Autumn

As autumn colors reach their peak, it's natural to wonder if the sky can show vivid hues too. Stars emit blue, red, and green light, but our eyes usually see them as white due to the mix. Cooler stars appear redder, while hotter ones lean blue, but the difference is subtle. Stars like Antares (red), Arcturus (orange), and Vega (blue-white) show noticeable color shifts. More intense colors appear when the Sun or Moon is low or during meteor showers, with green shooting stars standing out. The solar maximum has also triggered bright auroras, mostly green but occasionally red, with our eyes more sensitive to green in low light.

The autumnal equinox is here. It means Earth is now angled sideways to the sun. Since neither pole is tipped toward the Sun, days and nights should be equal. The main equinox event, other than declaring it the start of fall, is that the sun rises exactly in the east and sets precisely in the west, not southeast or northwest or anything else. The Sun is now more accurate than any compass.

CiderDays is an annual community celebration of all things apple in beautiful Franklin County, Massachusetts. 2017 marks their 23rd year with tours,…

Deb Smith is an Associate Professor at Empire State College. She lives in Albany and often drives across Vermont and western Massachusetts.Into…

It's still summer time, but there've been a few unwelcome yellow leaves in our road.Maybe that particular tree was old, or too dry – but all the other…