tonight – fewer clouds and steadier air (despite the wind). … Many of us were even able to make out the comet without optical aid. The effect was very similar to the second photo below near the top-center, sort of like a tiny speck of dust stuck to your glasses – difficult to see at first and fuzzy, but once you’ve spotted it, it was hard to ignore. I think we probably had about 15-20 people total who stopped by, all ages, and took a chance to view it. We had fun while it lasted; the clouds came in quickly around 8:45 pm, only about 10 minutes before the comet would have set behind the mountains anyway.

What about Sunday night? We’ll see how things look when sunset approaches!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: If there’s a significant break in the clouds, Alice plans to be out at the south end of Lincoln Park beach around 7:45 tonight for comet- and Northern Lights-watching. You can also watch her Twitter account for updates.

(Click picture for a larger image showing Comet PanSTARRS; photo by Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen)
10:29 PM: As also seen on her site Alice’s Astro Info, that photo shared by Alice Enevoldsen shows Comet PanSTARRS as it could be seen for a few minutes from West Seattle earlier this evening. Alice’s monthly “Skies Over West Seattle” report here on WSB shows its projected trajectory across the western sky this month – but of course the catch is that there has to be at least a patch of clear evening sky in the right place so it can be seen, and tonight, that happened.

4:05 PM: Alice and Jason processed an even-clearer image – see it here.

3:50 PM: Hoping to comet-watch tonight, with Pan-STARRS in the western sky? Above, that’s a new graphic from local skywatching expert Alice Enevoldsen, updating the one originally featured when we published her second “Skies Over West Seattle“ here last Sunday. We see some clouds gathering to the west right now, so hard to tell how things will look post-sunset, but now you know where to look if there’s a clearing.

5:12 PM UPDATE: Alice says via Twitter that if there aren’t too many clouds, she’ll be at the south end of Lincoln Park around 6:20 to be on the lookout for the comet. Even if it doesn’t show, she says, Jupiter and Sirius will be worth watching.

6:18 PM UPDATE: Update from Alice (in case you haven’t looked outside lately) – we won’t see the comet tonight; the clouds are thickening.

By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

Last month I encouraged you to remember to look up on clear nights (we do have them!) and enjoy our “regular” night sky. This month we have a couple of exciting events that are potentially visible from here in West Seattle. Again, be ready to take advantage of what clear skies we do have, because many March nights are too cloudy for stargazing, and you’ll have to turn to airplane-spotting or cloud identification for your nocturnal hobby.

Comet PanSTARRS!

We are incredibly lucky here in West Seattle. We have a flat Western horizon, which is where you’ll be looking for Comet PanSTARRS just after sunset. I’ve attempted to mock up a little local finding guide image for you here (editor’s note, updated image substituted 3/9/13).

(Placement of Comet PanSTARRS from West Seattle, March 2013. Background image of the Olympics © 2011 Jason Enevoldsen, used with permission)

This is just a guide: I overlaid some planetarium program imagery on a scaled photo of the Olympics. I did my best, but to really find the comet you’ll need an accurate finder chart which includes stars (Astronomy.com has one). At first, in early March, you’ll need binoculars to pick the comet out of the bright post-sunset sky. Toward mid-March it should be brighter, and possibly as bright as the middle stars of the Big Dipper. This would make it easily visible without binoculars. Comets are notably unpredictable though, almost as unpredictable as Seattle’s weather in March.

This is not “THE” comet of 2013, but it is one of the three or four comets making this the so-called Year of The Comet. It has been a while since we had a good comet. If you were old enough to be paying attention in 1995 and 1996, you’ll remember the amazing comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp. (In fact, the first astrophoto I ever took was of comet Hale-Bopp. The photograph turned out a horrible mess, but I was able to easily see the comet from West Seattle.)

For lots more details about Comet PanSTARRS itself, I wrote an article in mid-February over on Alice’s AstroInfo.

Equinox Sunset Watch

Well, it’s that time once again! Time for the first sunset watch since the world ended last December. I host these four times a year at Solstice Park, and we have quite the hit-or-miss record with whether we see the Sun line up with the stone marker or not. Join me on Wednesday, March 20, at 6:30 pm to see if the Sun sets over the middle stone of our “mini-Stonehenge.”

The Winter Circle

We’ve had some beautiful skies intermittently over the last few weeks. This is not surprising for winter. Believe me, I hear the disbelief in your voice there, but if we have even part of a night that is cloudless, the skies can be crystal clear due to the cold, and the winter sky is full of extremely bright stars that twinkle and sparkle like flashing LEDs. A set of these exceedingly bright stars are easily visible directly overhead as soon as it gets dark: stars from the constellations Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Taurus, Auriga, and Gemini make up this pattern. This month Jupiter is also joining the mix, and the rest of Orion is in the middle. This asterism is called either the Winter Circle or the Winter Hexagon. If it is dark, just look up, you can’t miss it. Don’t worry about exactly which stars make up the circle, just enjoy the view.

Spend a few extra minutes, up to about an hour, and you’ll begin to notice that some of these bright stars have slightly different colors than the others. It takes practice to notice these colors, because they’re subtle. Once you’ve trained your eyes to notice the color though, you’ll be exclaiming about how red this star is, and how yellow that one is. Practiced astronomers call Betelgeuse in Orion a “bright red” star. To you or I, it will appear a light salmon. What colors do you notice in tonight’s sky?

Hey! What’s That?

Did you see something bright last night, and wonder what it was? It’s probably the same culprit as last month: either Jupiter or the brightest star in the night sky: Sirius. It could also be Saturn, if you’re looking at the sky after midnight or early in the morning.

