tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64679686348583580082024-03-18T17:20:02.558-04:00SpaceWatchtowerFriends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.comBlogger2001125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-91639163764816957722024-03-18T00:00:00.010-04:002024-03-18T17:19:30.471-04:00U.S. Solar Eclipse April 8: Prepare for Safe Viewing<div class="separator"><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="507" name="graphics1" src="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solarviewboxgraphic.gif" width="646" /></p></div><p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">This great Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun will cross the United States Monday Afternoon, 2024 April 8. All areas of the United States will see the eclipse, although a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun will only be seen in a narrow Path of Totality across the country from Texas to Maine. <b>NO PARTIAL PHASE OF ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN IS SAFE TO LOOK AT DIRECTLY, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER </b></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>EQUIPMENT </b></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>AND PROPER </b></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>TRAINING</b></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b> TO DO SO SAFELY; OTHERWISE EYE-SIGHT COULD BE DAMAGED PERMANENTLY!</b> This graphic shows <b>one way</b> to safely view the partial phases of a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun by building a Solar Pinhole Viewing Box (a.k.a. Pinhole Camera) as shown above. After building this box,<b> you must turn your back to the Sun</b> and allow the light from the Sun to go through the pinhole and shine on a white piece of paper on the other end of the box <b>(NEVER LOOK THROUGH THE PINHOLE AT THE SUN!).</b></i></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><i>More Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun: Tips for Safe Viewing:</i></b></span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><i>Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html</a></i></b></span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>(Graphic Source: Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center (America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991) and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club.</i></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the greatest coincidences in
nature is a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun, when the
size of the Sun and the size of the Moon when viewed from Earth
during an Eclipse coincide. Such an amazing Eclipse will cross much
of the United States, as well as parts of Maritime Canada and central
Mexico, on April 8, similar to how another such Eclipse crossed much
of the United States in 2017. However, eye safety must be of
paramount importance for anyone wanting to view this miraculous
event.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>For areas where inclement weather
precludes direct viewing of the Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse
of the Sun, or for areas of the world where this Eclipse will not be
visible in the sky, a Live-Stream Web-Cast of the event will be
available on the Internet. The Internet link to this Live-Stream
Web-Cast is available near the end of this blog-post.</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">During a Total
Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun, the Moon completely
obscures the surface of the Sun; it is only during the short time
when the surface of the Sun is completely blocked from view (for the
April 8 Eclipse: approximately 4 minutes and 28 seconds) that the
Eclipse can looked at without safety equipment. And during this time,
often the Solar Corona (outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere,
which is safe to look at so long as the rest of the Sun's surface is
blocked from view) can be seen around the shadow outline of the Moon,
and planets and stars can also sometimes be seen at this time. Birds
and wildlife often begin nighttime behaviors and the air, no longer
heated by the Sun, feels cooler.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Where Will This Eclipse Be Visible ?</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse
of the Sun will be visible early Monday Afternoon, 2024 April 8,
along a narrow strip of land known as the Path of Totality from Texas
to Maine. This includes the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri,
Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont,
New Hampshire, plus small parts of Tennessee and Michigan. This will
include several cities and populated areas including San Antonio,
Austin, Dallas / Fort Worth, Idabel OK, Little Rock AR, Poplar Bluff
MO, Cape Girardeau MO, Paducah KY, Carbondale IL, Evansville IN,
Bloomington IN, Indianapolis, Terre Haute IN, Dayton OH, Toledo OH,
Akron OH, Cleveland, Erie PA, Buffalo, Rochester NY, Syracuse NY,
Burlington VT, Montpelier VT, Lancaster NH, Caribou ME, and Presque
Isle, ME.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All other parts of the contiguous 48
states of the United States will observe a Partial Solar Eclipse /
Partial Eclipse of the Sun. Of course all observations in the sky are
<i>weather-permitting</i>.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In Canada, this Eclipse will be visible
in southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island,
Nova Scotia (Cape Breton Island), and Newfoundland before passing
into the Atlantic Ocean. This includes the cities and populated areas
of Niagara Falls ON, Hamilton ON, Montreal, Fredericton NB, and
Gander NL.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In Mexico, the Eclipse enters North
America from the Pacific Ocean at Mazatlan. The Eclipse then travels
north-east through Torreon, and enters Texas southwest of San
Antonio.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>When Will This Eclipse Be Visible ?</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The times of this Eclipse, or any Solar
Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun, varies from one city to another. This
is due to the fact that the Moon, and the Moon's shadow, is
continually moving throughout any such Eclipse event.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In general, this Eclipse begins on
Monday, 2024 April 8 in late morning in Mexico and shortly after
local Noon in Texas and concludes in Maritime Canada in the late
afternoon. The time of the Path of Totality (for this Eclipse, a
fairly long 4 minutes and 28 seconds, approximately) would occur
approximately half-way between the beginning and ending of the
Eclipse in your area. These times are based on Local Daylight Saving
Time, except in Mexico which recently converted to Local Standard
Time year-round.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you live in or near one of the
states or cities which will observe this Eclipse, check with your
local planetarium, science center or museum, or college or high
school science department to find out the specific times in your
area. Otherwise, check an Internet browser, which may be able to
provide such specific times.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The last Total Solar Eclipse / Total
Eclipse of the Sun visible in the United States was known as the
Great American Solar Eclipse on Monday Afternoon, 2017 August 21. The
next such Eclipse visible from the 48 contiguous states will occur on
2044 August 23.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Eclipses usually come in pairs, and
sometimes in threes. Hence, usually a Lunar Eclipse / Eclipse of the
Moon precedes or follows a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun by a
couple weeks. This month a deep Penumbral Lunar Eclipse / Penumbral
Eclipse of the Moon, the first Eclipse of 2024, will precede the
April 8 Eclipse a week from today, early on Monday Morning, 2024
March 25.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>How to Safely View This Eclipse &
Any Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun ---</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b> NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY
AT ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, </b><b>UNLESS YOU HAVE THE <i>PROPER
EQUIPMENT AND PROPER TRAINING</i> TO DO SO SAFELY !!!</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">First, there is
<b>only one time when a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the
Sun can be viewed safely, with the naked-eyes</b> (one-power),
without the use of additional safety equipment. This is during the
very short time-span (for the April 8 Eclipse: approximately 4
minutes and 28 seconds) <b>when the</b> <b>SURFACE OF THE</b> <b>SUN
IS COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY THE MOON</b>. <b>ANY OTHER TIME, WHEN ANY
PART OF THE SURFACE OF THE SUN IS VISIBLE, MUST BE VIEWED WITH THE
PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE EYES.</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Safe Ways to View a Solar Eclipse /
Eclipse of the Sun, When Any Portion of Solar Disk is Visible</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">1) <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"Solar
Eclipse Glasses” – </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Over
the last 30 years, technology has provided a safe way to view a Solar
Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun. “Solar Eclipse Glasses,” or often
just called “Eclipse Glasses,” have lenses made of aluminized and
optical-grade Mylar (</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>SPECIAL
NOTE:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> Mylar
used on Mylar balloons or food wrappers are </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>NOT</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> optical-grade),
so dense that only light from the Sun can be seen with such Eclipse
Glasses (more than 1,000 times darker than normal sunglasses!).
Cheap, fake Eclipse Glasses have been advertised for sale, but
should </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>NEVER
BE USED!</b></span></span></span></p><ol start="4">
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Legitimate
Solar Eclipse Glasses should include the following number printed on
the side of the glasses: ISO 12312-2. This number means that pair of
Solar Eclipse Glasses meets the safety requirements of the ISO
12312-2 International Standard.</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>To
avoid the purchase of fake Eclipse Glasses, only buy or use Eclipse
Glasses approved by the American Astronomical Society; go to this
web-page on the American Astronomical Society web-site to read a
list of the approved vendors of safe Eclipse Glasses:</b></span></span></span></p>
<p align="CENTER"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>< </b></span></span></span><a href="https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters" target="_blank"><b>https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters</b></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> ></b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Some
local planetaria and science centers and museums are selling Eclipse
Glasses in their gift shops. Also, a very limited number of Eclipse
Glasses are being given-away at a limited number of local libraries
(one pair of Eclipse Glasses per person).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The
following are instructions on how to properly handle and use Eclipse
Glasses:</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;">a) <b>Eclipse
Glasses are fragile</b> and should be <b>treated gently at
all times.</b> It would be best to <b>store the Eclipse
Glasses in an </b></span></span></span><b>envelope.</b></p>
</ol><div dir="LTR" id="yiv7486545068yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1500355768417_4811">
<ol start="4">
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;">b) <b>BEFORE
EVERY USE</b>, point the Eclipse Glasses toward an artificial light
source (i.e. lit light bulb). If any light can be seen coming
through the Eclipse Glasses, or if any damage (scratches, tears or
small holes or pin-holes) is seen on the lenses (check front and
back of both lenses), or if the Mylar lenses are starting to
separate from the cardboard frames of the Eclipse Glasses, that
pair of Eclipse Glasses should be discarded (tear or cut Eclipse
Glasses into small pieces, so no one accidentally uses them). <b>USE
OF DAMAGED ECLIPSE GLASSES WOULD ALLOW DANGEROUS SUNLIGHT TO ENTER
THE EYES, WHICH COULD LEAD TO EYE-SIGHT DAMAGE.</b></span></span></span></p>
</ol>
</div><ol start="4">
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">c) <b>For
people wearing eye-glasses</b>, Eclipse Glasses should be placed
over-top the eye-glasses--that is, sunlight should enter the Eclipse
Glasses before entering the eye-glasses.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">d) <b>NEVER</b> <b>use
Eclipse Glasses with any camera (including cell-phone or smart-phone
cameras), telescope, binoculars, or any optical aid or device
(except eye-glasses)</b> that magnifies an image (or reflection
of a magnified image); Eclipse Glasses are only designed to be used
with the naked-eyes (one-power) or with eye-glasses.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">e) <b>DO
NOT</b> attempt to clean or disinfect Eclipse Glasses lenses
with water or any other cleaning agent. If Eclipse Glasses are
carefully taken care-of, including storage in an envelope, cleaning
lenses should not be necessary. If dust is a concern, do nothing
more than gently blow-off dust.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">f) <b>NEVER</b> use
any "home-made" or "hand-made" Solar Eclipse
Glasses, or any Solar Eclipse Glasses produced by a vendor that is
not approved by the American Astronomical Society. Such Eclipse
Glasses have no quality control in production, hence there is no way
to know if such Eclipse Glasses are safe for eye-sight.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;">g) <b>Eclipse
Glasses are NOT toys. ECLIPSE GLASSES SHOULD ONLY BE USED BY
CHILDREN, WITH ADULT SUPERVISION !</b></span></span></span></p>
</ol><p>
</p><ol start="2">
<li><p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Solar
Pinhole Viewing Box – </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The
graphic at the beginning of this blog-post shows an </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>indirect
way</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">to
safely view the partial phases of a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the
Sun (which includes Solar Eclipses / Eclipses of the Sun described
as "Annular" or "Hybrid"), by building a Solar
Pinhole Viewing Box (known as a Pinhole Camera). After building this
box, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>you
must turn your back to the Sun</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">and
allow the light from the Sun to shine through a pinhole (placed in a
sheet of aluminum foil, adhered to the center of one end of the box)
and shine on a white piece of typing, printer, or photocopy paper at
the other end of the box; a small image of the Partial Solar Eclipse
/ Partial Eclipse of the Sun (which includes Solar Eclipses /
Eclipses of the Sun described as "Annular" or "Hybrid")
can then be seen projected on the white piece of paper. Do not
expect a large or bright image of the Sun, since the pinhole cannot
enlarge or brighten the image. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>NEVER
LOOK THROUGH THE PINHOLE AT THE SUN! </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Of
course, there are several variations on the idea of the Solar
Pinhole Viewing Box including the simple use of two pieces of paper,
one white with the other having the pinhole; in forests, natural
pinhole cameras are sometimes formed through the dense foliage, with
small images of the eclipsed Sun appearing on the ground.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">3)</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
Public Observing Events – </b></span><span style="font-size: small;">Often
Science and educational institutions will sponsor public observing
events where professional astronomical equipment, operated by
trained astronomers, provide safe public viewing of a Solar Eclipse
/ Eclipse of the Sun or Solar Transit of a Planet. Such institutions
may also include live Internet video-streaming of the event from
NASA or other science organizations, particularly for a Solar
Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun where the institution's telescope
observation cannot show a Total Eclipse, or when weather precludes
local telescope observations of the event. Check with a local
planetarium, astronomical observatory, science center or science
museum, the science department (particularly if there is an
astronomy or physics department) of a local college or university
(or, possibly, high school), amateur astronomy club, or local
library, to see if they are sponsoring such an event.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><a name="yiv7486545068yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1500355768417_4814"></a>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">4)
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>SHADE RATING NUMBER 14 WELDER'S GLASS – </b></span><span style="font-size: small;">SHADE
RATING NUMBER 14 WELDER'S GLASS </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>AND
ONLY</b></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> WELDER'S GLASS RATED AT
SHADE NUMBER 14, THE DARKEST SHADE AVAILABLE, IS STRONG ENOUGH TO BE
SAFE FOR EYE-SIGHT) </b></span><span style="font-size: small;">is safe enough for
normal welding jobs </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>and may be safe
(but there are no guarantees) to view a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of
the Sun; welder's glass is designed specifically for welding jobs,
not for solar observing.</b></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: small;">HOWEVER,
only use Welder's Glass rated at Shade Number 14; as with
sunglasses, it is </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>NOT SAFE</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> to
stack several lighter shades of welder's glass together. Although
Shade Rating Number 14 Welder's Glass </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>may
be safe</i></span><span style="font-size: small;">, since the Sun is so bright, using a
Shade Rating Number 14 Welder's Glass can be uncomfortable.</span></span></span></span></p><ol><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">5) </span><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Internet or Television – </span></b><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">Of course, the safest way to view any special solar event is on an Internet Web-Cast or a Television Newscast or special program. Often during special solar events such a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun or a Solar Transit of a Planet, professional organizations such as NASA, TimeandDate.com, Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory, and Slooh Community Observatory provide web-casts on the Internet of such special events; check the specific web-site for a schedule of such web-casts. For a very special event, sometimes television stations and / or networks, particularly Cable Television Channels specializing in news or Science, will also broadcast the event; check local listings for time and channel.</span></span></b></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Solar
Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun Research ---</span></b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">NASA,
academic institutions, and Citizen Scientists will be conducting
scientific research during the April 8 Eclipse. Such research is
nothing new. It was during the 1919 Total Solar Eclipse / Total
Eclipse of the Sun that astronomers confirmed Albert Einstein's
General Theory of Relativity.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">On
April 8, NASA will launch three sounding rockets from Wallops
Island, Virginia, to study how the sudden drop in sunlight during
the Eclipse affects Earth's Upper Atmosphere. The first rocket will
be launched 35 minutes before local peak Eclipse. The second rocket
will be launched during local peak Eclipse, when the Earth's
Ionosphere experiences maximum shielding from solar radiation. The
