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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Ashland joins Talent as a Bee City Oregon flight targeted in bomb threat Session will focus on GMO lawsuit against Jackson County SORCC sued by Commission for the Blind Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Emergency services Oregon prisoner linked to 1976 killings Drug dealer gets 57 months in fed prison Medford police scramble to slow car break-ins Politics and Elections Ashland aims for diversity, but numbers show shortfall Kent Bush: The keys to decoding the State of the Union address Oregon Legislature convenes, session starts Feb. 12 Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post Education Ballroom dance class is a hit with North Medford students Talent Elementary students learn to tinker Local elementary and middle school students qualify for state chess championships Unfair labor complaint against Medford School District resolved Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area crew dips to five Public sounds off on gas pipeline Mt. Ashland ski area announces layoffs Bear cub headed to rehabbers in Idaho Grant will help restore 'legacy' oak habitat in Southern Oregon and Northern California State News Oregon focus of effort to expand background checks for guns TripCheck adding more weather stations, cameras Oregon prisoner linked to 1976 killings Superbug blamed for hospital deaths UO seeks return of released documents Nation - World Obituaries James Bernard Robert Clinton Gerber Death Notices Merry Carol Elizabeth Patricia Joanne Otto Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories Payton leads hot OSU past USC Ducks sizzle Kuchar stumbles in, gives away Humana lead Chock, Bates secure first U.S. title in ice dance Belichick: 'We try to do everything right' Varsity 541 College Sports Payton leads hot OSU past USC Ducks sizzle Booker leads No. 1 Kentucky to win SOU dominates late to sweep series Duvivier shows knack for late-game heroics Pro Sports Kuchar stumbles in, gives away Humana lead Chock, Bates secure first U.S. title in ice dance Belichick: 'We try to do everything right' Serena, Venus into fourth round Ravens will cut DT Cody amid investigation Community Sports Local Events Business Latest Stories Wine industry pays off for Oregon The heart of Brammo will remain Blog: Alaska Air Group earnings soared in 2014 New owners of Medford Center promise a hands-on approach: Practicing for the real thing Real Estate News New owners of Medford Center promise a hands-on approach: Home loan rates continue to fall, applications soar Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers People In Business People in Business Transportation The heart of Brammo will remain Want to be an investor? Four companies will be pitching their plan to you Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Other Views: Governor should not forget rural Oregon Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23 Amy Gehrt: President Obama not finished just yet Michael Gerson: The fight for the middle class Our View: Edible marijuana risks demand strict rules Editorials Other Views: Governor should not forget rural Oregon Our View: Edible marijuana risks demand strict rules Our View: Public salaries move only upward Our View: Restrictions on civil forfeitures are reasonable Other Views: Clearing the way for hemp farming Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 22 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 21 Letters to the editor, Jan. 20 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 19 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose gas pipeline A fair shot for all: addressing our low-wage crisis Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: Reforms needed to build upon John Day’s success Guest Opinion: FERC fails our planet Lifestyle Latest stories Going Greensprings Fishing Report: Friday, Jan. 23 Looking Up: Comet Lovejoy is a binocular treat Get Out: Friday, Jan. 23 Over the rainbow? Food Community blog: Trends aside, butternut squash a seasonal darling Gail Ciampa: Creative ways to explore the oft-maligned cauliflower Best of the Brews Try these shock-free-diet options Community blog: Cauliflower cuts calories in faux pasta Alfredo Home and Garden Paint a room or two in a weekend Dear Monty: Sell home now? Or wait until summer? Home Help: How to keep your house pest-free this winter Dear Monty: Consider mediation in real estate disputes Home Help: Heighten your home’s style this year Health Health Watch: Why you should consider the Mediterranean diet Community blog: Best Cities for Aging? - Not Medford Healthy Aging: Whether supper or dinner, it's best eaten together Practicing for the real thing Dr. Jeff Hersh: Heart