The Moon

March 4, Last Quarter: the week around the last quarter moon, it is visible in the early morning sky.

March 11, New Moon: the day of the new moon you won’t see the Moon at all, but in a few days before or after you might see a tiny sliver of a crescent Moon in the mid-day sky.

March 19, First Quarter: the first quarter moon is ideal for late afternoon and early evening observation.

March 27, Full Moon: The full moon rises at sunset, and sets at sunrise.

Coming Up — More Comets!

If you miss Comet C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS, you’ll have at least one more comet coming up this year that will be visible from West Seattle: C/2012 S1 ISON in November. (Aren’t these names great?*). Two other comets to pay attention to in the news are C/2012 F6 Lemmon – a beautiful green comet, visible in the Southern Hemisphere, and the newly-discovered C/2013 A1 Siding Spring which is going to pass so close to Mars that we don’t even know if it will hit the red planet or not.

*A note on comet naming: The first part of the name is the year of discovery, and the name at the end is the discoverer(s) or the telescope that conducted the survey which discovered the comet if it is not possible to name a single discoverer. PanSTARRS, ISON, and Siding Spring are all names of telescopes or programs searching for solar system objects.

Resources:

Stellarium: Free planetarium software for your home computer. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world, any time and date in history or the future.

Clear Sky Chart: The astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloudcover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart.

USNO: Dates and times of astronomical happenings.

International Dark Sky Association

======================

Who is Alice?

Alice is many things and works and volunteers for a few different notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at alicesastroinfo.com.

By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

Even with our cloudy skies and immense light pollution, there is hope for skygazing in West Seattle. As with everything, what you need is to be ready to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. I’m here to offer some suggestions for what to do with those opportunities.

The easy part is to not forget to look up. It is easy for us to bend our heads towards the ground all the time: reading our phones, the news, and watching to make sure we don’t step in puddles. When you get out of the car or off the bus, take a second to turn your face up to the sky. Just before you go to bed, as you’re locking up, glance out the window, or step out for a moment, and see what’s up there.

Beyond that, the winter skies can be truly beautiful. There are many extremely bright stars, and recognizable constellations like Orion are high in the sky and up most of the night. The cold air of winter is also more still than the warm, roiling air of summer. This makes the stars appear more crisp. In astronomical parlance this is called “good seeing.” When it is clear out these situations together make the night sky breathtaking, even from the city.

Hey! What’s That?

Did you see something bright last night, and wonder what it was? It’s either Jupiter or the brightest star in the night sky: Sirius.

If what you’re seeing is low to the horizon and twinkling like crazy, it’s probably Sirius. Sirius sparkles so much in our night skies that at times it almost looks like it is blinking between colors: red, blue, white, and even green. It is often mistaken for an airplane or a UFO.

If the object you’re seeing is high in the sky, very bright and steady then you’re seeing Jupiter. Jupiter won’t twinkle at all, because planets don’t twinkle and stars do. Jupiter is just a short way East of Orion, between the constellation of Taurus and the Pleiades. Next time you notice it, grab a pair of binoculars. You can hold them still on the top of your car or a porch railing. If you hold steady enough you’ll be able to make out Jupiter’s four largest moons in a line to either side of the planet itself.

The Moon

February 3, Last Quarter: The last quarter moon (would have been, if clearer) visible in the morning sky, rising around 1:00 am and setting about 11:00 am.

February 10, New Moon: The new moon is when you won’t see the Moon at all.

February 17, First Quarter: The first quarter moon is ideal for evening and daytime observation. You’ll see it rising around 10:30am and setting near 2:00am. With a telescope or binoculars you can see plenty of detail without straining your eyes.

February 25, Full Moon: The full Moon is a prime opportunity to see the rays radiating from the large crater Tycho visible at the southern pole, as well as the best time to view the Moon with just your eyes. These rays are lighter, almost white, bands of material that splashed out when the crater was formed. The full Moon rises at sunset, and sets at sunrise.

(9/2/2012 Crater Rays from Tycho, photograph by Jason Gift Enevoldsen)

The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is almost vertical in the early evening sky this time of year. This is an asterism (an unofficial constellation) that many of you will be familiar with, but you probably picture it horizontal. This time of year you’ll see it “handle-side-down” just to the East of North after sunset as the sky begins to get darker.

The Pleiades

The Pleiades are one of my favorite deep sky objects. They are visible much of the year, but in the winter evenings they are near the zenith. You’ll notice them as a tiny group of stars. Some people even call them a mini Big Dipper because the stars make the same pattern as the Big Dipper in miniature. The best thing about the Pleiades is that they’re fun to see with just your eyes, with binoculars, or with a telescope. Depending on the technology you’re using you’ll see different numbers of stars in this open cluster. How many can you see tonight? What about tomorrow? Depending on the “seeing” and your own vision you’ll also see a different number of stars.

Asteroid 2012 DA 14

Asteroid 2012 DA 14 (isn’t that a catchy name?) is going to fly past the Earth on February 15th. It will pass quite closely, but it will miss us. Unfortunately, it will be too dim to see without a telescope, and it will be moving too quickly for most home telescope users to be able to follow.

Coming Up

Next month, pay attention to news articles about Comet PANSTARRS and the spring equinox on March 20, 2013.

#

Resources:

Stellarium: free planetarium software for your home computer. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world, any time and date in history or the future.

Clear Sky Chart: the astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloudcover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart. http://cleardarksky.com/c/Seattlekey.html

USNO: Dates and times of astronomical happenings. http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/

International Dark Sky Association

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Who is Alice?

Alice is many things and works and volunteers for a few different notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no-one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at www.alicesastroinfo.com.