third rocket will be launched 35 minutes after the local peak
Eclipse as solar radiation once again reaches the Ionosphere.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Other
NASA research will include chasing the Eclipse with NASA's
High-Altitude Research Airplanes, Airborne Imaging and
Spectroscopic Observations of the Solar Corona, and the Super Dual
Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) where radar signals bounced off
the Ionosphere will be analyzed.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Fifty-three
teams made up of 750 student participants from 75 participating
academic institutions will be involved in the Nationwide Eclipse
Ballooning Project. Engineering teams and Atmospheric Science teams
will also be studying the Earth's Ionosphere. This will include
live-stream video, weather sensors, and individually-designed
experiments. One team will use the 34-meter Goldstone Apple Valley
Radio Telescope (GAVRT) to observe solar “active regions”,
which often have sunspots.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">NASA
also has several research projects for which the general public can
participate as Citizen Scientists. Near the end of this blog-post
is an Internet link to a listing of these projects.</span></span></p></ol></li></ol><p><b>Live-Stream Web-Cast of Eclipse, for areas with inclement weather or parts of the world where Eclipse is not visible in the sky:</b></p><p><b>Link >>> <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2024-april-8" target="_blank">https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2024-april-8</a></b></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><i>Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun: Tips for Safe Viewing:</i></b></span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><i>Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html</a></i></b></span></span></p><p><b>NASA Citizen Science Projects Regarding the Eclipse:</b></p><p><b>Link >>> <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/eclipse-2024-citizen-science/" target="_blank">https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/eclipse-2024-citizen-science/</a></b></p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Sun: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun</a></p><p>Moon: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon</a></p><p>Solar Corona: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_corona" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_corona</a></p><p>NASA Studies Solar & Earth Atmospheres during Eclipse:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/eclipse-2024-science/" target="_blank">https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/eclipse-2024-science/</a></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"100 Years Ago: U.S. Scientist Questions Evidence Proving General Theory of Relativity." Wed., 2019 Nov. 13.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2019/11/100-years-ago-us-scientist-questions.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2019/11/100-years-ago-us-scientist-questions.html</a></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Great American Solar Eclipse Next Monday: Some Ways to See It Safely." Mon. 2017 Aug. 14.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2017/08/great-american-solar-eclipse-next-mon.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2017/08/great-american-solar-eclipse-next-mon.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Source:</b><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> "U.S. Solar Eclipse April 8: Prepare for Safe Viewing"</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2024 March 18.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> © Copyright 2024 Glenn A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower 'X' / Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-58676986801313725292024-03-18T00:00:00.005-04:002024-03-18T00:29:06.590-04:00Spring Begins at Vernal Equinox Tue. Night<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <img alt="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/pix/graphics/solsticeimage008.png" class="overflowing" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjVQEwpBq7wrS8JaLBkSVdRI8uTNTzX52Hog1hfEciqK91b-uLcqYVoiXPGkQt6Zq44LUdttuvSm5LtKmev9wJmqN0j1UGZfKrKpoEucZkwlncbEoe2g5RgNYah-N0DeSil1D0U8R-D2htbHzSAreMqTHcYJ31oZfaYuqQ1CGyRupnlFw=s0-d" style="font-size: 14.85px;" /></p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><i>This diagram shows the position of the Earth, in relation to the Sun, at the time of the Vernal Equinox at the official beginning of the season of Spring in the Earth's Northern Hemisphere (Autumn in Earth's Southern Hemisphere), as well as the other </i><i><i>equinox and </i>solstices of the year.</i></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">(Graphic Source: </i><i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">©1999, Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center, America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991, and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club; permission granted for only non-profit use with credit to author.)</i> </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>Spring
begins Tuesday Evening at the moment of the Vernal Equinox in Earth's
Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere of Earth, this marks
the astronomical beginning of the season of Autumn.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>The
Vernal Equinox occurs on Earth at precisely: Tuesday Evening, 2024
March 19 at 11:06 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / March 20
at 3:06 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). While Spring usually begins
on March 20 or March 21, the March 19 start date for Spring this year
is due to 2024 being a Leap-Year; the extra day in February means
that the Vernal Equinox begins on an earlier date.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>As
the diagram at the beginning of this blog-post demonstrates, on the
day of Equinox the Sun appears directly overhead at local Noon on the
Equator. At the moment of Equinox, the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres of Earth are illuminated equally. And, the time of
Equinox is the only time when the Earth Terminator (dividing line on
Earth between daylight and darkness) is perpendicular to the Equator.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>This,
and the reason for seasons on Earth in the first place, is due to the
fact that Earth rotates on its axis, which is tilted at a
23.439281-degree angle from the plane of the Earth's orbit around the
Sun, which is part of the Ecliptic of our Solar System. As the Earth
revolves around the Sun, this axial tilt causes one hemisphere of the
planet to receive more direct solar radiation during that
hemisphere's season of Summer and much less direct solar radiation a
half-year later during that hemisphere's season of Winter. As
mentioned, during an Equinox (about half-way between Summer and
Winter, and about half-way between Winter and Summer) both planetary
hemispheres receive an equal amount of solar radiation.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>"Vernal"
is a Latin term for Spring. Although "Equinox" in Latin
means equal-night, the day of the Equinox does not actually have an
equal amount of daylight and nightfall, as it appears on the Earth's
surface. If the Sun was just a pin-point of light in our sky, as all
other stars appear, day and night would be equal.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>But,
because the Sun is a disk, part of the Sun has risen above the
horizon before the center of the Sun (which would be the pin-point of
light); so there are extra moments of light on the Equinox. Likewise,
part of the Sun is still visible, after the center of the Sun has
set.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>Additionally,
the refraction of sunlight by our atmosphere causes sunlight to
appear above the horizon, before sunrise and after sunset.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>As
the Equinox occurs a day earlier due to Leap-Year, so does this
year's Equilux. This year, <b>Equilux occurred on March 16</b>. Most
years, in addition to being St. Patrick's Day, the Equilux usually
occurs on March 17.<b> </b>Equilux<b> </b>("equal-light")
is the actual day with equal hours and minutes of the Sun above the
horizon, and equal hours and minutes of the Sun below the horizon.
The Equilux occurs twice each year, approximately 3-to-4 days before
the Vernal Equinox and 3-to-4 days after the Autumnal Equinox
(Equilux is on September 25, while the Autumnal Equinox is ~
September 22 or 23).</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>An
urban legend that has been making the rounds for decades, now
exacerbated by the Internet and Social Media, has it that eggs can be
stood on their ends only during an Equinox, whether the Vernal
Equinox in the Spring or the Autumnal Equinox in the Fall. This is
completely false!</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>Depending
greatly on the size and shape of the particular egg, eggs can be
stood on their ends any day of the year! Astronomy has nothing to do
with whether an egg can stand on its end. If an egg can stand on its
end on the Equinox (and, due to the shape and size of some eggs, this
is not even possible), it can stand the same way any other day of the
year.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>In
the last few years, with the help of the Internet and Social Media,
another urban legend has become prevalent. Now it is claimed that
brooms can stand, on their own, on their bristles, only on an Equinox
day. This is also false! Again, as with eggs, if a broom can stand on
its bristles by itself (this usually only works with newer brooms,
with more even and stiff bristles) on an Equinox, it can do so any
day of the year!</span></span></span></p><p>
</p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>In
ancient times, the Vernal Equinox was considered the beginning of the
new calendar year, as Spring brought new life after the cold Winter
months. The calendar year was then defined as the time from one
Vernal Equinox to the next. This is known as the Tropical Year: 365
days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>This
was when most of Western Civilization used the Julian Calendar,
recommended by astronomer Sosigenes and approved by Roman leader
Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. Due to the difference between the Julian
Calendar and the calendar we use today, known as the Gregorian
Calendar, the Vernal Equinox then occurred on March 25, later
observed by Christians as the Feast of the Annunciation (observed
nine full months before Christmas Day). As part of the Gregorian
Calendar reform, in October of 1582, Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII
chose the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ (January 1) as the
beginning of the New Year in the Roman Catholic Church's Liturgical
Year.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>As
a legacy to the Vernal Equinox originally considered the beginning of
the New Year, astronomers have set the Vernal Equinox as the
beginning point of the coordinate system in the sky. Astronomers
measure the sky using Right Ascension (measured in hours, minutes,
and seconds), which is analogous to Longitude on Earth, and
Declination (measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds), which is
analogous to Latitude on Earth. Precisely on the Vernal Equinox each
year, the sky coordinates are reset to Right Ascension 0 hour, 0
minute, 0 second, and Declination 0 degree, 0 minute, 0 second.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>The
Vernal Equinox continues to be considered the beginning of the New
Year, or an important holy day, in several other places on Earth ---</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>*
Beginning of New Year (using the Solar Calendar) - Nowruz:
Afghanistan and Iran / Persia.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>*
Holy Day for adherents of the Zoroastrian Religion (the three Magi,
who the Christian Bible reports visited the Christ Child after
following the Star of Bethlehem / Christmas Star, were adherents of
the Zoroastrian Religion).</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>*
Holy Day for adherents of the Bahá'í Faith: Baha'i Naw-Ruz, one of
nine holy days of the Bahá'í Faith.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>NASA
and the European Space Agency (ESA) observe Sun - Earth Day on or
near the Vernal Equinox. This is a joint educational program started
in 2000, to popularize the knowledge about the Sun, and the way it
influences life on Earth, among students and the public. This is part
of Solar Week, which is the calendar week that includes the Vernal
Equinox.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>March
20, usually the date of the Vernal Equinox, is also considered Women
in Science Day or Hypatia Day. Hypatia was an astronomer,
mathematician, philosopher, and teacher in 5<sup>th</sup> century
Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a
prominent thinker in Alexandria whose murder (in March of A.D. 415)
shocked the Empire; she became a secular “martyr for philosophy”.
The Vernal Equinox is considered a logical day to celebrate the life
of Hypatia, as her last days were dedicated to finding the precise
time of the Vernal Equinox, as a means to set the date of Easter.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>The
first week of Spring, beginning with the Vernal Equinox, has been
declared by physicians as Medicine Cabinet Clean-Up Week. To avoid
prescription drug abuse, particularly important at this time of the
opioid crisis, physicians encourage everyone to get rid of unused and
no-longer-needed medications and other drugs, which may have lingered
in the household, as part of an annual Spring cleaning. Several
states have prescription drug take-back locations, where these drugs
can be dropped-off; some are located in pharmacies and / or municipal
building lobbies.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>The
week of the Vernal Equinox is also the beginning of the National
Cherry Blossom Festival held each year in Washington, DC, which
begins on March 20. This festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000
cherry trees from the Mayor of Tokyo to the City of Washington. The
festival runs through April 14 this year. For 2024, the National Park
Service predicts the Peak Bloom of the Cherry Blossoms will be March
23 to March 26.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;">
</span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span>This
year, the Full Moon Primary Phase, on Monday, 2024 March 25 at 3:00
a.m. EDT / 7:00 UTC, also brings a deep Penumbral Lunar Eclipse /
Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon, with the greatest eclipse on Monday,
2024 March 25 at 3:12:50.9 a.m. EDT / 7:12:50.9 UTC. Penumbral
Eclipses are difficult to observe. You would need to notice the
brightness of the Moon before the Eclipse begins, and then see if you
can discern a noticeable decrease in brightness during the time of
greatest eclipse.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b><br /><br />Vernal Equinox -</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Link 1 >>> <a href="https://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/VernalEquinox.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/VernalEquinox.html</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Link 2 >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_equinox" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_equinox</a><br /><br />Season of Spring: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_%28season%29" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_%28season%29</a><br /><br />Equinox: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox</a><br /><br />Earth's Seasons: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season</a><br /><br />Tilt of a Planet's Axis: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Sun - Earth Day: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-Earth_Day" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-Earth_Day</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Women in Science Day / Hypatia Day: Link >>> <a href="https://www.change.org/p/canada-s-parliament-commemorating-the-first-female-astronomer-hypatia-of-alexandria" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.change.org/p/canada-s-parliament-commemorating-the-first-female-astronomer-hypatia-of-alexandria</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Medicine Cabinet Clean-Up Week: Link >>> <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/include-medicine-cabinets-on-your-spring-cleaning-list-300042760.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/include-medicine-cabinets-on-your-spring-cleaning-list-300042760.html</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">National Cherry Blossom Festival: Link >>> <a href="https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b>Related Blog-Post ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Solar Calendar Leap-Year Day Eclipse in 1504 Saves Columbus' Crew." Thur., 2024 Feb. 29.</span></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2024/02/solar-calendar-leap-year-day-eclipse.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2024/02/solar-calendar-leap-year-day-eclipse.html</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span>SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span>,</span></span><span> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> "Spring Begins at Vernal Equinox Tue. Night"</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"> Monday, 2024 March 18.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> © Copyright 2024 Glenn A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower 'X' / Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-5239828497649421002024-02-29T00:00:00.023-05:002024-02-29T13:08:52.278-05:00Solar Calendar Leap-Year Day Eclipse in 1504 Saves Columbus' Crew<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSLh5ERUbTa-AIHgFLByGOn6A9nMBWga0Y66YWNvaaNhYEy97296qkH5AvQ6EzXpgtrUENksOtvx-owg4Fe-VLMyw_Tu43zHmTMeBzm-FQLOxrRVVy81U08cSYdsRyDJp4LCoS9g7BTOZ9EmIorM_jyLre7-0T1JQrdBTn2GCiftkc-aC1fuqsxHeLNuo9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="800" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSLh5ERUbTa-AIHgFLByGOn6A9nMBWga0Y66YWNvaaNhYEy97296qkH5AvQ6EzXpgtrUENksOtvx-owg4Fe-VLMyw_Tu43zHmTMeBzm-FQLOxrRVVy81U08cSYdsRyDJp4LCoS9g7BTOZ9EmIorM_jyLre7-0T1JQrdBTn2GCiftkc-aC1fuqsxHeLNuo9=w640-h521" width="640" /></a></div><i>Illustration of explorer Christopher Columbus predicting the Eclipse of the Moon 520 years ago on 1504 February 29 to the native people of Jamaica. This drawing is taken from page 273 of the book T<u>he Romance of Spanish History with Illustrations</u> authored by John Stevens Cabot Abbott in 1869.</i><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org, By Camille Flammarion - Astronomie Populaire 1879, p231 fig. 86, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3613218)</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>By
Glenn A. Walsh</b></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Reporting
for SpaceWatchtower</b></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Today
(Thursday, 2024 February 29) marks Leap-Year Day, the day of the
Solar Calendar that comes around, usually once every four years. On
the Leap-Year Day in 1504, explorer Christopher Columbus' crew was
saved from starvation, when an Eclipse of the Moon was used to scare
native Jamaicans to resume feeding the ship-wrecked crew.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Beginning
of Leap-Year Day</b></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
need for a Leap-Year Day became very apparent even before what many
today refer to as the “Common Era (C.E.)”, better known as Anno
Domini or A.D. (“in the year of the Lord”), the era after the
birth of Jesus Christ of the Christian Bible. The early calendars did
not properly align with the seasons and the feasts and festivals of a
year; festivals would slip out of sync with the seasons as reckoned
by the Sun and Moon. A calendar system was needed that would more
closely align with the astronomical movements of the Sun, Moon, and
Earth.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A
calendar with a Leap-Year Day was first proposed during the rule of
Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. This calendar first took effect on 45 B.C.
