That is a question that I was asked over the weekend.

The next "major" shower, as they are considered, will be the Lyrids. The Lyrid meteor shower is not one of the strongest of the annual meteor showers, but it can be enjoyable to those meteor observers thirsting for something, after over three and a half months of weak meteor activity. 

The Andromeda Galaxy, a spiral galaxy 2.5 million light-years away, is something of a big sister to our own Milky Way. Andromeda contains roughly a trillion stars, a few times more than the Milky Way, but as the nearest major galaxy and the nearest spiral, it is useful for studying the structure of galaxies like our own. (Since astronomers are deeply embedded in the Milky Way, it is
difficult to make comprehensive measurements of our home universe.)

  Those that think they know the truth, do some research first before you Blog.  R.P.D. does not make up the Law as they do their job.  I have been an employee for the state for 5 years and this info is 1st hand. 

-Training Camp: Is actually the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.  This facility is attended by All Law Enforcement Officers within S.C., and Yes, even R.P.D. Officers.

-Fines: These fines are set by the State Of South Carolina and not the Municipalities, Counties or Highway Patrol.

Maybe if we suported our Law Enforcement more and let them do there job with out so much bad mouthing, we would be able to keep a safe friendly community. we probly wouldn't try a tell our dentist how to pull our teeth. would we realy want to deal with the stuff they deal with? Next time you want to know why the Police did what they did, ask them, they probably would be happy to explaine it. 

Ridgeland Police Department needs to be stop they are charging people excessive fines and something needs to be done about this. They are always targeting black and violating our constuition rights. Ridgeland Police Officer should have been fired for shoting at a unarmed man but nothing is being done about this. If a investigation is done on Ridgeland Police Department a lot of people would get fired including the Cheif of police. We as black people need to wake up in Jasper County and put a stop to this abuse Ridgeland Police is doing to blacks. Judge is also in with the Ridgeland Police.

Pluto was discovered 80 years ago today, and astronomers are still arguing over what it is.

The oddball world, downgraded from planet to dwarf planet status in 2006 and then later reclassified, is really out there. Scientists aren't sure exactly what Pluto's made of, how it formed, or why it orbits so oddly compared to the eight primary planets. And there are at least two camps of astronomers when it comes to defining Pluto. Some just think of it as a planet, others call it a dwarf planet or a plutoid.

Did anyone notice the Moon last night? Just after sunset, the Moon would have looked something like this.

It's in the news, and there's an excitement in the air already. The lowcountry may be in for is first measured accumulation of snowfall since 1996.  Forecasters say afternoon rain will become mixed with snow Friday evening with possibly heavy snow between 8pm and midnight. One to three inches of snow are possible in the coastal counties, with two to four inches possible west of I-95. Any snow on the ground isn't expected to stay for long however, as temperatures are expected to reach into the high 40s on Saturday.

This is the advisory maps as provided by WTOC in Savannah.

It's cloudy and rainy, and that leaves little chance that any night sky observing will be done around here for the next few days. So until I'm able to get out again, let's take a look at Emission nebulae.

Whether you own a telescope, binoculars, or just use your eyes to observe the night sky, there are certain factors that must be taken into account to do so.

First, you need to know your way around, if you care anything about knowing what you're looking at. For this, sky charts (or maps) are very helpful in assisting you with orienting yourself beneath the stars.