Author: Matthew Kenyon

  • NOVAC Member Profile: Eileen Kragie

      Eileen Kragie is a new NOVAC member who joined in 2022. Read her member story below and be sure to check out her recent OpEd on light pollution in the Fairfax County Times. I’ve been aware of light trespass for decades as the gas station lights from across the alley from my Grandmother’s house in Ashland, Virginia glared into her yard, upper porch, and home. My last summer before moving back to Northern Virginia, Hale Bop was coming through. I spent the summer sleeping on my deck Read more […]
  • Vacation Viewing: The Lunar Eclipse from Starbase, TX

    Vacation Viewing: The Lunar Eclipse from Starbase, TX

    While much of Northern Virginia was shrouded in clouds for last weekend’s total lunar eclipse, I was fortunate enough to be under the crystal clear skies of South Texas. The trip had been planned months in advance to align two of my passions: rockets and the night sky. And what a trip it was. For those unfamiliar with the goings-on along the beach outside of Brownsville, Texas, it is the R&D site for SpaceX where they are currently building their new Starship rocket. Starship has been selected Read more […]

  • Vacation Viewing – Seeing the night sky in Utah’s National Parks

    Last year my wife and I took a trip to Utah to visit several of the amazing National Parks in the Beehive State (fun fact – Utah’s state star cluster is, you guessed it, the beehive cluster). While hiking was the primary purpose of the trip, I knew the dark skies and desert scenery would make for some amazing views of the night sky. I was not disappointed. There is nothing quite like seeing the stars under a Bortle-2 sky (well, maybe a Bortle-1 sky). Knowing that I would be hiking to many of Read more […]

  • My First Year With NOVAC

    I joined NOVAC almost a year ago now. As the first anniversary of my membership comes up, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on what I’ve done in this first year. If you’re thinking of joining NOVAC, I hope this will give you a glimpse into just some of the things you can do with the club. When I first joined NOVAC in 2021, I was like many new members. I had spent some time looking at the night sky and even used an app on my phone to figure out the names of some of the stars, but Read more […]