January 1.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
calendar was a reform of the earlier Roman Calendar, which was a
Luni-Solar Calendar. By edict, the Julian Calendar became the
official calendar of the Roman Empire and the predominant calendar
for most of the Western World for 1,600 years, until the Pope Gregory
XIII Calendar Reform of 1582.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
Julian Calendar is composed of 365 days for three years and 366 days
each fourth year, the Leap-Year---without exception. This meant that
the average year was 365.25 days in length, which was 11 minutes longer
than the actual length of the Tropical Year, also known as the Solar
Year, (determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun):
~365.24210 days. So, the Julian Calendar gains 1 day every 129 years
and 3.1 days every 400 years. Since the year 1900 and until the year
2099, February 29 in the Julian Calendar falls 13 days later than
February 29 in the Gregorian Calendar.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Julian Calendar Rule was modified by the Gregorian Calendar Reform,
so that the average length of the year was reduced from 365.25 days
to 365.2425 days. This corrected the Julian Calendar's calendar drift
against the Solar Year, so that the Gregorian Calendar only gains 0.1
day every 400 years or 1 day every 3,300 years.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Gregorian Calendar, now the most commonly-used civil calendar in the
world, adds a day (February 29) in each year divisible by 4, except
in years evenly divisible by 100 (but not by 400). This means that
the years 1700, 1800, 1900, and 2100 do not have a Leap-Year Day, but the years 1600 and 2000 did have a Leap-Year Day.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Following
the issuance of a Papal Bull Inter Gravissimas by Roman Catholic
Church Pope Gregory XIII in October of 1582, all Catholic countries
started observing the Gregorian Calendar, introduced as a
modification of, and replacement for, the Julian Calendar. With this
change, Thursday, 1582 October 4 was immediately followed by Friday,
1582 October 15, an advance of 10 days.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">According
to the science advisers to Pope Gregory XIII, the calendar had
acquired 10 extra Leap-Year Days since the First Council of Nicaea,
which had established the rule for dating Easter Sunday in A.D. 325.
Hence, 10 days needed to be skipped to restore the status quo.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
reform also included an alteration in the Lunar Cycle used by the
Roman Catholic Church to calculate the date for Easter. Previously,
an Astronomical New Moon Phase would occur 4 days before the
calculated date.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">While
most Roman Catholic countries accepted the Pope's reform, Protestant
and Orthodox countries did not. Great Britain and its possessions,
including the American colonies and Canada, adopted the change in
1752, with no mention of Pope Gregory XIII. The Julian Calendar was
simply referred as to the Old Style (O.S.) dates and the Gregorian
Calendar was referred to as the New Style (N.S.) dates.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">By
this time, an additional Leap-Year Day had passed on the Old Style
Calendar. This extra Leap-Year Day occurred during the Old Style
Calendar year 1700; had the New Style Calendar been in effect in
1700, there would have been no Leap-Year Day that year. So, 11 days
had to be skipped to restore the status quo for the New Style
Calendar.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Gregorian Calendar, known as the New Style Calendar, became the
official calendar of the Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of
Ireland, and the British Empire (including the American colonies and
Canada) following the enactment of the Calendar Act of 1750 by the
British Parliament. Hence, Wednesday, 1752 September 2 was
immediately followed by Thursday, 1752 September 14. Rumors that
rioters demanded, “Give us our eleven days”, seems to have been a
misinterpretation of a painting by William Hogarth.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
calendar change affected the first President of the United States.
George Washington was born before the calendar change. So, his
official birth date was 1731 February 11 Old Style Calendar. After
the calendar change occurred, his official birth date was, from
then-on, recognized as 1732 February 22 New Style Calendar. His
official birth year changed from 1731 to 1732 because, by Old Style
Calendar reckoning, the New Year did not begin until March 25 (Lady
Day: Feast of the Annunciation). Of course, with the New Style
Calendar, the New Year begins on January 1.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Eastern
Orthodox countries converted to the Gregorian Calendar in 1923.
Eastern Orthodox Church sects, parts of Oriental Orthodoxy, and the
Amazigh / Berber peoples of North Africa retained the Julian Calendar
as a Liturgical or religious calendar, particularly used for their
determination of the dates for Orthodox Christmas and Orthodox
Easter.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In Ireland, a tradition dating back to the 5<sup>th</sup> century allows women to propose marriage to a man on February 29, known as Bachelor's Day or Ladies' Privilege; at one time, this was also legal in Scotland and England. The tradition comes from a deal struck between Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick, as Saint Bridget complained that women had to wait too long to marry because men were slow to propose. After the deal was struck, Saint Bridget proposed marriage to Saint Patrick; Saint Patrick declined and as recompense (sometimes required by law or tradition) gave Saint Bridget a kiss on the cheek and a silk dress.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Leap-Year Day is known as an <i>intercalary,</i> which means a date inserted between two other dates. Interestingly, originally February 24 was Leap-Year Day during the rule of Julius Caesar; on Leap-Years they simply repeated February 24 a second day!</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">And, February was originally the last month of the year in the Julian Calendar. In the Chinese calendar, from time-to-time an additional month is added to better align with the seasons; this last happened in 2015.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In
addition to being the 60</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> day of a Leap-Year (306 days
remain in the Leap Year) and the last day of February for 2024,
February 29 is also the last day of </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Meteorological Winter in
Earth's Northern Hemisphere (and the last day of Meteorological
Summer in the Southern Hemisphere)</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. Unlike the calendar seasons,
meteorological seasons begin at the beginning of a calendar month and
end on the last day of a calendar month.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The term, <i>Leap-Year</i>, is derived from the Leap-Year Day's effect on the calendar. During normal years, a certain date moves one day of the week so that that particular date occurs on the next day of the week in the next year. In other words, when February 28 occurs on a Monday one year, February 28 will occur on Tuesday the following year, usually. However, in a Leap-Year, February 28 would "leap-over" Tuesday and appear on Wednesday the following year.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Leap-Year babies born on February 29 are known as <i>Leaplings</i>. During non-Leap-Years, Leaplings usually celebrate their birthday on February 28 (most try to keep the birthday in February) or March 1. The chance of a person on Earth being born on February 29 is 1 in 1,461.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Adherents to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (founded in Pittsburgh in 1881), better known as Jehovah's Witnesses, do not celebrate birthdays at all. Founder Charles Taze Russell often preached at the world's first Carnegie Hall on Pittsburgh's North Side, just across the street from where Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science would later be built in 1939.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Lunar
Eclipse Saves Columbus' Crew</b></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;">Since
the time man first set sail on the seas, navigation by the stars was
a necessity. When Christopher Columbus set sail to find an ocean
route to the Far East, by sailing west, he took with him an almanac
authored by Abraham Zacuto, which included astronomical tables
originally calculated by the German astronomer Regiomontanus (whose
real name was Johannes Muller von Konigsberg).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">During
Columbus' fourth and last voyage to the Americas, he lost all four
ships due to an epidemic of ship-worms eating holes in the wooden
ships. He was forced to beach the last two caravels on the northern
coast of Jamaica on 1503 June 25. At first, the natives on Jamaica
welcomed Columbus and his crew and provided them with food and other
necessities, in return for items the crew could salvage from the
ships.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">After
being marooned on Jamaica for about six months, half of Columbus'
crew mutinied as well as robbing and murdering some of the natives.
As the natives had also grown weary of supplying the unexpected
castaways, Columbus and his crew faced famine.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">Columbus
came-up with an ingenious plan to save his crew. In Zacuto's almanac,
Columbus noticed that a Total Eclipse of the Moon would occur on the
evening of 1504 February 29 to March 1. Three days before the
eclipse, Columbus met with the tribal Chief of the natives, telling
him that the Christian God was angry with the Jamaican people for
stopping the supply of food to Columbus and his men. Columbus told
him that God would display his displeasure by all-but obliterating
the rising Full Moon in three days. This Moon would be "inflamed
with wrath" as an omen for what was to come for the Jamaican
people.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">On
the predicted day and hour, the natives watched as the Moon rose with
the lower edge missing. As the sky grew darker, they saw the Moon
take-on a bloody-red appearance.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">Ferdinand,
Christopher Columbus' son, later wrote:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><i>"The
Indians observed this [the eclipse] and were so astonished and
frightened that with great cries and lamentations they came running
from all directions to the ships, carrying provisions and begging
(...) and promising they would diligently supply all their needs in
the future."</i></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">The
natives begged Columbus to have his God restore the Moon. Columbus
went to his cabin to "confer" with his God. He actually
watched his hour-glass for the time the total phase of the eclipse
would end. Just before the end of totality, Columbus reemerged from
his cabin to announce to the natives that his God had pardoned them,
and the Moon would slowly be restored to normal later in the
night.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">The
Jamaican natives kept their word, and Columbus and his crew were
well-supplied until a rescue ship from Hispaniola (today, the island
that includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti) arrived on 1504 June
29. Columbus and his crew returned to Spain on 1504 November 7.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">An
interesting anecdote: When Mark Twain (the pen name for Samuel Clemens) wrote his 1889 novel, </span><span style="color: black;"><u>A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court</u></span><span style="color: black;">,
he was inspired by Columbus' ploy to have his main character, Hank
Morgan who had inadvertently time-traveled to the era of King Arthur
and Merlin the Magician, saved from execution by predicting a Solar
Eclipse, and, thus, claiming power over the Sun. However, Mark Twain
never checked any almanacs while writing the novel, and no eclipse
actually occurred on the date he used in the novel: A.D. 528 June 21.</span></span></p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Solar Calendar: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_calendar" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_calendar</a></span></p><p>Luni-Solar Calendar: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunisolar_calendar" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunisolar_calendar</a></p><p>Julian Calendar: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar</a></p><p>Gregorian Calendar: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar</a></p><p>Leap-Year: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year</a></p><p>Leap-Year Day: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_29" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_29</a></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Total Lunar Eclipse of 1504 February 29 to March 1 -</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">NASA - Astronomical Details:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>> </span><a href="http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEhistory/LEplot/LE1504Mar01T.pdf" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e8a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEhistory/LEplot/LE1504Mar01T.pdf</a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">More Information on Total Lunar Eclipse of 1504 Feb. 29:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Space.com / Joe Rao - Link 1 >>> </span><a href="http://www.space.com/2729-lunar-eclipse-saved-columbus.html" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e8a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.space.com/2729-lunar-eclipse-saved-columbus.html</a><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Wikipedia - Link 2 >>> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1504_lunar_eclipse" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e8a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1504_lunar_eclipse</a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">More on Lunar Eclipses:</span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"> >>> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e8a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Source:</b><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> "Solar Calendar Leap-Year Day Eclipse in 1504 Saves Columbus' Crew"</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Thursday, 2024 February 29.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> © Copyright 2024 Glenn A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower 'X' / Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-23338861986433873502024-02-13T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-13T04:23:25.648-05:00Sun-Blocking Space Umbrella to Cut Global Warming?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDaSFzM9qFBBttXxhn3EH5OtxQ-Pfb39yypCgxDbaVff0gzQst6qaVhuO0NEFDw1l1drtiO5TRRknY6KO19_en0EScEenITh0QZQbn9YJUIHeCEEDeUcP-CsjDEoqIB_-TutoCUO4JqbojA0U2rF3ZRNIedz6tXHHT_TlzTEdVZxaeEEBVzLNV5n2awaLb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="634" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDaSFzM9qFBBttXxhn3EH5OtxQ-Pfb39yypCgxDbaVff0gzQst6qaVhuO0NEFDw1l1drtiO5TRRknY6KO19_en0EScEenITh0QZQbn9YJUIHeCEEDeUcP-CsjDEoqIB_-TutoCUO4JqbojA0U2rF3ZRNIedz6tXHHT_TlzTEdVZxaeEEBVzLNV5n2awaLb=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div> Artist's conception of a Space Umbrella deployed in Outer Space.<p></p><p> (Image Source: <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">Asher Space Research Institute of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology)</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Could a giant umbrella in Outer Space
reduce solar radiation hitting the Earth, and hence, contribute to a
reduction in Global Warming? A proposal for a giant Sun-blocking
umbrella to be constructed in Outer Space has been proposed by an
Israeli physics professor.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Professor Yoram Rozen of the Asher
Space Research Institute of the Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology is floating the possibility that such a parasol floating
in Space between the Sun and the Earth could provide some protection
from advancing Climate Change. He calculates that such a large Space
Umbrella could reduce solar heating of the Earth by 1 or 2 per-cent.
