A Reason to Look Up

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Start your own podcast with my RSS affiliate link.Become a friend of the show on Patreon.Stars look like neighbors. But do they belong together? Join T. M. Engh for Orion, the Double Cluster and NGC 362: star families, gravity and why groups drift apart. Our November 14–20, 2026 forecast covers both hemispheres and the Moon’s effect on observing.THROUGH THE LENSTry a tripod, 24 mm full-frame-equivalent view, f/2.8–f/4, ISO 1600 and 5–10 seconds. These are starting points. Magnify a star, focus small and sharp, then check a saved frame. Shorten exposures for streaks or longer lenses. Tracking moves the foreground; stacking improves faint detail and reduces random noise. Detailed NGC 362 imaging needs advanced tracked/telescopic equipment, not just a phone. The Moon needs much shorter exposures.MAP THE GATHERINGObserve the Double Cluster from a suitable northern location, or Orion/NGC 362 where accessible farther south. Photograph, sketch or write; record local date, time and direction, crowded/sparse areas and nearby guide stars. Appearance alone cannot prove membership.Advanced: compare the Double Cluster with a credited NGC 362 image. Label scales; consider magnification and depth. Cloudy? Use the linked scientific observatory images. Preserve originals and check image credits/rights.HELP AND SOURCESStellarium Web sky map (set location, date, time and time zone)Stellarium guideNikon night-sky photographyNASA phone photographyNASA OrionNASA Double ClusterNASA/ESA NGC 362ESA cluster dispersalUSNO Moon phasesLeave a voicemailViews depend on location, Moon, horizon, weather and equipment; city examples are estimates, not guarantees. Obtain access permission; check dew, wind, batteries and a safe return route.The Sky This Week and Under the Same Sky are T. M. Engh Photography audio productions.

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Want to start your own podcast!? Click here to use my affiliate link, sign up, and bring your ideas to a massive audience with Free Podcast Hosting – Unlimited Episodes & Audio: https://rss.com/?via=f748f8Support The Sky This Week on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheSkyThisWeekWhat does a whirlpool look like on the Sun? And what could something so small tell us about a star?Join T. M. Engh for Tiny Whirlpools on the Sun, a short special from Under the Same Sky. Using observations from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaiʻi, we follow delicate curls along the boundaries of solar magnetic regions and explore the physics that could explain them.You’ll hear how neighboring flows can roll into waves, why similar patterns appear in clouds here on Earth, and how scientists compare telescope observations with computer simulations. We’ll also explore why these motions matter to questions about magnetic energy and the Sun’s surprisingly hot outer atmosphere, without pretending one discovery has solved the whole mystery.Through the Lens: Use the NSO article’s “Full View” movie on a screen. Follow one small boundary, pause, restart and track the same curl again. Can you distinguish it from its neighbors? No speed calculation is needed. Watch the observations-and-simulation comparison and check which view is observed and which is calculated. Describe one similarity and one thing the simulation shows that the telescope image alone cannot tell you. Without a screen, save this question for later: what would you need to measure to explain the curl?No direct solar viewing or camera is needed. Never look at the Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope or binoculars; eclipse glasses do not make that safe. For solar observing another time, get expert guidance and correctly filtered equipment designed for the task.Sources and further reading:National Solar Observatory: Discovery article, “Full View” observation movie, and observations-and-simulation comparison https://nso.edu/press-release/nsf-inouye-solar-telescope-enables-major-discovery-of-a-hidden-solar-process/Original research by Kuridze and colleagues: Ubiquitous Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities driving plasma mixing on the Sun https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13489961/NASA: Sun Facts https://science.nasa.gov/sun/facts/National Solar Observatory: Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope https://nso.edu/telescopes/inouye-solar-telescope/NASA: Solar Viewing Safety https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety/The approximately 19-kilometer figure discussed in this episode describes the detail resolved by the observations, not the measured diameter of every vortex. The possible contribution of these motions to coronal heating remains under investigation.The Sky This Week and Under the Same Sky are T. M. Engh Photography audio productions.

