Eadsy Astronomy Newsletter November 1st to November 14th, 2026: The Dark Sky Window!

 

I can't believe October has come and will gone on Saturday! Happy Halloween to everyone! Don't forget on Sunday to set your clocks back one hour and enjoy the extra hour of sleep! It also means it gets darker earlier here so observing or imaging can go from around 6:30 pm to whenever you want to stop! I LOVE this time of year! Yep, its cold, but if you dress warm it is the most wonderful time of the year for imaging and observing! 

Here is the Newsletter for November 1st to November 14th, 2026. It focuses on the Dark Sky Window. I review the Moon phases and some lunar objects/features to look for. I also cover the planetary bodies up. 

The evening is dominated by Saturn right now! Neptune is close by and is in easy  reach with a good set of powerful binoculars or a small telescope even.  

In the morning the King of the Planets dominates! Between November 6th to the 9th Regulus in Leo, Jupiter and Mars make a nice diagonal alignment! Yes, Mars is right above Jupiter now! 

I then review our one comet that is up in Pegasus and Andromeda right now. Then give you two eye candy double stars and a challenge double star each night. 

I concluce with late fall and winter objects! Just know on the winter objects you may need to be a night owl but if you give it a few months, they will come up earlier and earlier in the evening! 

Here is the LINK to Eadsy Astronomy if you wish to read or get your own Google Doc or PDF of this newsletter! 

Time to Say Goodnight to the Bortle Sky System and Hello to the Sky Image Calculator or SPI

 

So I spent time this week updating the SPI or The Sky Performance Index Calculator and added multip domes so if you have more than one light dome you can add in 2 additional other domes. My observing sites usually only have 2, occasionally 3 so I've left it at 3 for now. 

For the Google Doc that explains it or the Google Sheet that lets you calculate for yourself your imaging or observing sites, head on over to Eadsy Astronomy at this LINK. 

It's Time to Say GoodNight to the Bortle Sky Rating System and Hello to SPI

 

For over two decades, visual observers and astrophotographers have relied on the Bortle scale to gauge sky quality. But let’s be honest—estimating light pollution based on general visual cues leaves far too much guesswork on the table. It’s time to say goodbye to the limitations of the classic Bortle system.

Welcome back to the Blog! Today, I’m excited to introduce the Sky Performance Index (SPI)—a comprehensive, precision-driven system designed to give observers an exact, objective measure of what the sky is actually giving you on any given night. By combining real surface brightness readings with real-time atmospheric conditions, the SPI gives you a true picture of observational potential. Let’s break down why the Bortle scale falls short and how the SPI system will revolutionize how you log, plan, and evaluate your dark-sky observing sessions

For the introductory report and to get the Google Sheet so you can play with SPI, head over to Eadsy Astronomy at this LINK. 

Betelgeuse Is Acting Up Again! What's Going on with Orion's Red Supergiant?

 

What is going on with Betelgeuse? Orion’s famous red supergiant is acting up again, leaving astronomers and stargazers asking the same big question: is this routine variable star behavior, or are we witnessing the final countdown to a massive cosmic explosion?"

Welcome back to the channel! If you’ve stepped outside lately and looked up at the familiar hourglass shape of Orion, you might have noticed its bright right shoulder looking a little different. Ever since the historic Great Dimming event, all eyes have been fixed on Betelgeuse—and right now, it’s giving us a brand-new show.

In this video, we’re diving into the latest observations, unpacking the science behind its strange brightness fluctuations, and looking at what’s really happening inside this massive, pulsating monster.

Before we jump in, make sure to hit that subscribe button, ring the bell, and let me know in the comments: what does Betelgeuse look like from your location tonight? Let's dive in!

Full article is available over at Eadsy Astronomy LINK. 

Mastering Astmosheric Seeing vs Transparency or How to Read the Sky Before you Observe or Image!

 

ver set up your telescope on a clear night only to find planetary details completely washed out, or attempted deep-sky imaging only to be left with gray, contrast-less backgrounds? The secret to avoiding wasted sessions comes down to understanding two critical atmospheric conditions: Seeing and Transparency.

In this video, we break down the fundamental differences between seeing (atmospheric stability) and transparency (atmospheric clarity), how each affects your stargazing and astrophotography, and quick tests you can perform with your naked eye or through the eyepiece before setting up!

Key Takeaways:

• Atmospheric Seeing measures the steadiness of the air. High seeing stability is crucial for high-magnification planetary, lunar, and double-star viewing.

• Atmospheric Transparency measures how much light passes vertically without being scattered or absorbed by moisture and aerosols. High transparency is essential for observing faint deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae.

• The Pickering Scale (1–10) rates seeing based on how intact a star's Airy disk and diffraction rings remain under high power.

• The Antoniadi Scale (I–V) rates seeing from I (perfect, motionless) down to V (severe, constant distortion)

For the full article head on over to Eadsy Astronomy! LINK 

Astronomer of the Week: Fritiz Zwicky (1898-1974): The Most Unrecognized Genius in Astrophysics in the 20th Century

 

If a competition were held for the most unrecognized genius of 20th-century astrophysics, the winner would undoubtedly be the Swiss-American astronomer Fritz Zwicky. A bold, visionary scientist who was decades ahead of his contemporaries, Zwicky formulated foundational theories on supernovas, dark matter, neutron stars, gravitational lensing, and cosmic rays. Yet despite his astonishing intuition, his abrasive personality and radical ideas led his peers to dismiss him for decades, leaving him one of the most underrated figures in the history of science.

The YouTube video covers a lot of the article I wrote since some prefer to listen instead of ready. You can read the full article over at Eadsy Astronomy LINK.