David Huestis's Columns

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Astronomical Highlights for 2021
Happy New Year everyone. I can’t believe it is 2021! Happy 50th Anniversary to my fellow 1971 graduates of North Smithfield High School. Perhaps later this year we will be able to celebrate this milestone in our lives. For now, I will focus on some o... more
Solar Minimum Endures
Since my last update on the Sun’s Deep Minimum persistence, sunspot activity on the solar disk continues to be low. Here is the data for the last five years:Year    Spotless    Percentage Days2019    281        77%... more
May's Mooned-out Meteor Shower
I always look forward to observing a good display of shooting stars. I’ve watched countless “burning rocks” plummet through the Earth’s atmosphere in the 45 years I’ve been an amateur astronomer. The experience doesn’t get old, except perha... more
April Lyrids Meteor Shower
It’s been a while since Mother Nature has afforded us a decent display of shooting stars. Clouds or bright moonlight have often conspired to prevent us from watching “burning rocks” falling from the sky. However, on the night of April 22-23, betw... more