Carpe Noctem
The night sky is filled with wonders and sights of incomparalble beauty that can only be appreciated far from city lights. Located at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast Arizona, Bifrost Astronomical Observatory experiences some of the darkest skies in the USA. To see the constellations and Milky Way from such a remote location is a delight that few people ever have the opportunity to enjoy. This Website offers a forum to share images from Bifrost as well as information about the ever changing motions of the Sun, Moon and planets. May it inspire you to venture outside some evening and enjoy the heavens for yourself. Carpe noctem! (Seize the night!)
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
New Features
Milky Way Starscapes Gallery - 2
2024
- Publication of Guide for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2026 by Fred Espenak.
- Publication of Guide for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2027 by Fred Espenak.
- Publication of Guide for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2028 by Fred Espenak.
- Publication of Guide for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2030 by Fred Espenak.
- Publication of Guide for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2045 by Fred Espenak.
2023
- Publication of Total Eclipse or Bust: A 2024 Family Road Trip by Pat Espenak.
- Moved website to new hosting service Bluehost.
- Sky Event Almanacs - The dates and times of astronomical events throughout this century.
2022
- Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 08 - guide to the great North American total solar eclipse.
2021
- Recent Images - a collection of recent astronomical images shot from Arizona, Chile, and Australia.
- Fifty Year Almanac of Astronomical Events - 2021 To 2070 - dates and times of important celestial events.
- Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses - 5,000 years of solar eclipse maps.
- Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses - 5,000 years of solar eclipse data.
- Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses - 5,000 years of lunar eclipse diagrams and maps.
- Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses - 5,000 years of lunar eclipse data.
- New Moon at Perigee (New Supermoon): 2001 to 2100 (GMT)
- Full Moon at Perigee (Full Supermoon): 2001 to 2100 (GMT)
- New Moon at Apogee (New Micromoon): 2001 to 2100 (GMT)
- Full Moon at Apogee (Full Micromoon): 2001 to 2100 (GMT)
2020
- Eclipse Almanac - five books of solar and lunar eclipses from 2021 to 2070
- Chile Remote Observatory - operations begin.
2019
- New: Milky Way Starscapes Gallery - 1 - night landscapes featuring the Milky Way and Constellations
- New: Milky Way Starscapes Gallery - 2 - night landscapes featuring the Milky Way and Constellations
2018
- Road Atlas for the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023 - high resolution color maps of USA's next annular solar eclipse.
2017
- Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 - high resolution color maps of USA's next total solar eclipse.
2016
- Atlas of Central Solar Eclipses in the USA - detailed maps of every central eclipse through the USA.
- Get Eclipsed - basic guide to the USA's 2017 total solar eclipse.
- 21st Century Canon of Solar Eclipses - maps of every solar eclipse from 2001 to 2100.
2015
- Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 - high resolution color maps of USA's total solar eclipse.
- Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21 - complete guide to the USA's total solar eclipse.
- Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) Photo Gallery - a collection of photos of a recent bright comet.
- Six Millennium Catalog of Phases of the Moon - covering the years -1999 to 4000 (2000 BCE to 4000 CE)
2015
- Moon in 2015 - the complete annual guide to our natural satellite
- October's Partial Solar Eclipse - an observer's report on the eclipse including a time-lapse video
- EclipseWise.com - announcing the new web site of Predictions for Solar and Lunar Eclipses
- Astropixels Publishing - the first two books are now available as either Black < White or Color editions:
- Thousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1501 to 2500 (AP001) - contains maps and data for each of the 2,389 solar eclipses occurring over a 1,000-year period.
- Thousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1501 to 2500 - Color Edition (AP003) - contains maps and data for each of the 2,389 solar eclipses occurring over a 1,000-year period.
- Thousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1501 to 2500 (AP002) - contains diagrams, maps and data for each of the 2,424 lunar eclipses occurring over a 1,000-year period.
- Thousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1501 to 2500 - Color Edition (AP004) - contains diagrams, maps and data for each of the 2,424 lunar eclipses occurring over a 1,000-year period.
- Vesta and Ceres - a rare alignment of the two brightest minor planets
- Lunar Eclipses - web page for eclipses of the Moon
- Solar Eclipses - web page for eclipses of the Sun
- Images with ASA N12 - new gallery of astrophotos shot with the 12-inch ASA Astrograph.
- Supernova in M82 - discovered on 2014 Jan 22.
- Autumn Milky Way Starscapes - a photo gallery of night time landscapes featuring the Autumn Milky Way.
- Enormous Sunspot in 2014 - one year anniversary of the Portal to the Universe blog.
- 2013 Comet Lovejoy Photo Gallery - a collection of photos of a recent bright comet.
- 2014 Sun Photo Gallery - recent photos of the Sun in 2014.
2013
- Public Talks and Speaking Engagements - Fred Espenak is available to speak at your meeting, convention or astronomical event.
- 2013 Triple Planetary Alignment Photo Gallery - a collection of photos of the great planetary alignment of May 2013.
- 2013 Triple Planetary Alignment - viewing charts for the great planetary alignment of May 2013.
2012
- Portal to the Universe - Fred Espenak's blog about life and astronomy in southeastern Arizona.
- Planetary Ephemerides - high precision coordinates for the Sun, Moon and planets.
- The Sun - the surface of our star revealed in hydrogen light.
- Milky Way - panoramic, wide angle and telephoto views of our home galaxy.
- Annular Solar Eclipse of 2012 - a gallery of images posted on our sister web site MrEclipse.com.
- Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2012 - a gallery of images posted on our sister web site MrEclipse.com.
- Planetary Conjunctions - interesting alignments of the planets with the Moon and stars.
- Bright Star Photo Gallery - images of many of the Brightest Stars in the sky.
- Astronomical Events Calendars - 15 years of calendars covering important sky events for 8 time zones.
2011
- AstroPixels Photo Index - a directory of astrophotos shot from Bifrost Observatory.
- Messier Catalog Photo Gallery - a 2011 project to image all 110 deep sky objects in the Messier Catalog.
- Planetary Ephemeris Data - astronomical predictions including solstices, equinoxes, phases of the Moon, Apogee < Perigee, etc..
2010
- Bifrost Astronomical Observatory - tells the story of how my observatory came to be.
- Moon Phases Photo Gallery - a collection of images illustrating how the Moon's appearance changes from day to day.
- Resources - dozens of useful links including observing tools (clear sky clock, weather, Moon phases, etc.), astronomical data (ephemerides, star catalogs, star maps, events, software and publications), astronomical equipment (dealers, telescopes ccd cameras, solar filters, and accessories), and a list of some of the best astro-imagers.
Eclipse Publications
For more visit: Astropixels Publishing
Supported External Links
- International Dark-Sky Association - A non-profit member organization that teaches how to preserve the night sky.
- The World At Night (TWAN) - An international photography project featuring night sky landscapes.
- Astronomers Without Borders - Boundaries vanish when we look skyward: One People, One Sky.
- Center for Inquiry - Fosters a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
- ASPCA - American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, "We Are Their Voice".
Visit EclipseWise.com for Solar and Lunar Eclipse Predictions
(click to visit EclipseWise.com)