Although this would not end Global Warming, it could be one way to
reduce the heat received from the Sun.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Last year, the U.S. White House
specifically announced that it was open to plans to block sunlight
from hitting the Earth. In 2021, philanthropist Bill Gates had
proposed spreading millions of tons of chalk dust high in the
atmosphere to block sunlight; thus far, nothing has come of this
proposal.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Space Umbrella would have to be
about 9 million statute miles / 14.48 million kilometers from the
Earth. Scientists claim that, once deployed, the Space Umbrella could
reduce the Earth's temperature by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit within the
first two years.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Space Umbrella would consist of
light-weight solar sails on a solar-powered spacecraft. It would move
through Space by opening and closing the shading layer.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Such a Space Umbrella would need to be
approximately one million square miles in size, about the size of the
nation of Argentina! That size could not be launched at one time from
Earth; sections of the Space Umbrella would have to launch separately
and assembled in Space.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">An alternative would be to launch a
series of smaller Space Umbrellas that may add-up to about the same
size. Another alternative would be to have such a Space Umbrella
tethered to an asteroid.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A previous suggestion would have been
to deploy dust at a La Grange Point (a location in Outer Space where
the gravity between the Sun and the Earth are roughly equal, hence
allowing matter at the La Grange Point to remain in one spot), so the
dust would block some sunlight from reaching the Earth.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Space Umbrella would use La Grange
Point Number 1 (L1). According to the Israeli team, that point would
provide a constant shading over a large portion of our planet.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Professor Rozen is now seeking $10-to-$20 million to build a prototype of a smaller size, about 100
square-feet, for construction by 2027. So far, no cost has been
estimated for creating and launching a one million square-mile Space
Umbrella. But, costs could reach trillions of dollars.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Skeptics of the Space Umbrella plan,
including Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb, note that the
cost of such a large Space Umbrella(s) would be exorbitant. He said
that such a plan would require international collaboration and
probably reallocation of funds from the military.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Skeptics also note that launching,
assembling, and maintaining such a parasol in Outer Space would be
extremely challenging, similar, but to a much greater scale, to the
recent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. There is also a
question as to how well such a Space Umbrella could hold-up to the
harsh conditions of Outer Space.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Further, a solar storm, meteor, or
asteroid that damages the Space Umbrella could result in sudden and
rapid warming on Earth, with possible disastrous effects and no ready
way to repair such damage.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">However, the non-profit Planetary
Sunshade Foundation supports the Israeli proposal. They believe the
project cost may not be as high as projected, as the costs of space
travel continue declining.</p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Again, this plan, if implemented, would
not be a 'silver bullet'. This would be just one way to reduce some
heating of the Earth, while the nations of our planet make the hard
choices needed for a more permanent solution.</p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Space Sun Shade: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_sunshade" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_sunshade</a></p><p>La Grange Point: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_point" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_point</a></p><p>Climate Change: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change</a></p><p>Global Warming Potential: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_potential" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_potential</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Source:</b><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> "Sun-Blocking Space Umbrella to Cut Global Warming?"</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Tuesday, 2024 February 13.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> © Copyright 2024 Glenn A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower 'X' / Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-55978906791009748312024-01-27T00:00:00.018-05:002024-01-27T03:40:29.963-05:00Laser Observatory in Space to Expand Search for Gravity-Waves<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghkjZYjFucgDF8ZEjYSp25MH6OJGOZNSdo4B-6Cz0QrBT0mhSvbWHJNlNOEffvlA9hQ1xTLkdHRPcOfIRyptZKOTAnpBPGDhrZoM5UMW7MT-de7ahJOE4CqM0CBRCa1DjolyubH6oMYr3lA-qMmhDqX2WyqyvvO-iSJG7aWbCEYM8xzvfHjcykMp_OW8sd" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghkjZYjFucgDF8ZEjYSp25MH6OJGOZNSdo4B-6Cz0QrBT0mhSvbWHJNlNOEffvlA9hQ1xTLkdHRPcOfIRyptZKOTAnpBPGDhrZoM5UMW7MT-de7ahJOE4CqM0CBRCa1DjolyubH6oMYr3lA-qMmhDqX2WyqyvvO-iSJG7aWbCEYM8xzvfHjcykMp_OW8sd=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i> Artist's conception of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) to be launched by 2035.</i><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Image Sources: NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Wikipedia.org, By NASA - NASA, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10372273)</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">With the first detection of
Gravitational-Waves coming from a ground-based observatory in 2015,
now there is a plan to expand the search for Gravitational-Waves with
an observatory in Outer Space. This past week, the European Space
Agency (ESA) announced an ambitious plan to launch the Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) by 2035.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Gravitational-Waves, described as
ripples in the fabric of Space-Time, have been very difficult to find
since the search began more than two decades ago. Gravitational-Waves
often are produced by the collision of large Black Holes.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Scientists believe that further study of Gravitational-Waves will help them learn more about the workings and history of our Universe. L<span style="color: #202224;">earning more about the Black Holes and Supernovae that cause Gravitational-Waves may also help them learn more about the creation and evolution of the Galaxies these phenomena inhabit.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #202224; font-family: times;">A space-based Laser observatory would allow researchers to detect Gravitational-Waves of much longer wavelengths than can be sensed on Earth. This would detect the collision of much larger Black Holes, which are millions of times the size of our Sun.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
would use three spacecraft firing Lasers at each other, over
distances larger than the orbit of Earth's Moon: ranging up to 1.5 million statute miles / 2.5 million
kilometers. The <span style="color: #202224;">three spacecraft detectors will be arranged in Outer Space as an equilateral triangle.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #202224; font-family: times;">The spacecraft will be placed in orbit of the Sun, at the same distance from the Sun as the Earth, but trailing the Earth by 20 degrees. Each spacecraft will be built as a Zero-Drag Satellite, to eliminate light pressure and the Solar Wind from affecting the detection results.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: black;"><span>Officials at the European Space Agency project the LISA budget will cost 1.75 billion Euros / 1.5 billion British Pounds / $1.5 billion. Additional funds are expected to come from member states such as </span></span><span style="color: #202224;"><span>Germany, France, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #202224;"><span style="font-family: times;">NASA, which had been part of the original LISA proposal as far back as 1997, will also be part of this project. NASA's contribution will include more advanced technologies including Lasers.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Currently, the Earth-based <span style="color: black;"><span>Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory</span></span>
(LIGO) consists of two Laser stations in Hanford, Washington and
Livingston, Louisiana, the largest and most ambitious project ever
funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Built and
operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, the initial project ran from 2002 to 2010
when no Gravitational-Waves were found.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">The Advanced LIGO Project began in
2008, with the enhanced detectors beginning operation in 2015. Two
days after beginning operation, the first Gravitational-Wave was
detected on 2015 September 14.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: black;"><span>The
detection of Gravitational-Waves confirmed a prediction of Albert
Einstein's 1916 General Theory of Relativity.</span></span><span>
</span><span style="color: black;"><span>A
new branch of observational Astronomy, Gravitational-Wave Astronomy
obtains and studies data from highly-energetic sources of
Gravitational-Waves such as Black Holes and Supernovae. Although
predicted by Dr. Einstein, he had doubted whether Gravitational-Waves
could ever actually be detected.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Three
American physicists, who developed a Laser observatory which led to
the detection of Gravitational-Waves, were awarded the 2017 Nobel
Prize in Physics on Tuesday, 2017 October 3.</span>
<span style="color: black;">Barry
C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne of the California Institute of
Technology and Rainer Weiss of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology were given the annual award "for decisive
contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of
Gravitational-Waves."</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #202224;"><span style="font-family: times;">Presently,
Gravitational-Waves are detected in LIGO from the perturbations of
Laser light as fired down 4-kilometer-long L-shaped tunnels. LISA
will use the same principle, but over much larger distances in Outer Space.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: times;">Internet Links to Additional Information ---</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA):</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Interferometer_Space_Antenna" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Interferometer_Space_Antenna</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO):</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIGO" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIGO</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Black Hole: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Supernova / Supernovae: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: times;">Related Blog-Post ---</span></b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: times;">"Physics Nobel Prize Awarded to Developers of Laser Observatory." Sat., 2017 Oct. 7.</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: times;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2017/10/physics-nobel-prize-awarded-to.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2017/10/physics-nobel-prize-awarded-to.html</a></span></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Source:</b><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> "Laser Observatory in Space to Expand Search for Gravity-Waves."</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Saturday, 2024 January 27.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> © Copyright 2024 Glenn A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower 'X' / Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-76134406743410597812024-01-04T00:00:00.014-05:002024-01-08T01:34:38.728-05:00Live-Stream - Early Mon. Launch: U.S. Robotic Return to Moon<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img height="640" src="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Moon/Moonshot_Museum/Pix/Opening/cleanrmIMG_0088.JPG" width="480" /></p></div><p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Observation windows looking into the Astrobotic Clean Room, from the Moonshot Space Museum, located on Pittsburgh's Lower North Side. In this photograph, two Astrobotic technicians are working on the Peregrine Moon Lander, scheduled to be launched to the Moon early Monday Morning, 2024 January 8. This photograph was taken on the day of dedication of the Moonshot Space Museum: Saturday, 2022 October 15.</i></p><p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Source: SpaceWatchtower Blog, Friends of the Zeiss; Photographer: Glenn A. Walsh)</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">America's
return to the Moon, with a robotic lander and rover, is now planned
for launch in the early hours of January 8. This NASA Commercial
Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project, the <i>Peregrine
Lander</i> carrying 21 payloads, was built by Astrobotic
Technology, Inc. of Pittsburgh and the <i>Iris Rover</i> was
produced by Carnegie Mellon University.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Over
the years, the United States has had several fly-by and orbital
missions to the Moon, since the last Apollo mission, Apollo 17, left
the Moon on 1972 December 14. Peregrine Mission One will be
the first American lander and rover since the days of Apollo.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Peregrine
Mission One will be launched atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Vulcan Centaur rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in
Florida [Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41)]. This is the first flight
of this particular rocket, a successor to ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV
launch vehicles.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: black;">Getting
such a new rocket ready for launch, and passing NASA requirements,
meant that the original 2023 May 4 launch date slipped until
Christmas Eve of last year. Then, “routine” issues regarding
ground equipment resulted in United Launch Alliance (ULA) Chief Executive Officer Tory
Bruno, in a Social Media Post,</span> announcing that
the launch would be again delayed to no earlier than January 8.</span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Launch
of the Peregrine mission is now scheduled for early on Monday Morning
2024 January 8: 2:18:38 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 7:18:38 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) (45-minute lainch window).</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">While
it had been scheduled on <i>Traditional</i> Christmas Eve, the new
launch date is one day after the celebration of <i>Orthodox</i>
Christmas. It was on <i>Traditional</i> Christmas Eve, this time in
1968, when humans first entered orbit around another planetary body,
the Earth's Moon, during the historic mission of Apollo 8.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Peregrine Mission One launch window continues for four days, if a
launch cannot occur on January 8. Provided the launch does occur one
of these four days, landing on the Moon is expected on Friday, 2024
February 23.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Internet
Link to Live-Stream Web-Cast of Astrobotic Launch Near End of
Blog-Post.</b></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">About
an hour or so after launch, the <i>Peregrine Lander</i> and <i>Iris
Rover</i> will separate from the launch vehicle and enter a
Trans-lunar Injection for the beginning of the trip to the Moon.
After entering a medium orbit around the Moon, landing the spacecraft
will wait until early morning at the landing site: Sinus Viscositatis
('Bay of Stickiness') located at 35.25 degrees North and 40.99
degrees west on the Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">By
landing early in the morning on the Moon, this will give the mission
eight-to-ten days of operation while the Sun is shining. Once
nightfall descends on the spacecraft, operations will stop and wait
for the next sunrise.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">However,
Astrobotic Founder and Chief Executive Officer John Thornton warns
that with the cold of a lunar night, it is not known how that may
affect the equipment; he said that India's <i>Chandrayaan-3
Lander</i> did not resume operation after lunar night. According
to Mr. Thornton, the Moon's surface temperature varies from about
+212 to +248 degrees Fahrenheit / +100 to +120 degrees Celsius in the
daytime “down to liquid nitrogen cold” at night; a lot of things
can break at such low nighttime temperatures.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another
NASA CLPS mission, the launch of Intuitive Machines <i>Nova-C
Lander </i>(IM-1 Mission) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, has also
been delayed and is now scheduled to launch after the <i>Peregrine
Lander, </i>in mid-February<i>. </i>But if the current IM-1
Mission schedule holds, it may actually land on the Moon within days (perhaps as early as February 22) of the <i>Peregrine Lander.</i></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The <i>Iris
Rover </i>is a collaboration between the students, professors,
and staff from Carnegie Mellon University and Astrobotic in the
development of robotics technology for Outer Space. The rover
name <i>Iris</i> is Siri spelled backwards, in honor of
Carnegie Mellon University Lead Systems Engineer Siri
Maley. The <i>Iris</i> robotic mission will be the
smallest, first American, first university-built, and first
student-built rover on the Earth's Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Carnegie
Mellon University is also providing another payload called <i>MoonArk</i>,
which Astrobotic describes as a “collaborative space project”.
