23 results for author: James Lewis


LEO THE LION: A FEATURE IN JUNE’S NIGHT SKY

  June has arrived quietly and unexpectedly, like a stray cat waiting at our door. For stargazers, there are many great things to see, including Leo. But because of Daylight Savings Time, it doesn’t get really dark until about 10 p.m. One must be especially motivated to wait that long to see the stars. But, believe me, it will be worth the effort. So many stars! On an average dark night, we will be able to see 10,000 stars. What an incredible treat!   Leo the Lion occupies the western sky at this time of year. It sets around midnight. This year there will be bright moonlight until full moon which is June 5. Then the moon begins to ...

AN UNEXPECTED MIRACLE

  In this time of the pandemic, in the midst of suffering, people are reaching out to others. People are helping strangers in very loving ways. I had a similar experience in an April snowstorm of 1956.   At that time, I was working for Marathon County Schools as a speech therapist for the 124 one-room schools. I had agreed to take children to the University of Wisconsin in Madison for possible admission into their summer speech therapy clinic.   It was a different time from now. It was an era of greater trust when folks didn’t worry so much about accidents, mechanical failures or other things that might happen. I picked ...

REGARDING OUR VERY OWN STAR: THE SUN

  We are going through very heartbreaking times. As we continue to see increases in the spread of the corona virus, we are likely to overlook the wonderful things all around us. Consider this:   On a clear night we are able to see thousands of stars shining above. Each star is a nuclear furnace. Most stars are busy crushing hydrogen atoms, creating helium atoms and releasing incredible amounts of energy in the process. Our sun is an example of this sort of star.   We are lucky to have the sun. It is a steady star, shining and energizing our Solar System at a steady rate. Many stars are variable, shining brightly for a ...

THE HUNTING DOGS OF ORION

Orion, the hunter, has two smaller constellations following him through the night sky from late December until late March each year. Legend from the Greek and Roman tradition tells us that they are his hunting dogs. Both are assigned Latin names: one is Canis Major (Large Dog). The other is Canis Minor (Small Dog.)   In late March, both constellations should be easy to find if you have a clear view to the south-west. To find the Large Dog, first find brilliant Orion in the south-west, still fairly well-placed above the southwest horizon. Orion, as you will remember, has ruby-colored Betelgeuse (Beetle Juice) for one shoulder and brilliant ...

WHERE IS OUR NATION HEADED?

The current trial of President Trump with the possibility of his removal from office is of major importance for our nation and world. But I think there are a number of reasons besides the evidence of “abuse of power” and “obstruction of Congress” for his impeachment and subsequent removal from office.   They include: President Trump has abandoned the commitment of our nation to the Paris Climate Agreement, thus turning our back on the critical need to immediately convert our nation to a carbon-free energy system. There is no time to lose.   He has separated young children from their parents at the Mexican border ...

SOMETHING IS HAPPENING TO ORION THE HUNTER

I’m eager to write a second article about Orion, now well-placed above the south-south-east horizon in February. Its most famous star, Betelgeuse, is becoming dimmer. According to astronomer Nadia Drake, “The red star Betelgeuse is the dimmest seen in years, prompting some speculation that the star is about to explode.” (National Geographic website, Dec. 26, 2019)   It has been known for some time that Beetle-Juice, as most of us call it, is in its last stage-of-life. It is an enormous, bloated, red super-giant star. It is understood that it is running out of nuclear fuel, and that when it’s all gone, the star will collapse in on ...

ORION RISES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN SKY IN DECEMBER

I’m excited to write about the constellation Orion for the December issue. Orion is the favorite constellation of many people. Orion’s stars are brilliant. Furthermore, the constellation lies across the Celestial Equator, so it can be seen by anybody anywhere on Earth at the right time of year.   We need a few definitions. These are taken from www.skymaps.com. Constellation: “a defined area of the sky containing a star pattern” (such as a person, animal or object). Galaxy: “A mass of several billion stars (or more) held together by gravity.” Celestial equator: An imaginary line created by extending the Earth’s equator ...

MORAL LEADERSHIP

What do Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jesus, Apostle Paul and Pierre Teilhard have in common? They all maintained that love is the highest value of life.   Martin L. King wrote, “What is the highest good of life? It is love. He or she who love is a participant in the being of God.” (Christian Century, June 1957).   Gandhi wrote, “Truth and nonviolence are, to me, faces of the same coin. The law of love will work, just as the law of gravitation will work, whether we accept it or not.” (All Saints by Robert Ellsberg, p. 53.)   Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You must love ...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: LOOKING AT OUR POTUS

A short time ago, my cousin from New Zealand wrote, “Nearly every day there is a cartoon in our paper which says something uncomplimentary about Trump.” I, too, for a long time have been much concerned about our president who leaves destruction in his wake in whatever he does. I have no words of comfort to share with my disappointed cousin. Consider a short list of destructive acts carried out, without Congressional input, but with his executive orders:   He has pulled our nation out of the Paris Climate Agreements. We have lost our position as a world leader in this matter. U.S. citizens will not see any positive corrective ...

THE NIGHT SKIES IN OCTOBER

(James A. Lewis is a member of Stars R/us Astronomy Club.) I think that October is one of the best months for roaming about in the night sky with just your eyes or binoculars. Why? It gets nice and dark a lot earlier than in the summer. In October it’s quite dark about 8 p.m. In contrast, in mid-summer it takes until 10:30 for good views of the stars. It gets really cold in November and December and even colder later on. The Milky Way, our home galaxy, is awesome in October. When it gets dark shortly after 8 p.m., scan the band of stars starting at the southwest horizon to overhead (the Zenith) and down to the north-east horizon. That’s ...