Welcome to my corner of the nature and astronomy universe (designed by the fabulous Hop Creative team).

I’ve been into the night sky since I watched the day turn into night during the 1972 solar eclipse as a seven year old. Later I received a Tasco telescope from family as a Christmas gift, which allowed me to marvel at the sight of the Moon’s craters.

Over the years, I’ve also turned my gaze to the flora and fauna of the pale blue dot we call home.

Most of the ramblings you’ll find here were published in newspaper columns from 2001 to 2016. I’ll post new pieces once in a while, mostly about nature or astronomy, but sometimes just about what’s on my mind at the time.

But I'll try to update the Skylights page each month with information such as moon phases, conjunctions and meteor showers.

And I’m always on the lookout for a bird, night sky scene or creepy-crawly to capture for posterity so I’ll keep the photos section regularly populated along with my Flickr page.

If you’re into folk music, blues and electronic dabblings, I’ve got a Soundcloud acount. These are home recordings for my own amusement so don’t expect anything slick or professional.

Clear skies!

John McPhee