Sands and Stars

Few things will get an old guy's mind to shift into high gear faster than memories of his first car. Or cars. Those vintage thoughts from the previous century made my heart race. Indeed, it's so easy to become a big wheel, if only on the gravel road of one's mind. My dad with his first car, likely a used vehicle, and late in the 1930s. Dad graduated from high school in 1936, so I suspect this would be after that.  I was, uh, tired when I woke one recent morning in the wee hours, so to speak, and once nature took its course, I took a spin through a Facebook group about my high school . A group moderator asked, "What year, make and model was your first car?" I couldn't help but smile as the memories roared back. Right away, I thought of my cavernous 1969 Ford Galaxie! My 1969 Ford Galaxie looked similar to this car. Despite the unusual spelling of its name, I figured galaxy was a great name to be adored by someone, such as me, who loves the night sky. And hey, t...

Gently flowing cool water on a hot summer day. Tall trees along the bank that cast their welcome shadows over the stream. A large rock that served as a launch pad for eager swimmers. It seemed like heaven to the young boys splashing with joy in the hidden back channel of this hallowed creek. Google Earth view: The secluded swimming hole is above the island in the upper middle of the image. And while I'm engrossed with this particular memory -- one that's come to life on the cusp of summer, 2026 -- I have to admit this isn't even my favorite swimming hole. Yet it was magical enough to attract me gleefully, and quite often. The Scout Hole was a secluded treasure in the Slippery Rock Creek in Wurtemburg, Lawrence County, Pa. It got its name, we were told, because the Boy Scouts had a bucolic cabin nearby, and it was said that they were the builders of a rock dam across the creek's channel. We never saw a single Boy Scout here, but we certainly had a lot of company: Fish s...

Welcome to Petey-ological Spring! It's the morning of the change to Daylight Saving Time, so I figure many of you are grumpy over losing one tiny hour of sleep. If only you'd gone to bed, say, 60 minutes earlier. Wait . . . what a concept! I imagine my dose of frivolity might open your eyes a bit more as you growl, grin then chuckle. So what is Petey-ological Spring? Let me get to that shortly. Well, we all know (though sometime loathe to admit, oddly) that the seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth. If that tilt did not occur, the weather would not follow its expected change. Seasons, therefore, are astronomical. And the weather takes time to catch up to the astronomical event; the arrival of spring this year is with the vernal equinox at 10:46 a.m. EDT March 20. Here's more detailed information , if you like; be aware this article uses Central Daylight Time.  Petey-ological Spring is my invention and it comes on the heels of weathermen and weatherwoman chortling abo...

Sometimes it's difficult to contain my giddy geekishness and nerdism.  It's been a long time since I used a slide rule, protractor or a pocket protector, but there are feelings of glee that still erupt over the smallest or most unusual things. Near Quito, Ecuador: You may be standing on the equator. For example: A local television meteorologist shared on his Facebook page that he recently had visited Ecuador where he stood with one foot on either side of the equator. So what, right? Big deal! And what is the equator anyway? This boyish mind, always open to a new adventure, is preparing to go explore this line that creates the girdle of the world. Yet my thoughts first rushed with jubilance to a time when I stood on the Prime Meridian in London . I've stood in three states at one time along the Mason-Dixon Line. Well, not the equator, but it's the Prime Meridian in London, England. Photo taken by my illustrious wife, Amy Johns! But this equator thing? Way cool! Except...

Perhaps it was sometime in the early 1960s when the centerfold of a magazine grabbed my eyes and sparked my imagination. Yes, there were plenty of heavenly bodies, and I wasn't quite 10, so I wasn't able to comprehend the stunning beauty I was seeing. Yet it was that monthly map of the night sky, right smack in the middle of Sky & Telescope magazine, that showed the stars, constellations, and the positions of the planets and Moon, that helped to ignite an undying passion. The stunning view of the crescent Moon, brilliant Venus and the star Regulus above a tower as seen from Glenshaw, Pa., Sept. 19, 2025. Photo by Phil Bridenbach. Certainly, that love still abounds today in my heart and mind. As the years and decades passed, I observed so many astronomical visions -- the rings of Saturn, two total eclipses of the Sun, comets, galaxies and nebulae, conjunctions and more -- but what I saw in the light of the growing dawn this morning, Sept. 19, 2025, was astounding. Breathtaki...

Author's note: This is the first of what I call "resurrected pieces from my recreational writing," composed before I started my Sands to Stars blog.  First is a tribute to the night, with links to appropriate music, written Aug. 4, 2022: What's it like to spend a clear summer night at the observatory? Why, it's simply astronomical, of course. Photo by Phil Breidenbach.   The gathering is a star party that brings the cosmos to Earth to a wide-eyed general public, but ends with the bleary eyes of intrepid, joyful amateur astronomers who endure until daybreak on a rural hilltop. It is easy to be overcome by emotion, because the inspirational sky views are spectacular, from those offered by the larger telescopes inside the building to their smaller, mobile cousins on the lawn. The instruments beckon all curious eyes. So with the help of some my favorite musical artists who have shared their wonderful audio inspirations online, here is a sonic voyage from sundown to j...