Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

This week’s “Stargazing In Upstate New York” article is up at syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com.

* syracuse.com/outdoors/…what_to_see_in_the_night_skies_july_21_to_28

* newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/…what_to_see_in_the_night_skies_july_21_to_28

We welcome the return of the moon to our sunset skies this week at the same time that we celebrate the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon on the 20th – and the safe return from the surface of the late Neil Armstrong and the still ever social-media savvy Buzz Aldrin on July 21, 1969. The third name on that list, regretfully less-often mentioned because he stayed onboard the command module Columbia while the other two rode the Eagle module to the moon’s surface, is Michael Collins. Of all of the documentation of this mission, the above photo might be the most memorable – especially in our current, selfie-crazed society. In this picture, the only person not accounted for in the entirely of human history – and, in fact, very likely the only multi-cellular organism not accounted for in the 4.5 billion year history of the Earth – is Collins, patiently monitoring the return of the other two to the Columbia module.

As far from a selfie as a non-selfie has ever been taken. (Photo by Michael Collins, Apollo 11, July 21, 1969.)

And, because we’ve not seen Mars in a short while as of late, a little reminder is included thanks a recent release of Hubbble images of a Phobos fly-by.

Mars and a fly-by of its tiny moon Phobos. From NASA/ESA/STScI.

Solar eclipse updates to follow in the next few articles before August 21st.