Author Archives: ST Editors

The Hunt For Primordial Stars

by Prasad Ganti The hunt for the first stars formed in the universe is on. There have been some promising candidates but no confirmations yet. The first batch of stars called the population III stars were formed when the universe was … Continue reading

Posted in March 2026, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Stars and Fights: How the Night Sky Guided Armies

by Veer Bedi, Eighth Grade, Princeton Middle School The night sky is full of wonders. You can see stars, planets, constellations, star clusters, and even the occasional shooting star. Go out on a clear, moonless night in a place with … Continue reading

Posted in March 2026, Sidereal Times | Leave a comment

Rubin’s Cosmic Treasure Chest

by Rich Sherman

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Snippets

compiled by Arlene & David Kaplan This Comet Stopped Spinning. Then It Started Rotating Backward. If you were standing on the surface of Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák nine years ago as it was getting closer to the sun, you might have been … Continue reading

Posted in March 2026, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

From The Director

by Rex Parker, PhD director@princetonastronomy.org February 10, 2026 Meeting at Peyton Hall.  Let’s get a strong turnout in person at Peyton Hall for the Feb 10 meeting.  It will also be run as a hybrid meeting via Zoom, so join … Continue reading

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From The Program Chair

by Victor Davis New Tools to Survey the Sky The February, 2026 monthly meeting of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton will take place in Peyton Hall on the campus of Princeton University on Tuesday, February 10th at 7:30 PM. … Continue reading

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Minutes of the January 13, 2026 Meeting

by Gene Allen, Secretary Director Rex Parker opened the meeting remotely on Zoom at 1930 while Assistant Director Bob Vanderbie presided in Peyton. There were 33 attending in the auditorium and 20-some online. Rex noted that Jupiter was in opposition … Continue reading

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Book Reviews

Book Review:  by Rich Sherman The Shortest History of the Universe by David Baker, Ph.D. Published 2023 Grade:  B+ $16.95, paperback, at Barnes & Noble 240 pages A few months back I had some time to kill after an early dinner and … Continue reading

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The Legacy of Gaia 

By Prasad Ganti Thanks to Surabhi for pointing me to this topic from the Astronomy magazine. I collected some more information and summarized the same here. Summarizing and packaging information helps me learn. The Gaia spacecraft was launched in 2013 … Continue reading

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Snippets

compiled by Arlene & David Kaplan Now we can track space junk as it falls to Earth Seismometers — equipment designed to pinpoint earthquakes — are now being used to track the thousands of pieces of human-made objects abandoned in … Continue reading

Posted in February 2026, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

From The Director

by Rex Parker, PhD director@princetonastronomy.org January 13, 2026 Meeting at Peyton Hall.  Despite the unknowns of January weather in central Jersey, let’s aim for a strong turnout in person if possible for the first monthly meeting of the new year. … Continue reading

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From The Program Chair

by Victor Davis, Program Chair A Musician Investigates Space WeatherThe AAAP’s first meeting of the new year 2026 will take place in Peyton Hall on the campus of Princeton University on Tuesday, January 13th at 7:30 PM. As usual, the … Continue reading

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