test causes undue alarm Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs, Jan. 23 Religion briefs Old stained-glass windows face threats Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Milestones and Achievements 50 years and counting: Bulebar Wedding: Lindsey-Maria Rios New arrivals Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Review: Randall Theatre's 'Irma Vep' is low brow, high laughs Live Music in Local Clubs Songs of the '60s highlight 'Those Were the Days' Paula Poundstone performs at the Craterian Brian Freeman presents 'An Evening of Scottish Music' Theater Randall Theatre presents playwright Charles Ludlam's comedy "The Mystery of Irma Vep" Roy Orbison tribute hits high note Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Rent' Tangled up in Dylan Music Live Music in Local Clubs Songs of the '60s highlight 'Those Were the Days' Ethan Tucker Band at the Brickroom The Farr Side: Trainor building a music niche Brian Freeman presents 'An Evening of Scottish Music' Community Events Paula Poundstone performs at the Craterian Len Dickson's 'Fall Harvest' to grace Belle Fiore wine label A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. Ty Barnett and Ian Harris are 'Divided' Elaine Witteveen's new exhibit 'Wings' opens at the Rogue Gallery Dining The Vine offers a taste of Italy Cheeseburgers on the cheap Valley View — It's all in the family Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight Entertaining with a gift of treasure Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Oregon focus of effort to expand background checks for guns ... Oregon flight targeted in bomb threat ... SORCC sued by Commission for the Blind ... Oregon focus of effort to expand background checks for guns ... Oregon flight targeted in bomb threat ... SORCC sued by Commission for the Blind ... Looking Up: Comet Lovejoy is a binocular treat Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News By Peter Becker More Content Now By all means get out to have a look at Comet Lovejoy. Binoculars will show it well as a definite hazy disc. Glowing at +4th magnitude, it is visible to unaided eyes in a dark sky, although disguising itself as another faint star. Look close, and you may see it is no ordinary star. This one is fuzzy. The comet is high up in the evening sky. The moon is growing this week; the crescent you see this weekend will become a first-quarter phase on Monday, Jan. 26. Look for the comet before the moonlight becomes too bright! One of our readers, Parks Squyres, read the column in the Mail Tribune, a newspaper in Tuscon, Arizona. Thanks to GateHouse Media, Looking Up has been appearing in a whole constellation of news outlets. Parks sent a wonderful photograph he took of Comet Lovejoy, taken from his patio north of Tuscon. "It was a beautiful sight in my 11" telescope," Parks said. "You could also see it as a faint round ball about 1/4 the size of the moon with 8 × 40 binoculars." He added, "My telescope is an 11" Celestron using a Hyperstar adapter and a modified Canon 350D camera. The comet photo was made from 40 each stacked 15 second images. Actually not that hard to do as my camera is controlled with a computer and everything is automatic." Astro-photographs typically reveal details and colors you won't likely see with your eyes, even in a telescope eyepiece. Photos are very useful for both the aesthetics and scientific studies of the heavens above. Don't be disillusioned if you do not see the same splendor. To the eyes, the comet is much more subtle. I examined it the other night with a 10-inch reflecting telescope. The greenish hue was faintly detectable. The bright head of the comet was highly concentrated in the center. Also called the coma, the comet's head is the ball of gas and dust coming off the nucleus. The faint gas tail was only barely seen in the telescope. Still, it was wonderful! Like the comet, wisps of cosmic nebulae and very distant galaxies are relatively hard to see with your eye to the telescope, while photographs can reveal much more. The very fact cosmic sights are so hard to reach makes them all the more fascinating. Like the child reaching upward and yet not grasping the stars, it does not keep the child from trying. We stand in wonder of the vastness, the mystery, the deeper meaning. Look for the comet this weekend as it slowly glides up past the constellations Aries the Ram and Triangulum the Triangle. You can start with the glittering Pleiades star cluster to trace your way to the spot. Face southward after darkness falls. Meanwhile look low, west-southwest during twilight for the brilliant planet Venus. To the lower right is planet Mercury, not as bright. Send notes to [email protected]. Keep looking up! 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