This sort-of space museum “embodies the arts, humanities, sciences,
and technologies in a set of intricately designed objects intended to
spark wonderment and discovery for future generations.”</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Among
the 21 payloads on this mission are instruments from NASA research
centers: Ames Research Center (Moffett Federal Airfield, Silicon
Valley, California), Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt,
Maryland), and Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas) ---</span></span></p><ul>
<li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Laser
Retroreflector Array (LRA) – GSFC</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Linear
Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) – JSC</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Near
InfraRed Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) – ARC</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Neutron
Spectrometer System (NSS) – ARC</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Peregrine
Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS) – GSFC/European Space Agency</span></span></p>
</li></ul><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Peregrine
Mission One, part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)
initiative, is scheduled to be the first United States commercial
robotic lander launching to the Moon's surface, as part of the NASA
Artemis Program to return astronauts to the Moon by the end of this
decade.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Other
payloads include a M-42 Radiation Detector from the German Aerospace
Center, as well as scientific payloads from the United Kingdom,
Mexico, and Hungary. And,
scientists from the Seychelles are sending one Bit-coin.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Two American space companies, Celestis and Elysium Space, are sending the cremated remains and DNA of 70 people's loved ones on the spacecraft. The human remains will be interred in flight capsules, permanently encased in a lunar lander spacecraft. The cremated remains of a couple famous persons in the Peregrine Mission One include <i>Star Trek</i> creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The remains of another 265 persons will be represented on the rocket's upper stage, which will go into orbit of the Sun. These include three original <i>Star Trek</i> cast members [</span></span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.165px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Nichelle Nichols<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>(Lt. Nyota Uhura), DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy), and James Doohan (Montgomery “Scotty” Scott)</span></span><span face=""Source Serif 4", Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16.5px; letter-spacing: -0.165px;">]</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, as well as strands of hair from three American Presidents: George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy.</span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Japan's
Lunar Dream Capsule, from the company Astroscale, is described as a
“time capsule”. The time capsule includes messages from 80,000
children from around the world.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">NASA
invites all members of the general public, throughout the world, to
attend the Peregrine launch virtually. According to NASA:</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"><i>Members
of the public can <b>register to attend the launch virtually:</b></i></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Link
>>> <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-commercial-lunar-payload-services-astrobotic-peregrine-1-launch-registration-525735457907?aff=webfeature" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-commercial-lunar-payload-services-astrobotic-peregrine-1-launch-registration-525735457907?aff=webfeature</a></b></i></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"><i>As
a virtual guest, you have access to curated resources, schedule
changes, and mission-specific information delivered straight to your
in-box. Following each activity, virtual guests will receive a
<b>commemorative stamp for their virtual guest passport:</b></i></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #1b1b1b;"><i>Link
>>> <a href="https://nasa-external-ocomm.app.box.com/s/mhdv60p0g3xowte635a27peqibwgcezh" target="_blank">https://nasa-external-ocomm.app.box.com/s/mhdv60p0g3xowte635a27peqibwgcezh</a></i></span></b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">More information about NASA CLPS activities can be found on the <b>CLPS
Blog:</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Link
>>> <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/clps" target="_blank">https://blogs.nasa.gov/clps</a>
</b></span></span></span>
</p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A
commercial spin-off from Carnegie Mellon University, Astrobotic
opened a Moonshot Space Museum on Pittsburgh's Lower North Side on
Saturday Morning, 2022 October 15. This new museum is located
adjacent to Astrobotic's manufacturing facility. In addition to STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education for
young people, this museum allows the general public to watch Moon
rovers being constructed.</span></span></p><p>
</p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Carnegie
Mellon University originated in 1900 as the Carnegie Technical
Schools. It was established to provide for a technical education by
famous industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Internet Link to Live-Stream Web-Cast of Astrobotic Launch ---</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Link >>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/</a></span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Peregrine Mission One ---</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link 1 >>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/clps/astrobotic-peregrine-mission-one/" style="color: #2b3cff;" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/clps/astrobotic-peregrine-mission-one/</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link 2 >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Mission_One" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Mission_One</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Astrobotic Technology ---</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Astrobotic: Link >>> <a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.astrobotic.com/</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Peregine Mission One Update: L nk >>> <a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/peregrine-mission-one-update/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.astrobotic.com/peregrine-mission-one-update/</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Peregine Mission One Manifest: Link >>> <a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/lunar-delivery/manifest/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.astrobotic.com/lunar-delivery/manifest/</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Carnegie Mellon Iris & MoonArk:</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>> <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2023/october/cmus-iris-moonark-leave-pittsburgh-en-route-to-the-moon" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2023/october/cmus-iris-moonark-leave-pittsburgh-en-route-to-the-moon</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"UPDATE: Launch Slips to Jan. for U.S. Robotic Return to Moon." 2023 Dec. 11 (Original Blog-Post: 2023 Dec. 7).</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-eve-launch-planned-for.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-eve-launch-planned-for.html</a></div><div><br /></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Moonshot Space Museum Opens in Pittsburgh." Thur., 2022 Oct. 20.</h3><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/10/moonshot-space-museum-opens-in.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/10/moonshot-space-museum-opens-in.html</a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Moonshot Space Museum sponsored by Astrobotic Technology.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"CMU to Build 1st Univ.-Based Space Mission Control." Mon., 2022 April 18.</h3></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/04/cmu-to-build-1st-univ-based-space.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/04/cmu-to-build-1st-univ-based-space.html</a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"American Lunar Society Founder on 50th Anniversary: 1st Humans Orbit Moon."</h3><div>Mon., 2018 Dec. 24.</div><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/12/50th-anniversary-incredible-legacy-of.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/12/50th-anniversary-incredible-legacy-of.html</a></div><div><br /></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Library to be Established on the Moon !" Mon., 2018 May 2.</h3></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/05/library-to-be-established-on-moon.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/05/library-to-be-established-on-moon.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Source:</b><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> "Live-Stream - Early Mon. Launch: U.S. Robotic Return to Moon."</span></span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Thursday, 2024 January 4.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> © Copyright 2024 Glenn A.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-39893885141085193032023-12-18T00:00:00.012-05:002024-01-03T19:01:01.606-05:00Winter Begins at Solstice Thur. Night; Ursid Meteors Peak Friday<div class="separator"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; position: relative;"><img alt="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/pix/graphics/solsticeimage008.png" class="overflowing" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjVQEwpBq7wrS8JaLBkSVdRI8uTNTzX52Hog1hfEciqK91b-uLcqYVoiXPGkQt6Zq44LUdttuvSm5LtKmev9wJmqN0j1UGZfKrKpoEucZkwlncbEoe2g5RgNYah-N0DeSil1D0U8R-D2htbHzSAreMqTHcYJ31oZfaYuqQ1CGyRupnlFw=s0-d" style="font-size: 14.85px;" /></h3></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6066688065784725526" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 668.182px;"><p><i>This diagram shows the position of the Earth, in relation to the Sun, at the time of the Winter Solstice, as well as the other solstice and equinoxes of the year, in Earth's Northern Hemisphere.</i><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[Graphic Source: </i><i><span id="yiv6240628546yui_3_16_0_1_1421124765083_5050">©1999, Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center, America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991, and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club; permission granted for only non-profit use with credit to author.]</span></i></span></p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The season of Winter, in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth, begins at the <i>moment of the Winter / December Solstice, Thursday Evening, 2023 December 21 at 10:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / December 22, 3:27 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).</i> This moment also marks the astronomical beginning of the Summer season in the Southern Hemisphere.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Winter continues in Earth's Northern Hemisphere until Spring begins on the Vernal Equinox: Tuesday, 2024 March 19 at 11:07 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / March 20 at 3:07 UTC. This also marks the beginning of Autumn / Fall in the Southern Hemisphere.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In Meteorology (Weather Science), the convention is to start a season on the first day of a calendar month. So, Meteorological Winter runs from December 1 to February 28 or 29.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This year's Winter Solstice marks the 55<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the launch of Apollo 8, the first human mission to the Moon. Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 1968 December 21 at 7:51 a.m. EST / 12:51 UTC, entered lunar orbit early on the morning of Christmas Eve, orbited the Moon ten times, and returned to Earth on 1968 December 27.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tomorrow marks the 51st anniversary (1972 December 19) of the return to Earth of the last human mission to the Moon, Apollo 17. Apollo missions 18, 19, and 20 had been cancelled, primarily due to budget cuts.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Almost exactly 24 hours after the Winter Solstice will mark the peak time for the annual Ursid Meteor Shower. This <i>meteor shower peaks Friday Evening, 2023 December 22 at 11:00 p.m. EST / December 23, 4:00 UTC </i>(of course, meteor showers can only be viewed between local sunset and local sunrise, best viewed between local Midnight and local dawn when Earth is rotating into the meteor shower).<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <b>Winter Solstice</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In etymology, the word <i>solstice</i> comes from the Latin terms <i>Sol</i> (Sun) and <i>sistere</i> (to stand-still). In ancient times, astronomers / astrologers / priests recognized that one day of the year when the Sun would <i>appear</i> to reach its lowest point in the sky for the entire year. The motion of the Sun's <i>apparent</i> path in the sky (what is known astronomically today as the Sun's D<i>eclination</i>) would cease on this day, and the Sun would <i>appear to stand-still</i>, before reversing direction.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With our Gregorian Calendar, this usually occurs on, or very close to, December 21. In ancient times, when people used the Julian Calendar, the Winter Solstice was on, or very close to, December 25, what we now know as Christmas Day. Mid-Winter festivals, at the time of the Winter Solstice, were common in ancient times. Instead of competing with these traditions, the early Roman Catholic Church Christianized the Winter festivals by observing the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 [the actual birth date of Jesus of Nazareth was probably either in the Spring or around Harvest-time (late Summer / early Autumn)].</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Today, we know that, while the Sun does have motions <span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">(the Sun rotates on its own axis about once every 27 Earth days; our Solar System revolves around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy once every 225 million-to-250 million Earth years)</span>, it is actually the motion of the Earth, tilted on its axis (Mean Obliquity) currently <span face="Helvetica, "Ubuntu Light", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #454545; font-size: 16px;">23.43616</span> degrees / 23 degrees, 26 minutes, 10.1 seconds (at the <i style="font-size: 14.85px;">North Latitude this is known as the Tropic of Cancer or Northern Tropic, while at the </i><i style="font-size: 14.85px;">South Latitude this is located at the Tropic of Capricorn or Southern Tropic</i><i style="font-size: 14.85px;">)</i> from the plane of our Solar System while revolving around the Sun, that causes the Earth's seasons.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hence, as the Earth arrives at the point in its orbit around the Sun, where the south polar axis is most directly inclined toward the Sun (thus, the Sun <i>appears</i> at its lowest point for the year in the Northern Hemisphere sky) around December 21, this marks the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (and the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Alternately around June 21, the Summer Solstice marks the beginning of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere (and this date also marks the Winter Solstice, which is the beginning of Winter in the Southern Hemisphere) as the Earth reaches the point in its orbit where the north polar axis is most directly inclined toward the Sun.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The day of the December Solstice is the only time of the year when the Sun reaches the point of Local Solar Noon at the South Pole. Conversely, it is also the only time of the year when Local Solar Midnight occurs at the North Pole. And, of course, it is the reverse during the June Solstice: the only time the Sun reaches the point of Local Solar Noon at the North Pole and the only time when Local Solar Midnight occurs at the South Pole.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Although the Winter months in the Northern Hemisphere are known for the year's coldest weather, the Earth is actually at the point in its orbit closest to the Sun (astronomically known as the point of <i>Perihelion</i>) on or very near January 2. The Earth is farthest from the Sun, each year shortly after the Northern Hemisphere's Summer Solstice, on or very near July 5 (the point of <i>Aphelion</i>). Over a half-year's time between Earth Perihelion and Earth Aphelion, the difference in distance between the Sun and Earth varies by about 3.2 million statute miles / 5.1499008 million kilometers.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The dates of Earth Perihelion and Earth Aphelion are not fixed. Due to the Earth's Precession of the Equinoxes, these days shift forward approximately one day every 58 years. About 800 years ago, the Earth Perihelion was on the date of the Winter Solstice, around December 21; Earth Perihelion will be on the Vernal Equinox, the beginning of Spring around March 20, about 4,300 years from now. Earth's Axial Precession (often described as a "wobble" in the Earth's orientation, like a spinning top or a gyroscope) gradually changes the orientation of the Earth's Rotational Axis, which completes one rotational cycle once every 25,772 years.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This year, <i>Earth Perihelion will occur on Tuesday Evening, 2024 January 2 at 7:38 p.m. EST / January 3, 0:38 UTC.</i> At that moment, Earth will be the closest to the Sun for the whole year: 91,404,095 statute miles / 147,100,632 kilometers. This year's Earth Aphelion: Friday Morning, 2024 July 5 at 1:06 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 5:06 UTC - 94,510,539 statute miles / 152,099,968.88 kilometers.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Solar radiation, and hence heat from the Sun, to warm an Earth hemisphere depends on the length of daylight and the angle of the Sun above the horizon. Earth receives about 7 per-cent more solar radiation from the Sun during the time of Earth Perihelion in January, than at the time of Earth Aphelion in July. However, the tilt of the planet's axis toward the Sun determines the additional and more direct solar radiation received by a planet's northern or southern hemisphere, and hence, the warmer season of the respective hemisphere.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Earth's Perihelion in January, and Aphelion in July, are due to the elliptical nature of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Perihelion and Aphelion would not occur if the Earth's orbit was a true circle.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Since the Earth is closest to the Sun near the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere's Winter Season, the Earth, then, moves faster in its orbit around the Sun than it moves in July, making the Northern Hemisphere's Winter a shorter season than Summer. Winter will last for only 89 days, while this past-Summer lasted nearly 93 days. This is one of the observed consequences of Johannes Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, which he published at the beginning of the 17<sup>th</sup> century.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The day of the Winter Solstice is known as the “shortest day of the year” and the “longest night of the year” as the Sun shines on the Northern Hemisphere for the shortest length of time for the entire year, on this day. For this reason, Homeless Persons' Memorial Day is commemorated on December 21.