About Dennis Mammana

Dennis Mammana

Dennis Mammana

For more than three decades, Dennis Mammana has shared the wonder and mystery of the cosmos with audiences around the world. With a B.A. in physics from Otterbein College and an M.S. in astronomy from Vanderbilt University, Mammana has held positions at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, the University of Arizona, and San Diego's Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. He now works as an astronomy writer, lecturer and photographer from under the clear dark skies of Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert. Mammana is the author of six books on astronomy, hundreds of popular magazine and encyclopedia articles and, since 1992, has written "Stargazers," the only nationally syndicated weekly newspaper column on astronomy.

As an accomplished night-sky photographer, his stunning images have appeared in a variety of media and international exhibitions, and can be enjoyed at his website, www.dennismammana.com. He is an invited member of TWAN — The World At Night — an international team of the world's most highly acclaimed sky photographers.

A dynamic public speaker, Mammana has entertained and informed audiences on six continents at resorts, on cruise ships and as an after-dinner speaker, and leads public tours to view and photograph such celestial displays as the aurora borealis and total solar eclipses. He makes frequent appearances on both radio and television.

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Largest Full Moon of the Year Oct 28, 2025

Week of November 2-8, 2025 How far is the moon? I'll bet that many of my readers know the answer; we all learned it in school. In fact, I still recall reciting it in fifth grade: "The moon is 240,000 miles from Earth." What the teacher never told us,... Read More

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Seeing a Comet After Sunset ... Maybe! Oct 21, 2025

Week of October 26 - November 1, 2025 It's been a few years since we've seen a decently bright comet grace the nighttime sky, but one is now passing through our celestial neighborhood. It certainly won't compare to the rare cosmic spectacles like Hal... Read More

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See a Galaxy Far, Far Away Oct 14, 2025

Week of October 19-24, 2025 Just how far can we see on a clear, dark night? If you're a regular reader of this column, you know that the stars overhead lie many trillions of miles away, but these make up only a tiny fraction of all those in our Milky... Read More

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Seeing Double in Perseus Oct 07, 2025

Week of October 12-18, 2025 After a long, hot summer, these beautiful and cool October evenings are just made for stargazing! Midway up in the northeastern sky after dark at this time of year lies the constellation of Cassiopeia. Seeing an ancient Et... Read More