Mark Sweberg's Columns
- A December’s Winter Night
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Entry Date: Mar 11, 2014
Published Under: Mark Sweberg's Columns
The deep, dark and incredibly cold winter’s night had begun. It was going to be a good one. It was 7pm, and already a steady stream of visitors was making its way to the sixteen-inch telescope in the dome, and a line was forming outside. This... more
- Comet Lovejoy meets Venus
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Entry Date: Feb 4, 2014
Published Under: Mark Sweberg's Columns
I had driven down to Point Judith, ostensibly to look for Comet Lovejoy. The previous week, Comet ISON, which the media had heralded as a possible comet of the century, dominated the conversation during Thanksgiving dinner. Hopes were raised that it wo... more
- Bob's Aurora Borealis
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Entry Date: Jan 15, 2014
Published Under: Mark Sweberg's Columns
Bob liked to talk about one thing and one thing only: the aurora borealis. He could tell you anything you could ever possibly want to know about the northern lights, and then some. He might go on for hours in his monotone voice, if allowed. His know... more
- Remembering Carl Sagan
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Entry Date: Dec 12, 2013
Published Under: Mark Sweberg's Columns
As a young man on a cross country road trip/relocation to San Francisco, I stood on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, mesmerized and lost in the sublime. "I can't believe she dragged me 2,000 miles to look at a hole in the ground," a harried, sweating... more