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Since the Summer Solstice in June, the number of daylight hours have slowly diminished each day, with the night-time hours progressively increasing each day. This has benefited astronomers (to view planets, stars, and other celestial phenomena), amateur / ham radio operators (to communicate with other ham operators around the world), and long-distance (DX) radio enthusiasts (to receive AM / medium-wave and short-wave radio stations from around the country or around the world), who need the lack of solar radiation to ply their respective craft. Once we reach the Winter Solstice, the number of daylight hours will, now, slowly increase each day, with the night-time hours declining each day--until, once again, this reverses on the Summer Solstice.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Interestingly, the climate of a locale in the Southern Hemisphere is, on average, slightly milder than a location at the same latitude in the Northern Hemisphere, because the Southern Hemisphere has significantly more ocean water and much less land. Water warms-up and cools-down more slowly than does land. The only exception is the Antarctic Continent, which is colder than the Northern Hemisphere's Arctic region, possibly because most of the Arctic region is covered with water (although, often frozen water on the surface, but liquid water beneath the ice) while Antarctica is mostly a land mass.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">On the Winter Solstice, the Sun <i>appears</i> (from Earth's perspective) to be in the constellation Sagittarius—that is, if you could view the stars behind the Sun on the Winter Solstice, you would see the stars of Sagittarius. Previously, just a few days earlier, the Sun had <i>appeared</i> to be in the constellation Ophiuchus. The change, when the Sun <i>appeared</i> to move from Sagittarius to Ophiuchus, occurred on December 17.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">However, a couple thousand years ago, the Sun would have <i>appeared</i> to be in the constellation Capricornus during the Winter Solstice. And, about 150 years from now, the Sun will <i>appear</i> to be in the constellation Ophiuchus during the Winter Solstice. <span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">The names Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn were coined in the last centuries B.C., when the Sun would appear in the Constellation Cancer the Crab on the June Solstice and in the Constellation Capricornus the Horned Goat on the December Solstice.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This <i>apparent</i> change is known as Precession of the Equinoxes or Axial Precession. This is a slow “wobble” of the Earth's axis, which causes the background stars or constellations that the Sun <i>appears</i> in to change over an approximately 25,771.5 year-cycle. This cycle runs through 12 traditional constellations of the zodiac, plus the constellation Ophiuchus, comprising the constellations along the ecliptic.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Precession also causes the North Star to change over the approximately 25,771.5 year-cycle. Today, Polaris is known as the North Star, which has been used for ages by navigators. However, at the time Egypt constructed the Great Pyramid, architects used Thuban, the North Star at that time, to align the pyramid. And, about 12,000 years from today, Vega will be the North Star.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Although for the year, December 21, for Earth's Northern Hemisphere, has the fewest number of daylight hours and the most night-time hours, it may be surprising to some that this date does not have the latest sunrise time nor the earliest sunset time for the year. This is also true for the June 21 solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Depending on a location's latitude, the latest sunrise time actually occurs a few days after the respective solstice, while the earliest sunset time occurs a few days before the day of the solstice. These time differences are due to, what scientists call, the Equation of Time (the Equation of Time is graphically displayed on most world globes as a figure “8”, known as the Analemma).</p><p>The U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington defines the Equation of Time: "the Equation of Time is the difference <i>apparent solar time</i> minus <i>mean solar time</i>". Apparent solar time, which is somewhat variable, directly tracks the motion of the Sun and can be measured using a sundial. Mean solar time measures solar motion if the Sun's motion was uniform; it is measured by an accurate clock which does not vary in time measurement. </p><p>The Sun's motion does vary throughout the year. Hence, the latest sunrise time and the earliest sunset time do not occur on the actual day of the solstice.<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p> <b>Ursid Meteor Shower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Almost 24 hours after the Winter Solstice comes the peak of the annual Ursid Meteor Shower, which actually begins on December 17 and usually lasts about a week ending December 24, 25, or 26. The Ursids seem to comprise a narrow stream of debris originating from Comet Tuttle. Hence, it is difficult to see Ursid meteors outside of a 12-hour window before and after the peak, where possibly 12 meteors per-hour could be seen, under ideal conditions.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Ursid Meteor Shower is so-named because most meteors appear to radiate from a point near the Star Beta Ursae Minoris (apparent meteor shower radiant) in the Constellation Ursa Minor (better known as the asterism the “Little Dipper”), which is the brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper. Some people call these meteors “Ursids,” in an attempt to emphasize that their apparent radiant is Ursa Minor, not Ursa Major (the asterism the “Big Dipper”).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">However, you should not, necessarily, be looking only at the Little Dipper when looking for meteors in this shower. Meteors can appear in any part of the sky at any time (although a meteor's tail may tend to point back toward the radiant).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course meteor showers, like all celestial observations, are <i>weather-permitting</i>. If there are more than a few clouds in the sky, meteors will be much more difficult to find. Clear skies are not always available in the skies of late Autumn and early Winter. And, it is always best to get away from city lights, for the opportunity to see the smaller, dimmer meteors. A bright Moon in the sky will also make it more difficult to view the smaller, dimmer meteors. As always, the best time to view any meteor shower is between local midnight and local dawn, when the Earth is actually rotating into the stream of meteoric debris.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Binoculars and telescopes are not very useful for finding meteors. Meteors streak across the sky in a very short period of time, far too short to aim binoculars or a telescope. So, the best way to view a meteor shower is to lie on a blanket or beach towel on the ground, or use a reclining a chair, outdoors in an area with a good view of the entire sky (with few obstructions such as buildings, trees, or hills), and keep scanning the entire sky (best results: look in darkest parts of sky).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So, if you go out to see the Ursid Meteor Shower, start looking for meteors around local midnight, or perhaps a little later. Make sure you have a good site where you can see most of the sky, and that sky is relatively clear. Be sure to dress properly for the early morning temperatures, now that we are at the very beginning of Winter.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And, you want to go out ahead of time, before you actually start looking for meteors, to get your eyes accustomed to the dark sky. Dark-adapting your eyes for meteor-watching could take up to a half-hour.<br /></p><p><b><b>Internet Links to Additional Information --- </b> </b></p><p><b>Winter Solstice:<br />Link 1 >>> <a href="http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/WinterSolstice.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/WinterSolstice.html</a><br />Link 2 >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter</a><br />Solstice: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice</a></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Popular Winter Planetarium Sky Shows Shown at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (1939 to 1991), including full scripts of each show:<br /><i>The Star of Bethlehem</i> >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/skyshow/bethlehem/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/skyshow/bethlehem/</a><br /><i>The Stars of Winter</i> >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/skyshow/winter/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/skyshow/winter/</a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Calendar Formats ---<br /> Gregorian Calendar: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar</a><br /> Julian Calendar: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar</a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ursid Meteor Shower: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursids" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UrsidsA</a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Homeless Persons' Memorial Day:<br /></p></div><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>></span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"> </span><a href="http://nationalhomeless.org/about-us/projects/memorial-day/" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e8a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://nationalhomeless.org/about-us/projects/memorial-day/</a> </p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"'The Night the Stars Fell' 190 Years Ago: Beginning of Citizen Science."</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Mon., 2023 November 13.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-night-stars-fell-190-years-ago.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-night-stars-fell-190-years-ago.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"American Lunar Society Founder on 50th Anniversary: 1st Humans Orbit Moon."</h3></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Mon., 2018 Dec. 24.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/12/50th-anniversary-incredible-legacy-of.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/12/50th-anniversary-incredible-legacy-of.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Source:</b><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span _mstmutation="1"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> a project of </span><a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> "Winter Begins at Solstice Thur. Night; Ursid Meteors Peak Friday."</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Monday, 2023 December 18.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Artificial Intelligence <i>not used</i> in the writing of this article.<br /></p><div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> ©
Copyright 2023 Glenn A.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Walsh,
All Rights Reserved</span></span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-8090331330268715172023-12-09T20:00:00.001-05:002023-12-09T20:12:59.449-05:00Halley's Comet Aphelion - Farthest from Sun<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm4XMGj39RNX9RN9JdaP-LWocwquwu16Kw5WJdc5EN37xG4trzG6faA7n5QTJcUFuikautsBkAzRnsImlW3VZHJknspjGDCYTzV0Y74cWa5Wo9qrQ7bkxuUS5LNvc3CmyPQmxNpy7DgJF8Dtfq3MGQtFco7Oyt5yr3FCVVv-WVqDWhCQtDahkbsjFeF6m3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="800" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm4XMGj39RNX9RN9JdaP-LWocwquwu16Kw5WJdc5EN37xG4trzG6faA7n5QTJcUFuikautsBkAzRnsImlW3VZHJknspjGDCYTzV0Y74cWa5Wo9qrQ7bkxuUS5LNvc3CmyPQmxNpy7DgJF8Dtfq3MGQtFco7Oyt5yr3FCVVv-WVqDWhCQtDahkbsjFeF6m3=w640-h444" width="640" /></a></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Halley's Comet, as seen from Easter Island on 1986 March 8; photographer: W. Liller (International Halley Watch, Large Scale Phenomena Network).</i></blockquote><p><i>(Image Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.org, By NASA/W. Liller - NSSDC&#039;s Photo Gallery (NASA):http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-comets.htmlhttp://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/planetary/comet/lspn_comet_halley1.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=544352) </i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">TODAY (Saturday, 2023 December 9) marks
Aphelion for Comet Halley, the comet's farthest point in their orbit
of the Sun. Halley's Comet's last Perihelion, their closest
approaches to the Sun and Earth, came in 1986. Halley's Comet's next
Perihelion will come in 2061.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">1910 – Astronomer John Brashear shows
Halley's Comet to the general public, using telescopes in
Pittsburgh's Riverview Park, on the front lawn of the Allegheny
Observatory.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">1985 & 1986 – Pittsburgh's Buhl
Science Center shows Halley's Comet to the general public, using
telescopes in the original Buhl Planetarium Observatory, including
the historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2023 December 9 – Halley's Comet
reaches Aphelion.</p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2061 July 28 – Next Halley's Comet
Perihelion.</p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Halley's Comet: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley's_Comet" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley's_Comet</a></p><p><i>StarDate</i> - "Distant Comet": Link >>> <a href="https://stardate.org/radio/program/2023-12-09" target="_blank">https://stardate.org/radio/program/2023-12-09</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Saturday, 2023 December 9.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-64321331658536646222023-12-07T00:00:00.003-05:002023-12-11T06:45:45.873-05:00UPDATE: Launch Slips to Jan. for U.S. Robotic Return to Moon<p> <img height="640" src="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Moon/Moonshot_Museum/Pix/Opening/cleanrmIMG_0088.JPG" width="480" /></p><p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Observation windows looking into the Astrobotic Clean Room, from the Moonshot Space Museum, located on Pittsburgh's Lower North Side. In this photograph, two Astrobotic technicians are working on the Peregrine Moon Lander, scheduled to be launched to the Moon Christmas Eve. This photograph was taken on the day of dedication of the Moonshot Space Museum: Saturday, 2022 October 15.</i></p><p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Source: SpaceWatchtower Blog, Friends of the Zeiss; Photographer: Glenn A. Walsh)</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>UPDATE - 2023 Dec. 11:</b> Launch of the <i>Peregrine Lander</i> and <i>Iris Rover</i> has been delayed until, at least, the week of Jan. 8 (in overnight hours - four-day launch window). United Launch Alliance (ULA) CEO Tory Bruno, in a Social Media Post, announced that, although the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for the countdown of the very first launch of the new Vulcan Centaur rocket went well, there were some "routine" issues with ground equipment. Mr. Bruno said <span face=""Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; color: #333333;">“I’d like a FULL WDR before our first flight, so XMAS eve is likely out.”</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #f9f8f6; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Should the rescheduled launch occur the week of Jan. 8, Cape Canaveral will be a busy place that week. Currently a second lunar lander, Mission IM-1 by Intuitive Machines with its first <i>Nova-C Lunar Lander</i> to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is scheduled for launch Jan. 12. On Dec. 4, Intuitive Machines had announced that the lander had arrived at a processing facility at Cape Canaveral.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #f9f8f6; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">gaw</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">America's return to the Moon, with a
robotic lander and rover, is planned for launch Christmas Eve of this
year. This NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project,
the <i>Peregrine Lander</i> carrying 21 payloads, was built by
Astrobotic Technology, Inc. of Pittsburgh and the <i>Iris Rover</i>
was produced by Carnegie Mellon University.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Over the years, the United States has
had several fly-by and orbital missions to the Moon, since the last
Apollo mission, Apollo 17, left the Moon on 1972 December 14.
However, Peregrine Mission One will be the first American lander and
rover since the days of Apollo.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Peregrine Mission One will be launched
atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket from the
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida [Space Launch Complex
41 (SLC-41)]. This is the first flight of this particular rocket, a
successor to ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles. Getting such
a new rocket ready for launch, and passing NASA requirements, meant
that the original May 4 launch date slipped until December.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Launch of the Peregrine mission is
scheduled for early on the morning of Christmas Eve: 1:50 a.m.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 6:50 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC),
Sunday Morning, 2023 December 24. It was also on Christmas Eve, this
time in 1968, when humans first entered orbit around another
planetary body, the Earth's Moon, during the historic mission of
Apollo 8.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Peregrine Mission One launch window
continues during December 25 and 26, if a launch cannot occur on
Christmas Eve. Provided the launch does occur one of these three
days, landing on the Moon is expected a month later: Thursday, 2024
January 25.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Internet Link to Live-Stream
Web-Cast of Astrobotic Launch Near End of Blog-Post.</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">About an hour or so after launch, the
<i>Peregrine Lander</i> and <i>Iris Rover</i> will separate from the
launch vehicle and enter a Trans-lunar Injection for the beginning of
the trip to the Moon. After entering a medium orbit around the Moon,
landing the spacecraft will wait until early morning at the landing
site: Sinus Viscositatis ('Bay of Stickiness') located at 35.25
degrees North and 40.99 degrees west on the Moon.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">By landing early in
the morning on the Moon, this will give the mission eight-to-ten days
of operation while the Sun is shining. Once nightfall descends on the
spacecraft, operations will stop and wait for the next sunrise.
However, Astrobotic Founder and Chief Executive Officer John Thornton
warns that with the cold of a lunar night, it is not known how that
may affect the equipment; he said that India's <i>Chandrayaan-3
Lander</i> did not resume operation after lunar night. According to
Mr. Thornton, the Moon's surface temperature varies from about +212
to +248 degrees Fahrenheit / +100 to +120 degrees Celsius in the
daytime “down to liquid nitrogen cold” at night; a lot of things
can break at such low nighttime temperatures.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another NASA CLPS mission, the launch
of Intuitive Machines <i>Nova-C Lander </i>(IM-1
Mission), was also delayed and is now scheduled to launch
after the <i>Peregrine Lander. </i>But
if the IM-1 Mission schedule holds, it may actually land on the Moon
slightly before the <i>Peregrine Lander.</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The <i>Iris Rover </i>is
a collaboration between the students, professors, and staff from
Carnegie Mellon University and Astrobotic in the development of
robotics technology for Outer Space. The rover name <i>Iris</i>
is Siri spelled backwards, in honor of Carnegie Mellon University
Lead Systems Engineer Siri Maley. <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Iris</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
robotic mission will be the smallest, first American, first
university-built, and first student-built rover on the Earth's Moon.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Carnegie
Mellon is also providing another payload called <i>MoonArk</i>,
which Astrobotic describes as a “collaborative space project”.