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Start a podcast with my RSS affiliate link. Support the show on Patreon.November 7–13, 2026: T. M. Engh explores Saturn’s icy particles and ring-shaping moons, and dusty belts around Fomalhaut, 25 light-years away, through Cassini, Webb and Hubble evidence. Gaps suggest possible planets, not proof. Changing sources may be collision debris, not confirmed planets or a filmed collision. Webb’s infrared colors represent measurements.Through the Lens: Find Saturn/Fomalhaut with Stellarium Web, set to your location/date/local time. Frame either over a foreground. Use a tripod or steady phone with supported night mode. Manual starting test: 24 mm full frame, f/2.8, ISO 1600, 5 seconds. Magnify a bright star to focus manually. Inspect a test; shorten exposure for streaks or a bright sky. Adjust to conditions.Wide photos show points, not rings/dust belts. Advanced: make a separate telescopic Saturn portrait with suitable equipment, short captures and sharper-frame selection. Long faint-sky exposures are unsuitable for a bright planet. Ring detail depends on optics, viewing angle, focus and steady air. Disclose composites; do not imply the wide exposure resolved rings. Choose a deliberate still, not a time-lapse.Assignment: Photograph Saturn or Fomalhaut, or two other visible lights; alternatively sketch their positions relative to the horizon. Record date, local time and direction. Caption in two parts: what you observed, then a scientific finding naming its source. Cloudy? Plan the horizon, read a linked source and observe another suitable evening; no deadline.Check weather, permitted access, clothing and safe return. Avoid roadsides, unstable edges and obstructing others with your tripod.Planning for November 10, 2026 (local evenings, not simultaneous): Heights are degrees above an ideal level horizon; directions use true north. F = Fomalhaut, S = Saturn. City centers:Tucson (32.2226°N, 110.9747°W): 21:00 MST, UTC−7; F 27° south, S 58° SSE. Astronomical dusk 18:51.Lisbon (38.7223°N, 9.1393°W): 21:00 WET, UTC+0; F 21° south, S 50° SSE. Dusk 18:58.Perth (31.9523°S, 115.8613°E): 22:00 AWST, UTC+8; F 64° west, S 57° NNW. Dusk 20:21.Wellington (41.2866°S, 174.7756°E): 22:00 NZDT, UTC+13; F 73° NW, S 47° NNE. Dusk 22:03, so twilight remains briefly.The waxing crescent Moon is below the horizon at all four times (about 1–4% illuminated). Independently calculated with PyEphem 4.2.1, zero elevation and no refraction; dusk uses Sun’s center −18°. Estimates, not a weather forecast. Terrain, local horizon, atmosphere, light pollution and equipment affect visibility.Sources: NASA: Cassini rings · NASA: Webb Fomalhaut · NASA: Hubble collision debris · USNO: 2026 Moon phases · Leave a voicemailThe Sky This Week and Under the Same Sky are T. M. Engh Photography audio productions.

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Start a podcast with my RSS affiliate link. Support the show on Patreon.T. M. Engh explores Australia’s 36-dish ASKAP, New Mexico’s 27-dish VLA, the repeating VLASS survey and odd radio circles. Scientific radio maps visualize measurements, not visible-light photos. Observatory access is restricted; this exercise needs no observatory visit.Through the Lens: An ordinary camera cannot record ASKAP/VLA radio waves. Photograph a familiar sky or landscape from safe, permitted ground away from glare. Use a tripod and wide lens; try 10–15 seconds, f/2.8 if available and ISO 1600–3200. Focus on a bright star/distant light and inspect a magnified test image. Adjust for your lens, sky and star streaks. RAW preserves more editing information; JPEG is fine. With a phone, steady it, use supported night mode and avoid digital zoom. If stars do not show, photograph a silhouette, horizon or distant light.Time-lapse: Fix the camera on a tripod. Try 10-second exposures starting every 15 seconds; confirm saving finishes before the next start. Capture 120 frames over about 30 minutes and play at 24 fps for 5 seconds. Keep exposure and white balance consistent. Check battery, storage and dew; stay off roads, private property without permission and unstable ground. A lens warmer can help with dew; the mentioned MSM USB warmer is linked below. Follow manufacturer guidance. Cloudy? Make a sequence of clouds or changing town lights.Advanced: Compare a deliberately composed still with a frame from the sequence, or combine fixed-camera exposures into star-trail arcs. Star trails, moving time-lapse and aligned/stacked tracked images are different outputs. Revisit a consistent framing over a month to compare changes without assuming each difference matters.Assignment: Photograph a familiar patch of sky, then open the linked authentic radio image. Ask: What does my photograph show? What does the radio map measure that my camera cannot? What might another visit reveal? The example radio galaxy is not necessarily in your photograph. If pairing your work with a scientific map, check its reuse terms and retain the stated credit; educational use alone is not a blanket permission. For the linked VLASS example: NRAO/AUI/NSF. See NRAO’s media-use policy.Assignment image: Sharper Image of Galaxy with VLASSImage reuse: NRAO media policyEquipment mentioned: MSM lens warmerSources: CSIRO: ASKAP · CSIRO: Murchison/Wajarri Yamaji Country · NRAO: VLA · NRAO: VLASS/archive status · NASA: Electromagnetic spectrum · CSIRO: Odd radio circlesThe Sky This Week and Under the Same Sky are T. M. Engh Photography audio productions.

