On August 1, 1782, Caroline Herschel—sister of William
Herschel, an astronomer who discovered Uranus the year
before—discovered a comet after spotting it through a
telescope. This was the first comet discovery credited
to a woman.

William and Caroline Herschel

Herschel, a German-born British woman, began her work
in astronomy through helping her brother.

In 1782, prior to discovering the comet, she had been
recording the positions of new sky objects in her own
logbook.

On November 12, 1799, Andrew Ellicott, an early American
astronomer, witnessed the Leonids meteor shower from
a ship off the Florida Keys. Ellicott wrote in his journal
that the “whole heaven appeared as if illuminated with
sky rockets, flying in an infinity of directions, and I was
in constant expectation of some of them falling on the
vessel.

They continued until put out by the light of the sun after
day break.” Ellicott’s journal entry is the first known record
of a meteor shower in North America.

 
ROSS SIMPSON

Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galilei
(15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642)

With eight planets in our solar system, more than 200 moons
surround those natural satellites.

Jupiter, one of the most recognizable planets, has 80 of those
moons.

On this day in history, Jan. 7, 1610, Galileo discovered the
moons of Jupiter — making it the first observation of this
planet. 

The astronomer discovered the moons with a homemade
telescope.

Tomb of Galileo, Santa Croce, Florence.

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s called the ‘Ring of Fire’ because it’s
when the moon is in front of the sun, which creates a circle
of light with darkness in the middle.

NASA says it will be visible in all continental states including
Alaska.

The eclipse will start just after 9 a.m. on October 14th and last
a few minutes in each location.

If you’re planning to watch, remember not to look up at the sun,
even during this phenomenon. You will need certified eclipse
glasses.