This sort-of space museum “embodies the arts, humanities, sciences,
and technologies in a set of intricately designed objects intended to
spark wonderment and discovery for future generations.”</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Among
the 21 payloads on this mission are instruments from NASA research
centers: Ames Research Center (Moffett Federal Airfield, Silicon
Valley, California), Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt,
Maryland), and Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas) ---</p><ul>
<li><p><span style="color: black;"> <span face="Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Laser
Retroreflector Array (LRA) – GSFC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Linear
Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) – JSC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Near
InfraRed Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) – ARC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Neutron
Spectrometer System (NSS) – ARC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Peregrine
Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS) – GSFC/European Space Agency</span></span></span></p>
</li></ul><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Other
payloads include a M-42 Radiation Detector from the German Aerospace
Center, as well as scientific payloads from the United Kingdom,
Mexico, and Hungary. An American space company, Elysium Space, is
sending the remains of people's loved ones on the spacecraft. And,
scientists from the Seychelles are sending one Bit-coin.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Japan's
Lunar Dream Capsule, from the company Astroscale, is described as a
“time capsule”. The time capsule includes messages from 80,000
children from around the world.</p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A
commercial spin-off from Carnegie Mellon University, Astrobotic
opened a Moonshot Space Museum on Pittsburgh's Lower North Side on Saturday Morning, 2022 October 15. This new museum is located adjacent to Astrobotic's
manufacturing facility. In addition to STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) education for young people, this museum
allows the general public to watch Moon rovers being constructed.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Carnegie
Mellon University originated in 1900 as the Carnegie Technical
Schools. It was established to provide for a technical education by
famous industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Internet Link to Live-Stream
Web-Cast of Astrobotic Launch ---</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Link >>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/</a></b></p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Peregrine Mission One ---</p><p>Link 1 >>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/clps/astrobotic-peregrine-mission-one/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/clps/astrobotic-peregrine-mission-one/</a></p><p>Link 2 >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Mission_One" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Mission_One</a></p><p>Astrobotic Technology ---</p><p>Astrobotic: Link >>> <a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/" target="_blank">https://www.astrobotic.com/</a></p><p>Peregine Mission One Update: Link >>> <a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/peregrine-mission-one-update/" target="_blank">https://www.astrobotic.com/peregrine-mission-one-update/</a></p><p>Peregine Mission One Manifest: Link >>> <a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/lunar-delivery/manifest/" target="_blank">https://www.astrobotic.com/lunar-delivery/manifest/</a></p><p>Carnegie Mellon Iris & MoonArk:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2023/october/cmus-iris-moonark-leave-pittsburgh-en-route-to-the-moon" target="_blank">https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2023/october/cmus-iris-moonark-leave-pittsburgh-en-route-to-the-moon</a></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Moonshot Space Museum Opens in Pittsburgh." Thur., 2022 Oct. 20.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/10/moonshot-space-museum-opens-in.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/10/moonshot-space-museum-opens-in.html</a></div><div>Moonshot Space Museum sponsored by Astrobotic Technology.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"CMU to Build 1st Univ.-Based Space Mission Control." Mon., 2022 April 18.</h3></div><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/04/cmu-to-build-1st-univ-based-space.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/04/cmu-to-build-1st-univ-based-space.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"American Lunar Society Founder on 50th Anniversary: 1st Humans Orbit Moon."</h3><div>Mon., 2018 Dec. 24.</div><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/12/50th-anniversary-incredible-legacy-of.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/12/50th-anniversary-incredible-legacy-of.html</a></div><div><br /></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Library to be Established on the Moon !" Mon., 2018 May 2.</h3></div><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/05/library-to-be-established-on-moon.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/05/library-to-be-established-on-moon.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceW atchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">UPDATED: Monday, 2023 December 11 - "UPDATE: Launch Slips to Jan. for U.S. Robotic Return to Moon."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Previous: Thursday, 2023 December 7 - "Christmas Eve Launch Planned for America's Robotic Return to the Moon."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-74561103721774214662023-11-13T00:00:00.002-05:002023-12-18T00:03:52.122-05:00'The Night the Stars Fell' 190 Years Ago: Beginning of Citizen Science<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnLyqpb0-SszK7u154YiU6TUORddEjuuONwS3m3KQGAVE5XKlGW6TcGc8Q7u6yEDlU_9bheNvFfgSYiI0Hq3azZimJu4MGb7LvcOyq4RWLkesPk37DTikEOL9zDm4p2uatLKiOWh4sdFMgUH7UZy5ywKn4cCwhrj90fQk3TjK5Kn1RWMTUJnSpxzVieIB9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="220" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnLyqpb0-SszK7u154YiU6TUORddEjuuONwS3m3KQGAVE5XKlGW6TcGc8Q7u6yEDlU_9bheNvFfgSYiI0Hq3azZimJu4MGb7LvcOyq4RWLkesPk37DTikEOL9zDm4p2uatLKiOWh4sdFMgUH7UZy5ywKn4cCwhrj90fQk3TjK5Kn1RWMTUJnSpxzVieIB9=w557-h640" width="557" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i>'The Night the Stars Fell', the Meteor Storm of 1833 November 13. This woodcut print was produced by a witness to this Meteor Storm, Mr. Pickering, an Editor of the <u>Mechanics' Magazine</u>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: Mr. Pickering, Wikipedia.org, By attriuted to a Mr. Pickering - The Leonids: King of the Meteor Showers, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13353173)</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“The Night the Stars Fell” was the
early morning of 1833 November 13 when thousands of “Shooting
Stars”, during what we now know as the annual Leonid Meteor Shower,
became a Meteor Storm! A Connecticut college professor used the
incident to start the first scientific study of Meteors and Meteor
Showers and create the first Citizen Science Project.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the early 19<sup>th</sup> century,
little was known about Meteors and Meteor Showers. Although Meteor
Showers had been observed for centuries, most people at the time
believed they were a somewhat unusual Meteorological or Weather
phenomenon such as Lightning. It was only about 80 years before “The
Night the Stars Fell” that Benjamin Franklin had developed the
scientific connection between Lightning and Electricity. Still,
Meteor Showers had been connected to rare but strange rocks falling
from the sky.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It was not until 1807 when a Yale
University Chemistry professor investigated a Meteorite which had
fallen in Weston, Connecticut. Professor Benjamin Silliman believed
the Meteorite had originated from above the atmosphere, in Outer
Space. But, astronomers showed little interest in his hypothesis.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It was in the early morning hours of
1833 November 13 when people throughout the eastern United States
awoke to a sky filled with bright Meteors radiating from a single
point in the sky. Agnes Clerke, a Victorian Astronomy writer, wrote
at the time that up-to 240,000 Meteors had been visible during the
nine hours of darkness. It was later calculated that the Meteor Storm
had resulted in at least 72,000 Meteors per hour!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another Yale professor, astronomer
Denison Olmsted, was one of the people, awakened by neighbors that
early morning, who observed the Meteor Storm. He wanted to study the
phenomenon. But, other than his own observations, he had little data
to work with.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Professor Olmsted decided to seek help
from the general public. As soon as the Meteor Storm dimmed with the
rising Sun, he wrote a letter to the New Haven <u>Daily Herald</u>,
asking anyone who had seen the Meteor Storm to write him with any
details they remember. And in this era, most newspapers subscribed to
other newspapers around the nation, so other newspapers started
reprinting the professor's request.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here
is Professor Olmsted's appeal, as reprinted in Virginia's <u>Richmond
Enquirer</u> on 1833 November 26:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #242424;">“</span><span style="color: #242424;"><span face="Open Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As
the cause of ‘Falling Stars’ is not understood by meteorologists,
it is desirable to collect all the facts attending this phenomenon,
stated with as much precision as possible. The subscriber, therefore,
requests to be informed of any particulars which were observed by
others, respecting the time when it was first discovered, the
position of the radiant point above mentioned, whether progressive or
stationary, and of any other facts relative to the meteors.</span></span><span style="color: #242424;">”</span></i>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Meteor Storm was seen by members of
the general public throughout the eastern United States, specifically
east of the Rocky Mountains, and from Canada to Jamaica. Soon,
Professor Olmsted started receiving observation reports from all over
the country.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Additionally, other newspapers started
printing observation reports. The <u>New York Evening Post</u> ran a
series of articles on the event. Although it was only seen in North
America, it made news in Europe, as well. Even Abraham Lincoln
commented on the Meteor Storm years later.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This Meteor Storm was also noted by
Native Americans. It resulted in a peace treaty by the Cheyenne and a
reset of the Lakota calendar. Indians of the American Great Plains,
in their annual calendar-journals, declared 1833 the 'Year the Stars
Fell'.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After sorting through many public
observations crowd-sourced from all over the nation, in January of
1834 Professor Olmsted published an accurate description of the event
in the <u>American Journal of Science and Arts</u> (published in the
January – April 1834 and January 1836 editions). He noted that the
event was not seen in Europe, and that the Meteors seem to have
originated from the Constellation Leo the Lion. He determined that
the event was not a local affair, but was visible over a wide area of
the country. He hypothesized that the Meteors came from a cloud of
particles in Outer Space and fell to Earth from the influence of
gravity. He concluded that Meteor Showers came in annual cycles, from
a body with a very elongated orbit around the Sun. His calculations
of the speed and altitude of the Meteors were nearly correct.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This Meteor Storm repeated in Europe 33
years later when hundreds of Meteors per minute were seen (a few
thousand per hour). It was around this time that astronomers were
able to make the connection between these Meteors and Comet
Tempel-Tuttle, hence the first understanding that Meteor Showers
originated from Comets.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A Meteor Shower normally consists of
dust particles related to a Comet. Each time a Comet approaches the
Sun, the Comet loses dust particles following the melting or
sublimating of ice on the Comet. These dust particles, called
Meteoroids, continue to follow the same orbit as the parent Comet and
then form a Meteoroid Stream. Each year, as the Earth orbits the Sun,
the Earth passes through several of these Meteoroid Streams, becoming
Earth's Meteor Showers.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Earth's gravity attracts many of
these Meteoroids and they fall to Earth; then, they are viewed by
people as Meteors as they burn-up in the atmosphere. Most are
extremely small and burn-up completely. From time-to-time, larger
particles enter the atmosphere and create brilliant displays known as
Fireballs or Bolides. If these particles are large enough, they may
not completely burn-up and land on Earth as a Meteorite.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While the historic Meteor Storm
occurred on November 13 of 1833, today the Leonid Meteor Shower
usually peaks around November 17 or 18. In 2023, the Leonid Meteor
Shower peaks early on Saturday Morning, November 18 at 1:00 a.m.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 6:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
This year, the Zenithal Hourly Rate at the peak time is predicted to
be 20 Meteors per hour.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Actually, another smaller Meteor
Shower, the Northern Taurids (which originated from Asteroid 2004 TG,
which seems to be a large fragment of Comet Enke which originated the
Southern Taurids, which peaked November 5 to 6), peaks early this
morning (2023 November 13). The official peak was actually Sunday,
November 12 at 7:00 p.m. EST / November 13 at 0:00 UTC. The Zenithal
Hourly Rate at the peak time is predicted to be 5 Meteors per hour.
Although, it is best to look for these Meteors much later into the
evening and early morning.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Binoculars and telescopes are of little
use in finding Meteors. Meteors flash across the sky much too quickly
to aim binoculars or a telescope.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your eyes will need to be dark-adapted
about a half-hour before you start looking for Meteors; otherwise you
may miss dim Meteors. So, try to get outside in the dark ahead of the
time you wish to start observing. Also, try not to look at your
cellular telephone while observing Meteors; the light from your phone
could disrupt your dark-adapted eyes.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For most Meteor Showers, the best time
to watch is between local Midnight and Dawn, when the Earth is
rotating into the Meteor Shower. This is true, despite the actual
predicted time of peak Meteors.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Although Meteors usually radiate from a
single spot or radiant in the sky (for the Leonids: Constellation Leo
the Lion and for the North Taurids: Constellation Taurus the Bull),
it is not necessarily the best strategy to only look at a particular
constellation. Meteors, even during a Meteor Shower, can appear in
any part of the sky at any time. In fact, watching for Meteors only
near a radiant would usually mean viewing shorter Meteor trails and
seeing a Meteor for a shorter period of time.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To view Meteors, you want to find a
good viewing site, away from city lights and as high an elevation as
possible (a site with few objects obstructing the Horizon, such as
hills, trees, or buildings). City lights will tend to drown-out the
many dimmer Meteors, as will a bright Moon phase that shines much of
the night and early morning.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Fortunately, the brightness of the Moon
will not be a problem this week. The Primary Moon Phase of New Moon
(Lunation #1248) occurs on Monday Morning, 2023 November 13 at 4:27
a.m. EST / 9:27 UTC.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The best way to view a Meteor Shower is
to lie down on a beach or lawn chair, beach towel, sheet, or blanket.
Then continue to scan the entire sky to search for Meteors <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">(best results: look in darkest parts of sky).</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course, Meteor watching is always
weather-permitting. Even a few clouds in the sky could cut down on
the number of Meteors visible.</p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you live in the northern latitudes,
this time of year you will want to be sure to be prepared for colder
temperatures in the early morning hours. Be sure to check the weather
forecast, for the area from where you plan to observe from, by
checking with the local NOAA Weather Radio, local radio or
television, or a weather app on your cellular telephone.</p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Meteor: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteors" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteors</a></p><p>Meteoroid: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid</a></p><p>Meteor Shower: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_shower" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_shower</a></p><p>Leonid Meteor Shower: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids</a></p><p>Northern & Southern Taurid Meteor Showers: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurids" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurids</a></p><p>Denison Olmsted: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denison_Olmsted" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denison_Olmsted</a></p><p>Citizen Science Projects: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/citizenscience.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/citizenscience.html</a></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Fireballs Possible As Meteor Shower Peaks Wed. & Thur. Nights." Wed., 2015 Nov. 11. (Northern Taurid Meteor Shower)</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/11/fireballs-possible-as-meteor-shower.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/11/fireballs-possible-as-meteor-shower.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight." Mon., 2014 Nov. 17.</h3></div><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/11/leonid-meteor-shower-peaks-tonight.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/11/leonid-meteor-shower-peaks-tonight.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 November 13.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-20272929866818813512023-10-21T00:00:00.007-04:002023-12-02T02:04:24.758-05:00Centennial: Projection Planetarium<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBuVIe5AjEcJbJUquP1-vQgSQSZmR6EEVpFLmQ0WsNX8joVSfWAh91yUlfOdXLNPBabjQNSwY_Sgm3fIhs56qlv5jzOzVl49QpfCqCW-da8oI80aQ9MXk1_GepbHjwuVgHQkBt4fi9tpxiigeGYZFdIJvZX8ZBCJIH8F7f8fWZtohfWkACeQcIAMrv6PMI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="279" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBuVIe5AjEcJbJUquP1-vQgSQSZmR6EEVpFLmQ0WsNX8joVSfWAh91yUlfOdXLNPBabjQNSwY_Sgm3fIhs56qlv5jzOzVl49QpfCqCW-da8oI80aQ9MXk1_GepbHjwuVgHQkBt4fi9tpxiigeGYZFdIJvZX8ZBCJIH8F7f8fWZtohfWkACeQcIAMrv6PMI" width="188" /></a></div><br /> <img src="https://johnbrashear.tripod.com/Zeiss-Assets4.jpg" /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">These
photographs show the two earliest versions of the Zeiss Planetarium
Projector. The first image shows the very first
projector, the Zeiss Mark I, which was introduced at the Deutsches
Museum in Munich 100 years ago today. The second image, the Zeiss Mark II, operated in the original Buhl Planetarium and
Institute of Popular Science in Pittsburgh from 1939 to 1991 and was
the first planetarium projector placed on an elevator.</span></i></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">(Image
Sources --- Zeiss Mark I: Wikipedia.org; Zeiss Mark II: History of
Buhl Planetarium Internet Web-site)</span></span></i></span></span></p></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Today (2023 October 21) marks the
centennial of the planetarium projector, which made its debut at the
<span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Deutsches
Museum in Munich, Germany on 1923 October 21. This means of
displaying the</span></span><span style="color: #202122;"><span face="sans-serif">
</span></span><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">motions
of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars of the sky, without any concern
for inclement weather, quickly developed in cities around the world.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
concept of a projection planetarium was first conceived on 1914
February 24 </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">at
a meeting of staff scientists of the Carl Zeiss Company in Jena,
Germany. Due to delays caused by the First World War, the first
actual planetarium projector would not be produced until nearly a
decade later.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
idea came as a solution to a problem brought on by a request from a
client, Oskar von Miller. Mr. von Miller, a well-known German
engineer, had spearheaded the establishment of the first modern-type
science and technology museum, the Deutsches Museum in Munich,
Germany, which opened to the public on 1906 November 12. In 1913,
German Astronomer Max Wolf, former Director of the Baden Observatory
in Heidelberg, urged Mr. von Miller to include, in the Deutsches
Museum, a way to realistically reproduce the night sky, in detail,
including the motions of the planets.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Also
in 1913 (before Chicago's Adler Planetarium opened in 1930), a
large-scale, mechanical celestial sphere, called the Atwood Sphere,
opened to the public in the Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences
(today, it is displayed in the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy
Museum). In a mechanical celestial sphere, a small number of people
would enter an enclosure where light from outside the enclosure would
twinkle through small holes in the sphere, as a display of stars that
could be seen outdoors; additionally, the sphere would spin around
the viewers demonstrating star movement. The concept of a mechanical
celestial sphere, large enough to accommodate at least ten people,
dates back to 1664 when the Globe of Gottorf was installed in the
Kunstkammer Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Mr.