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Want to start your own podcast!? Click here to use my affiliate link, sign up, and bring your ideas to massive audience with rss.com!https://www.patreon.com/TheSkyThisWeekWhy does one quiet night photograph stay with us longer than a spectacular image we forget tomorrow?A Reason to Look UpIn the opening story of Under the Same Sky, T. M. Engh explores the curious moment when a familiar tree, a thin Moon, or a single star becomes the reason to stop and look up. We talk about patience, dark adaptation, star motion, and why an ordinary landscape can give a photograph its meaning. This is an invitation to astronomy and astrophotography without expensive-gear expectations—and without pretending that every night must produce a masterpiece.Your observing and photographic assignment: Spend about 30 minutes outside on a clear evening, let your eyes adjust and avoid bright screens when safe. Find the Moon, a bright star or a familiar constellation above buildings/trees and notice the sky’s brightness. Need a map? Use Stellarium Web, set to your location, date and local time. A photograph is optional.For a photo, choose a safe, familiar foreground and a target visible from your location. Steady the camera and take a test frame. Widen the view if the target moves out of frame; if blurry, focus on a distant light or star and inspect the image closely. Record the date, local time and direction. Return to the same place another evening and compare the sky’s brightness, the Moon’s position and the foreground light.Advanced option: Make carefully exposed images over half an hour and compare sky motion with the still ground. Keep the camera fixed; a tracker follows stars and changes the foreground. Two exposures some time apart can also show motion. In the north, stars curve near Polaris; in the south they circle the opposite celestial pole, with no equally bright pole star.This is a standalone, audio-only Under the Same Sky story from T. M. Engh Photography. Observing opportunities and photography results depend on location, season, horizon, local conditions, and equipment. No special gear, perfect sky, or published photograph is assumed.Research and further exploration:https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/https://science.nasa.gov/moon/moon-phases/National Park Service — Dark Adaptation of the Human Eye and the Value of Red FlashlightsNASA — What is the North Star and How Do You Find It?NASA Night Sky Network — Astrophotography With Your SmartphoneUnder the Same Sky is a T. M. Engh Photography production.

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Start a podcast with my RSS affiliate link. Support the show on Patreon.October 31–November 6, 2026: T. M. Engh explores waning-Moon darkness, galaxies, clusters and Taurids from Comet Encke. Includes Wisconsin/London/Sydney/Cape Town darkness windows and location-dependent predawn Moon/Mars/Jupiter opportunities. Visibility depends on latitude, horizon, moonlight, light pollution, weather and equipment; check fresh conditions for later outings.Through the Lens: Use a solid tripod; try 14–24 mm on full frame, f/2.8 if available, ISO 1600–3200 and 10–15 seconds. Magnify a test image; shorten exposure for streaks. These are starting points. For Andromeda/Magellanic Clouds, try a wide landscape or 70–200 mm. A tracker follows stars but shifts the foreground. Star-aligned stacking can improve faint detail; a sharp foreground may need separate processing.Time-lapse: Fix a wide-angle camera on a tripod, focus on a bright star; use manual exposure and white balance if supported. Try f/2.8–f/4, ISO 1600–3200, 12-second exposures and a 15-second start-to-start interval, leaving 3 seconds to save. Test processing/noise-reduction delays; shorten exposure if needed. Take 240 frames over about one hour; at 24 fps, playback lasts 10 seconds. Check battery, storage, dew, wind and safety for the full run. Phones must support repeated timed night exposures.Earth’s rotation creates apparent motion. Use Stellarium Web, set to your location/date/local time, to find Polaris or the south celestial pole, which has no equally bright pole star. Any broad star field and foreground can work.Assignment: Make one recognizable sky photograph over a meaningful place, or a time-lapse instead. Try Pleiades/Andromeda in the north, a visible Magellanic Cloud in the south, or open sky during November 4–5, 2026 Taurids. No meteor is guaranteed. Check focus, star shape and foreground in a test. Advanced: save RAW, try a second composition and compare. Cloudy? Scout a foreground in daylight or explore a local sky chart. No expensive gear or perfect photo is required. Use permitted safe ground, avoid roadsides/drop-offs and dress for conditions.Sources: NASA: Moon phases · NASA: Meteor photography · IMO: 2026 calendar · AMS: Meteor calendar · USNO: 2026 Moon phases · Timeanddate: Astronomy · NASA: Andromeda · NASA: Pleiades · NASA: Magellanic CloudsThe Sky This Week is a T. M. Engh Photography production.

Do you have some questions or maybe some suggestions? Click here to leave a voicemail and let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!Two hemispheres. One sky. Endless opportunities to photograph it.Welcome to The Sky This Week, an astronomy and astrophotography podcast hosted by T. M. Engh, a photographer and storyteller from Wisconsin's Driftless Area.Join us every Saturday as we explore what's happening in the night sky and discover what's actually worth photographing over the next seven days.From meteor showers and planetary encounters to constellations, the Moon, and deep-sky objects, we'll explore practical photography opportunities across both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.And on the first Sunday of every month, we'll slow things down with Under the Same Sky, our monthly storytelling series exploring astronomy, photography, science, and the reasons we keep looking up.Whether you're an experienced astrophotographer, a curious beginner, or someone who simply enjoys looking at the stars, there's a place for you here.No expensive equipment required. No astronomy degree necessary. Just curiosity, a little patience, and perhaps a healthy sense of humor when the clouds inevitably arrive.Subscribe and join us beneath the same sky.A T. M. Engh Photography production.