Hypatia Talks About the Star of Bethlehem
Did you see the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn? Do you wonder whether a similar event might explain the legendary Star of Bethlehem?
The Friends premiere a video imagining what Hypatia of Alexandria would have said if she was asked to explain the Star of Bethlehem. Hypatia was a 5th century astronomer and leader of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy.
After Hypatia speaks, we return to the present day and local astronomer Dr. Jennifer Bartlett takes your questions on this topic. As a scientist and Christian, she has long been interested in the Star of Bethlehem and historical speculation about its nature. Dr. Bartlett's professional specialty is astrometry, the measurement of the positions and motions of celestial bodies
Note: This is a reposted version of the live video, to fix some technical difficulties.
SkyTalk for December 2020: A Great Conjunction!
Voices from the Sky
Music and stories to help you learn about science and space history - brought to you by Dr. Jim Thorne!
Promo for Voices from the Sky
American Archaeoastronomy
Ancient skywatchers built hundreds of monuments to track the motion of the sun, moon, and even stars and planets. While Stonehenge is probably the most famous of these ancient sites, the Americas have many of their own. Come explore a few of these sites and learn how Native Americans were able to build huge cities aligned to the cardinal points and monuments that celebrated the solstices and equinoxes.
SkyTalk for August, 2020: Summer Triangle
Learn about one of the best known asterisms of the season!
This video replaces an earlier version that had a technical problem.
Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower!
Dr. Alice Monet talks about the Perseid meteor shower that is peaking this week (best August 11-13, 2020). Find out what a meteor shower is, why it happens, and how to set yourself up to best observe the Perseids (or any other shower).
SkyTalk for July 2020: A Comet!
Comet NEOWISE is visible in the evening sky! See it soon, before it fades away.
SkyTalk for June, 2020: The Solstice & Star Hopping
About the June Solstice - and learning to Star Hop!
How the Moon Formed (and How Scientists Figured that Out)
A talk about the Moon and how it was formed, as well as how scientific theories can change over time - presented by Jim Edwards-Hewitt for the Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium
SkyTalk for May, 2020: Planets
This month you may be able to see five different planets in the sky!
Eratosthenes Measures the World
Who was Eratosthenes?
Following the Sun - Eclipses to Auroras
A talk by astronomer Tyler Nordgren
A Quick Look at the Sky - Mid April, 2020
This video discusses a few objects you can see in the night sky over the next week or so - assuming the clouds stay away!
The Moon and Its Influence on Calendar Systems
Create Craters in Comfort!
A short, easy STEM experiment to help you learn about asteroids and craters.
Asteroids!
A talk all about asteroids, especially those near the Earth.
The Power of the Sky to Inspire Awe
A conversation with astronomers Dr. Tyler Nordgren and Dr. Alice Monet