GREEN BANK, W.Va. — A renowned paranormal investigator says West Virginia has a remarkable association with UFO activity because of its role in the search for extraterrestrial life and because it was the location of many early alleged UFO encounters. Dave Spinks, perhaps best known for his appearances on the Travel Channel, the History Channel, … Read more
MOUNT ZION, W.Va. — If you’re searching for the best places to stargaze on the East Coast, West Virginia should be at the top of your list.With some of the darkest skies in the eastern United States, the Mountain State is fast becoming a haven for amateur astronomers and curious skywatchers alike. Visitors and residents … Read more
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Nights in rural Calhoun County are counted among the darkest in West Virginia, so it’s little wonder that the tale of one of the state’s strangest hauntings comes out of its hills.The phantom, which supposedly manifested in the valley of the Little Kanawha River in the late 1800s, is still a subject … Read more
MARLINTON, W.Va. — Located entirely within the Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia includes some of the darkest regions of the night sky in the eastern U.S.While regions near its largest cities may be bright enough to wash out many stars, residents of more than 50 percent of the state enjoy star-spangled nights.Where are the skies the … Read more
The hunt for more evidence of gravitational waves— the ripples in space-time formed by cataclysmic events in the distant universe—will be accelerated with a nearly $2 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to a West Virginia University scientist and her colleagues.Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Maura McLaughlin will serve as principal investigator on the project, which … Read more
Though nothing is sure, there’s a chance a rare glimpse of the Northern Lights could be visible in parts of West Virginia this weekend.The lights are forecast to appear directly over the northern U.S. as far south as Buffalo, N.Y., and Grand Rapids, Mich., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Survey, but they may … Read more
The wonder of living in rural West Virginia will come to the fore this August where stargazing is concerned.Three exciting astronomical events are sure to attract observers in the Mountain State, which boasts some of the best star-gazing conditions in the eastern U.S., thanks to a lack of light pollution.West Virginia is a chief destination … Read more
The National Science Foundation has announced plans to leave open the remote Green Bank Observatory high in the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia.Formerly the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the facility includes the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope, though it may best be known for its remote location—among mountains that block radio interference from … Read more
Rural West Virginia will be an ideal place from which to observe the largest super-moon of 2019 — the Snow Moon, which on Feb. 19 will bring the moon closer to Earth than it will be all year.If you missed January’s remarkable Wolf Moon (which featured an eclipse that appeared to turn the moon blood … Read more
January’s Wolf Moon recalls a time when wolves roamed the hills of West Virginia. Though the idea may seem as remote as the dark forests through which wolves roamed, West Virginia’s rugged interior was the final eastern stronghold of the Canis lupus in the eastern U.S.As far as is known, the last wolf that lived in … Read more
