Will Betelgeuse blow?
A supernova in our lifetimes is not impossible.
Nature
The region’s best places to spot bald eagles
January and February are the peak time to catch a glimpse of these stately raptors. They tend to be most active between 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 5 p.m.
Ask a Naturalist: Is a groundhog’s shadow a harbinger of spring?
While Groundhog Day was first celebrated in 1887 (in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, famously), the myth finds its origins in the Christian holyday of Candlemas: by which the length of winter was measured and calculated in candles. The Germans were the first to associate the ritual with the groundhog, developing the curious myth that we all know: If the groundhog emerges from its hole and sees its shadow, it becomes frightened and retreats back into the hole, prophesying six more weeks of harsh winter. If it sees no shadow, the way is cleared for an early spring.
Everyone’s watching Orion: The Hunter has become the hunted!
The famous star Betelgeuse is dimmer than anyone has seen it in a century.
Ready to go on a “carbon diet”?
Wednesday, Jan. 22: In his new book Live Sustainably Now: A Low-Carbon Vision of the Good Life, Karl Coplan chronicles the joys and challenges of a year on a carbon budget: kayaking to work, hunting down electric vehicle charging stations, eating a Mediterranean-style diet and enjoying plenty of travel on weekends and vacations while avoiding long-distance flights.
The American Chestnut can bloom again — with your help
Once in while, an opportunity arises to reverse environmental damage wrought by humankind. Such appears to be the case with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s three-decades-long endeavor to restore to the landscape the majestic, near-extinct American chestnut tree.
Waghkonk Notes: Rollercoaster Sky
Cold arctic winds blow across the mountains, bringing their fierce reminder of winter’s power, scattering brown leaves and making the deer in their winter yards hunker down a little more. While protected somewhat from the worst of the polar blast by the hills themselves, these powerful winds still course through the cloves and down the hollows of the southeast Catskills. I pity any creature caught out in this season.
Test your eyes with a star
This is the very finest test of vision in all the heavens.
2020: A fantastic year to watch the heavens
Find out why the coming year will be so remarkable.
The increasingly popular First Day Hike tradition
The best way to endure the affronts of cold and snow, in the opinion of this ardent winter walker, is to acclimate. Fear not the sub-freezing and let it have its salubrious way with your adaptive core systems. Get comfortable at 15 degrees and 30 will feel like SoCal.