Blog | Dogstar Observatory

Planets Tonight

by Jim Stratigos | Nov 29, 2019 | Balsam skies | 0 Comments

Well the clouds are not looking good for seeing the planets at sunset. If by some miracle the western sky is clear around 5:30 I plan to head up to the helicopter pad to try and see Venus, Saturn and the crescent moon. It's about the only accessible place on the...

Black Friday Planet

by Jim Stratigos | Nov 28, 2019 | Balsam skies | 0 Comments

Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and a very new Moon cozy up at sunset on Friday. Head up to someplace with a clear view to the low, southwestern sky just before sunset around 5:15. No telescope needed. I will check out some good locations today and send out a notice later.

Tiny Mercury and Goliath Sun

by Jim Stratigos | Nov 12, 2019 | Astronomical events | 0 Comments

We got a good view of the transit from the parking deck of my office in Atlanta. Lots of folks came out to take a look and the clouds were mostly thin. There were several "wows" from viewers which is something that amateur astronomers strive for but also some notable...

Mercury transit Monday morning

by Jim Stratigos | Nov 10, 2019 | Astronomical events | 0 Comments

Monday morning starting around 7:30 and lasting until 1:10, Mercury will cross the face of the Sun as seen from Earth. Some of you may recall when we viewed the last Venus transit from the helicopter pad back in June of 2012. While Venus transits are relatively rare...

Fall colors on trail 40

by Jim Stratigos | Oct 30, 2019 | Nature | 0 Comments

What a difference a day makes - Saturday was rainy and dreary followed by crystal clear Balsam skies and gorgeous fall colors on Sunday. Hopefully we have another week or so to enjoy it.

..and another Balsam sunset

by Jim Stratigos | Oct 23, 2019 | Balsam skies | 0 Comments

Last Friday night the sunset from the Boarding House was amazing. Reports from all over the Southeast of amazing sunsets due to combination of weather fronts and favorable fall sun angle.

Just another Balsam sunset

by Jim Stratigos | Aug 4, 2019 | Balsam skies | 0 Comments

Janie took this last Thursday from our back porch. "Lake Balsam" and clouds nicely frame mountains and sunset.

How to see 60 satellites!

by Jim Stratigos | May 27, 2019 | Astronomical events, Balsam skies | 0 Comments

You may have heard of SpaceX’s plan to launch a constellation of thousands of low earth orbit satellites to bring high speed internet service to underserved communities. He launched 60 test satellites on the Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral last week.

A White Easter

by Jim Stratigos | Apr 27, 2019 | Balsam social, Nature | 0 Comments

A surprise from mother nature last weekend with snow flurries all day Saturday and a dusting on the mountains above 5000 feet. It was a great weekend with friends and family to celebrate Passover and Easter.