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.

...

Night After Night, the Moon Drifts On Feb 17, 2026

Week of February 22-28, 2026 The moon returns to our evening sky this week. If you step outside as darkness falls, you can watch as it changes its phase — from a crescent in the west, to a quarter phase in the south at sunset, and to a gibbous ... Read More

...

Follow the Winter Zodiac Feb 10, 2026

Week of February 15-21, 2026 Back in the earliest days of human history, long before even I was born, skywatchers noticed that the moon and planets drifted from month to month among the stars. Even more interestingly, they found that these wandering ... Read More

...

A Planetary Island Within the Celestial River Feb 03, 2026

Week of February 8-14, 2026 With much of North America shivering in a deep freeze, I'd be surprised if many folks are doing stargazing! If you're one of the intrepid few, you'll find it hard to ignore the stars of Orion, standing stoically midway up ... Read More

...

Watch a Star Disappear! Jan 27, 2026

Week of February 1-7, 2026 The moon is our nearest neighbor in space, at an average distance of about 238,000 miles. As it orbits our Earth every month or so, it appears to pass by stars and planets in our night sky ... or, at least, so it seems. Thi... Read More