Billy Teets

  • total lunar eclipse

    A Total Lunar Eclipse Awes

    The Moon as it appeared around maximum totality during the total lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025. Credit: Billy Teets It has been a little while since Nashville has had the opportunity to view the splendor of a total lunar eclipse, nearly three years in fact.  During brief gaps… Read More

    Mar. 21, 2025

  • Students view through Dyer's Seyfert Telescope.

    Dyer Observatory Welcomes Peabody’s Humphrey Fellows

    One of Peabody’s Humphrey fellows views Venus through Dyer’s Seyfert Telescope. The prominent red glow is due to the red lights used during some observations, which helps to preserve night vision while allowing one to make their way in the darker conditions. Credit: Alex Rockafellar In addition to the… Read More

    Mar. 21, 2025

  • Students wait in line to view through Dyer Observatory's Seyfert Telescope.

    First-Year Commons Students Visit Dyer Observatory

    Vanderbilt students eagerly await a glimpse of Jupiter through Dyer’s Seyfert Telescope. Credit: Jessica Oster On the evening of Monday, March 17, first-year students from Stambaugh, Hank Ingram, West, Sutherland, and Murray houses paid a visit to Dyer Observatory. Close to 20 students toured the facility with observatory director… Read More

    Mar. 21, 2025

  • Mars re-emerges from behind the Moon on Jan 13, 2025.

    Mars Has Been Busy!

    The Moon and Mars about one minute prior to lunar occultation on January 13, 2025. Credit: Billy Teets   January ended up being a big month for the Red Planet as it took part in a parade, gave us all it had during opposition, and even tangoed with the… Read More

    Feb. 11, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    The Sword of Orion

    The above 4.5-hour exposure of the sword of Orion reveals the splendor of the Orion Nebula near image center and the fainter glow of the elusive Running Man Nebula at top. The image is a composite of 135 two-minute exposures using Dyer Observatory’s ZWO ASI6200MC Pro color camera mounted… Read More

    Jan. 13, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    A Winter Planet Parade

    Six planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) are visible in the evening during January and the first half of February 2025. Uranus and Neptune require a telescope or binoculars to spot them, but the other four planets shine brightly to the naked eye. The simulated view shows… Read More

    Jan. 13, 2025

  • Barnard's Star

    A Not-So-Lonely Star

    The brightest star in the image (just right of center) is Barnard’s Star, a red dwarf star discovered in 1916 by Edward Emerson Barnard. Image acquired with Dyer Observatory’s 14″ Bergquist Telescope and a ZWO ASI6200MC Pro camera. Credit: Billy Teets A mere six light-years… Read More

    Dec. 6, 2024

  • Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) over Dyer Observatory

    A Dirty Snowball Delighted

    Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) began its evening apparition during the second week of October 2024. During the period when the comet was at its brightest, observers were still able to spot it despite fighting the light of the waxing Moon. On October 20th, observatory director Billy Teets acquired this… Read More

    Nov. 6, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    A Bright Comet Is Putting on a Show

    Clouds parted long enough in Lanai Lookout, Oahu, Hawaii, to capture rapidly brightening comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in the early morning hours of September 26, 2024. Credit: Chaim Scowcroft. For skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere, it often seems that spectacular comets only make their appearances in Southern… Read More

    Sep. 29, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    The Partial Lunar Eclipse of September 17, 2024

    The Moon during the penumbral phase of the lunar eclipse on September 17, 2024. The image was created by combining nearly 600 frames of a 30-second video to reduce the blurring effects of Earth’s atmosphere. The darkest part of Earth’s penumbra appears at the top of the… Read More

    Sep. 29, 2024