Friends, if you’ve been following this “tetrad” of total lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015, this is finally the one you’ve been waiting for! The other three favored the Pacific, and were best visible from the USA either in the middle of the night or early in the morning, before sunrise. Of course, the dedicated eclipse watchers adjusted their schedules… Continue reading
THE MOON PASSES THE PLANET SATURN! It’s that time again! Once again, the Moon lines up with the planet SATURN on the evening of Friday, September 18! Look to the southwest to see the bright “star” very close to the waxing Moon! Even a cheap dimestore telescope is sufficient to reveal the famous RINGS of Saturn! You can get a… Continue reading
SEPTEMBER CONSTELLATIONS: The evenings of September are the best times to learn the stars of the Summer Triangle. This pattern is formed of the bright first magnitude stars Deneb, Vega and Altair, and is conspicuously visible high overhead this month in the hours after sunset. Once you identify these bright stars, try to pick out the constellations. You should… Continue reading
EVERYONE LOVES ORION. The starry Hunter is the most famous and popular constellation, since everyone is fascinated by the three perfectly-aligned stars in Orion’s Belt. One of my most popular FAQs is “Why can’t I find Orion in the summer?” This is because Orion is near the place in the sky of the summer solstice. Thus, Orion is hidden… Continue reading
LUNAR CONJUNCTION WITH SATURN! The Moon lines up with the planet SATURN on the evenings of Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22! Look to the south to see a bright “star” very close to the waxing Moon! Even a modest telescope is sufficient to reveal the famous RINGS of Saturn! If you don’t have a scope, find a planetarium,… Continue reading
We received a question from a reader named Sherri concerning the operation the Orion-Constellation volvelle in Chapter 5 of the Signs & Seasons workbook. As described in the Signs & Seasons course, volvelles are traditional dial tools that have been used for centuries to simulate the motions of the Sun, Moon and stars. The workbook includes copyable templates for cutting and… Continue reading
THE PERSEID METEORS peak this week! 2015 promises the best show in years! Go outside after dark some clear night this week and take a look! #perseids VIEWING TIPS: * Spread a blanket and lie down on the grass, just looking up at the sky. No telescopes or binoculars are necessary. * You can look anywhere in the sky to… Continue reading
NO!!! The planet Mars will NOT appear as big as the Moon on August 27!!! This is the infamous MARS HOAX!!! It’s been circulating around the web every summer since 2003! Don’t spread this bogus lie! Instead, share this graphic on your wall! The MARS HOAX started out as a legitimate announcement about the closest opposition of Mars, back… Continue reading
BLUE MOON: There will be a Blue Moon on Friday, July 31! In the popular parlance, a “Blue Moon” is commonly regarded as the second Full Moon to occur in the same calendar month. The average cycle of the Moon’s phases is 29.53 days, so it’s possible for a second Full Moon to occur in months of 30 or 31… Continue reading
LAST LUNAR CONJUNCTION! Venus and Jupiter are descending together into the sunset throughout July, following their big conjunction on June 30. Keep an eye on these planets on the evenings of Friday, July 17, Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 as the waxing crescent Moon joins the scene. This will be the last evening conjunction of the season between… Continue reading