von Miller wanted a mechanical celestial sphere for the Deutsches
Museum. However, he asked that the Carl Zeiss scientists find a way
to also display the movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets in the
celestial sphere, something that was not included in previous
spheres.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Two
Carl Zeiss scientists, Walther Bauersfeld and Rudolf
Straubel, offered an alternative on 1914 February 24: replace the
small celestial sphere with a giant hemispheric dome, and use a
bright central lamp to project the planets and stars onto the
dome-sky.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
addition to being the first concept for a projection planetarium, it
was also the first concept of a </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>true,
large-scale planetarium. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">E</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">xcept
for a small-scale Orrery, the previous celestial spheres had no way
to demonstrate the motions of the planets.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
very primitive projection planetarium had been invented in 1912 by
Professor E. Hindermann in Basel, Switzerland. Called an Orbitoscope,
this spring-driven instrument included only two planets orbiting a
Sun. A small light bulb on one planet projected shadows on the other
two objects, accurately displaying retrograde loops and speed
changes, but not much else.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Well
after the end of World War I, the Carl Zeiss Company first
demonstrated a large-scale projection planetarium in August of 1923,
in a 16-meter dome set-up on the company's factory roof in Jena. The
Zeiss Model I, known as the “Wonder of Jena,” was then dismantled
and shipped to the Deutsches Museum.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">On
1923 October 21, Mr. Bauersfeld, the Carl Zeiss Company
Chief Design Engineer, demonstrated the Zeiss I in a program for
invited guests at the Deutsches Museum. As the first public
planetarium show, the professional and public reaction was
enthusiastic. The planetarium projector was then returned to the Jena
factory for finishing touches, and then permanently installed in the
Munich museum on 1925 May 7.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
new educational tool greatly impressed scientists and civic leaders
in Germany, resulting in six other German cities receiving Zeiss
planetarium projectors by the end of 1926. By 1930, five more German
cities had projectors. A much improved Zeiss Model II soon superseded
the Zeiss I.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
1927, the first Zeiss projector outside of Germany was installed in
Vienna, and then a projector was installed in Rome in 1928 and one in
Moscow in 1929. Other European cities to receive planetarium
projectors from the Carl Zeiss Company, prior to World War II,
included Stockholm (1930), Milan (1930), and Paris (1937). The first
Asian planetarium projectors appeared in Osaka in 1937 and Tokyo in
1938.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Five
Zeiss planetarium projectors were installed in America prior to World
War II. The first came to the new Adler Planetarium and Astronomy
Museum in Chicago in 1930. Founded by Chicago business leader Max
Adler, the institution is part of Chicago's Museum Campus, which
includes the Field Natural History Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. A
visit in 1930 by Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh
co-founder Leo Scanlon, and other members of the club, inspired the
club to lobby for a planetarium to be built in Pittsburgh.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">During
a Web Seminar on 2020 September 3, Mike Smail, Director of Theaters
and Digital Experience at the Adler Planetarium, announced that
America's oldest planetarium projector had been found in storage in
central Ohio and recovered. The author, Glenn A. Walsh, is proud to
have assisted in the resolution regarding the mystery of what had
been a missing historic projector.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
second U.S. planetarium, the Fels Planetarium, was installed as part
of Philadelphia's Franklin Institute in 1933; the planetarium opened
two months before the Franklin Institute Science Museum was completed
in 1934. It is said that Samuel S. Fels, the soap company president
and philanthropist who funded the planetarium, missed the debut
performance in Fels Planetarium. He was late and refused to be seated
late, as he felt nothing should interrupt a planetarium show once it
has begun!</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Two
American planetaria opened in 1935. On May 14, Griffith Observatory
and Planetarium opened in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. While the
large planetarium dome is in the center of the facility, two smaller
observatory domes are on the east and west sides of the building. The
east dome houses a 12-inch Zeiss refractor telescope, one of the
earliest <i>public</i> observatories; solar telescopes are
housed in the west dome, with a coelostat which sends the images to
the public exhibit gallery. Located on a high hill just above
Hollywood, Griffith Observatory has been included in numerous motion pictures (including James Dean's <i>Rebel Without a Cause</i>) and
television programs (including <i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>).</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Hayden
Planetarium opened in New York City's long-established American
Museum of Natural History on 1935 October 3. After a very
controversial renovation, which included the demolition of the
original Hayden Planetarium building, the new Hayden Planetarium
opened as part of the much larger and more impressive Rose Center for
Earth and Space in 2000. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson,
nationally known as a host of PBS science programs, is the long-time
Director of the Hayden Planetarium.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Also
in 1935, the Buhl Foundation committed to building a planetarium in
Pittsburgh, in memory of department store co-founder Henry Buhl, Jr.
Opened in 1939, Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute
of Popular Science included five public galleries of exhibits of the
physical sciences, and even one life science presentation. A public
observatory, with a rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type refractor
telescope, was added in 1941.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Buhl
Planetarium's Zeiss II Planetarium Projector was the first planetarium projector to be placed on an elevator (a special worm-gear elevator custom-built by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company), and the Theater of the Stars
was the first planetarium theater to include a permanent theatrical
stage and a special sound system for the hearing-impaired. Buhl used
their Zeiss II, with no major modifications, until the building
closed as a public museum in 1991. The Zeiss II is now on public
exhibit, but not in use, in Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center,
where the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory now utilizes a
full-dome, digital projection system.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Two
American-built star projectors are of special note. In 1937, the
Korkosz brothers installed a projector, which projects 9,500 stars
but no planets, in the Springfield Museum of Science in Springfield,
Massachusetts. Including a major restoration in 1996, the staff of
the Springfield Museum of Science have lovingly maintained this
historic projector, which continues providing astronomy education to
young and old alike, to this day!</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">After
World War II, neither Zeiss factory in war-torn Germany was capable
of producing planetarium projectors for several years. Thus, the
California Academy of Sciences decided to build a one-of-a-kind
planetarium projector for the Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco,
which opened in 1952. Today, Morrison Planetarium claims to have one
of the world's largest all-digital planetarium theaters.</span></span></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">With
the post-war boom in America, many new educational facilities were
constructed in the second half of the 20</span><span style="color: black;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="color: black;">
century, including new planetaria, science museums, and public
libraries. New technology has changed the planetarium experience and
increased the educational capabilities of planetaria. Likewise,
planetarium-type computer programs have brought the planetarium
experience to school and home computers, and even to hand-held smart
telephones.</span></span></span></p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Planetarium: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetarium" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetarium</a></p><p>Centennial of the Planetarium (International Planetarium Society):</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://planetarium100.org/" target="_blank">https://planetarium100.org/</a></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Mystery Solved! Oldest U.S. Planetarium Projector Found & Recovered." Fri, 2020 Sept. 18.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/09/mystery-solved-oldest-us-planetarium.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/09/mystery-solved-oldest-us-planetarium.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"100 Years Ago: Planetarium Concept Born." Mon., 2014 Feb. 24.</h3></div><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/02/100-years-ago-planetarium-concept-born.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/02/100-years-ago-planetarium-concept-born.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman";">©
Copyright 2023 Glenn A. Walsh, All Rights Reserved</span></p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Saturday, 2023 October 21</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p><p><br /></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-44856832566453628652023-10-11T00:00:00.010-04:002023-10-14T22:45:16.751-04:00Annular Solar Eclipse Mid-Day Saturday w/ Live-Stream Web-Casts<p> <img _mstalt="2864888" _msthash="1489" alt="http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/SolarEclipseSafetyCanali.GIF" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjlVQ73aYKTHY6ITme8ZMCAdU_5vhyphenhyphenplYrFHEH1NphI5b5UYBjEmP0mBco0vnQLuSv-bMJffIUmVk5g7QBPLfJDIAfLcdkkJ1eIfJjmdHHtClJKfdcG8T_V7TkkrxK3Hl1RD6FCAIX5udEmc2gyq12wUNszxaUKjM52mXXHLPE=s0-d" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /></p><span _msthash="1490" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="517907572"><i _mstmutation="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>NO ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE / ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, NOR THE PARTIAL PHASES OF ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, IS SAFE TO LOOK AT DIRECTLY, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER </b></i><i _mstmutation="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>EQUIPMENT</b></i><i _mstmutation="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b> AND PROPER </b></i><i _mstmutation="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>TRAINING</b></i><i _mstmutation="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b> TO DO SO SAFELY. OTHERWISE EYE-SIGHT COULD BE DAMAGED PERMANENTLY !!!</b> This graphic shows <b>one way</b> to safely view an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun, or the partial phases of any Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun, by building a Solar Pinhole Viewing Box (a.k.a. Pinhole Camera) as shown above. After building this box,<b>you must turn your back to the Sun</b> and allow the light from the Sun to go through the pinhole and shine on a white piece of paper on the other end of the box <b>(NEVER LOOK THROUGH THE PINHOLE AT THE SUN!).</b></i><br _mstmutation="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span _mstmutation="1" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><i>[Graphic Source: Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center - America's 5th major planetarium & Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991) and Founder of of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club]</i></span></span></span><br /><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><i _msthash="1491" _msttexthash="7623850">More Tips for Safely Observing a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun: Link>>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html</a></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b _msthash="1492" _msttexthash="232180">By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b _msthash="1493" _msttexthash="741169">Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="101238878" style="font-size: small;">Saturday morning and
afternoon an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun will
be visible (weather-permitting) over a wide area of the American
West, as well as parts of Central America and South America. An even
larger area of the United States (except the Northeastern United
States), western Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean area, and
more than half of South America will experience a Partial Solar
Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span _msthash="1495" _msttexthash="13087308" style="font-size: small;"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: black;"><span _istranslated="1" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b _istranslated="1">NEVER
LOOK </b></span></span><span _istranslated="1" style="color: black;"><span _istranslated="1" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i _istranslated="1"><b _istranslated="1">DIRECTLY </b></i></span></span><span _istranslated="1" style="color: black;"><span _istranslated="1" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b _istranslated="1">AT
ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER
EQUIPMENT AND PROPER TRAINING TO DO SO SAFELY</b></span></span><span _istranslated="1" style="color: black;"><span _istranslated="1" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i _istranslated="1"><b _istranslated="1">;
OTHERWISE EYE-SIGHT COULD BE DAMAGED PERMANENTLY</b></i></span></span><span _istranslated="1" style="color: black;"> </span><span _istranslated="1" style="color: black;"><span _istranslated="1" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b _istranslated="1">!!! I</b></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="17113122" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>IN
PARTICULAR, WITH THIS ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE / ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE
SUN, AND PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE / PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, THERE IS
</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i><b>NO
TIME WHEN THIS ECLIPSE CAN VIEWED SAFELY WITHOUT PROPER EYE
PROTECTION !!!</b></i></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b _msthash="1497" _msttexthash="61350224">Live-stream
Web-casts of this Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun
will be available for people not within the path of this eclipse,
inclement weather prevents direct viewing, or people and families
want an absolute safe way to view this eclipse event. Internet links
to Live-stream Web-casts are located near the end of this blog-post.</b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1498" _msttexthash="81887">WHAT
IS ---</b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1499" _msttexthash="832442">A
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1500" _msttexthash="50012430" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">A
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon comes
directly between the Sun and the Earth and part or all of the lunar
shadow falls on a portion of our planet. This is the type of eclipse
that is dangerous to eye-sight to view <i>directly</i>, unless
you have the proper equipment and proper training to do so safely.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1501" _msttexthash="1706484">An
Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1502" _msttexthash="42761069" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">An
Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun is somewhat
similar to a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun. However,
unlike a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun, the Sun is
never completely covered by the Moon during an Annular Solar Eclipse
/ Annular Eclipse of the Sun.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1503" _msttexthash="89382579" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">During
an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun, the Moon
blocks-out the vast majority of the Sun, except for the extremely
bright edge of the solar disk. Hence, this type of eclipse is often
referred to as a “Ring-of-Fire” Solar Eclipse, as the bright edge
appears as a ring-of-fire around the dark Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1504" _msttexthash="83296915" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">The
reason an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun does not
completely block-out the Sun's light, as does a Total Solar Eclipse /
Total Eclipse of the Sun, is because during an Annular Solar Eclipse
/ Annular Eclipse of the Sun the Moon is farther from Earth than
normal and appears a little smaller as viewed from Earth. Hence, the
Moon is too far, and appears too small, to block-out the entire solar
disk.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1505" _msttexthash="1635465">A
Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1506" _msttexthash="58032039" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">A
Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun occurs when only
part of the Sun is blocked by the Moon. This is also true during the
partial phases of a Total, Annular, or Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Total,
Annular, or Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun. Usually, more of the Sun is
still visible than during an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse
of the Sun.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span _msthash="1507" _msttexthash="19806683" style="font-size: small;"><b>There
is no time during an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the
Sun when it is safe to look </b><i><b>directly</b></i> <b>at
the eclipse, unless you have the proper equipment and proper training
to do so safely!</b></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span _msthash="1508" _msttexthash="38633153" style="font-size: small;">Also, <b>there
is no time during a Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the
Sun (or during the partial phases of any Solar Eclipse /
Eclipse of the Sun) when it is safe to look </b><i><b>directly</b></i> <b>at
the eclipse, unless you have the proper equipment and proper training
to do so safely!</b></span></span></span></p><p><span _msthash="1509" _msttexthash="16361657" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">So, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>there
is no time during the October 14 eclipse event when it is safe to
look, </b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i><b>directly</b></i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>,
at the eclipse, unless you have the proper equipment and proper
training to do so safely!</b></span></span><b> </b></span>
</p><p><span _msthash="1509" _msttexthash="16361657" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>WHERE CAN THIS ECLIPSE BE SEEN ?</b></span></span></span></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjqfye-Bmx223xB0K7b5XZWsEeeYg5THjBLuhRSpiWuQ5lsuePlBHkwKJK4bhJkWExnwsv8eFLfBYe-m2dUgNESKWvznjfB75VsIyhRyPIx67sv0HkOM1umzT1FMLaGHB5DqlFEU7ip9giTVUQE8sEIRP0TIqJvB55OidtuhyHPNWDqSyYWrE03f6WA-nz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2136" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjqfye-Bmx223xB0K7b5XZWsEeeYg5THjBLuhRSpiWuQ5lsuePlBHkwKJK4bhJkWExnwsv8eFLfBYe-m2dUgNESKWvznjfB75VsIyhRyPIx67sv0HkOM1umzT1FMLaGHB5DqlFEU7ip9giTVUQE8sEIRP0TIqJvB55OidtuhyHPNWDqSyYWrE03f6WA-nz=w400-h382" width="400" /></a></p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[Graphic Source: Francis G. Graham, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Kent State University and Founder of the American Lunar Society; formerly Planetarium and Observatory Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center - America's 5th major planetarium & Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991)]</i></span><br /><p></p><p _msthash="1511" _msttexthash="53948050">The Path of Annularity for this eclipse begins in the North
Pacific Ocean, where the Moon's Ant-Umbral Shadow meets the Earth.
This Path of Annularity then crosses parts of nine states of the
United States: Oregon, California, Idaho (small corner of
southwestern part of Idaho), Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New
Mexico, and Texas.</p><p _msthash="1512" _msttexthash="49612732">Then, the Path of Annularity crosses the Gulf of Mexico and
Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, as well as parts of six Central American
nations: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and
Panama. This eclipse ends in the Atlantic Ocean, after crossing parts
of the South American nations of Colombia and Brazil.</p><p _msthash="1513" _msttexthash="7913022">For a wide area, on both sides of the Path of Annularity, a
Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun will be visible.</p><p><span _msthash="1514" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="3684070"><span _mstmutation="1" style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Of
course, as with all astronomical events, visibility
is </span></span></span><span _mstmutation="1" style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>weather-permitting</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1515" _msttexthash="451828">WHEN
CAN THIS ECLIPSE BE SEEN ?</b></span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1516" _msttexthash="3274635" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">This
eclipse will occur during the mid-day hours of Saturday, 2023 October
14 ---</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1517" _msttexthash="2779582" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">(EDT
= Eastern Daylight Saving Time / UTC = Coordinated Universal Time)</span></span></p><ul>
<li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span _msthash="1518" _msttexthash="2716155" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>></b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
First location where partial eclipse begins: </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">11:03:50</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
a.m. EDT / </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">15:03:50</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
UTC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span _msthash="1519" _msttexthash="3077061" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>></b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
First location where full annular eclipse begins: </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">12:10:11
p</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">.m.
EDT / </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">16:10:11</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
UTC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1520" _msttexthash="5556590" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>></b>
Primary Moon Phase: New Moon – Lunation #1247: 1:55 p.m. EDT /
17:55 UTC</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span _msthash="1521" _msttexthash="2695823" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>></b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
Greatest eclipse (off the coast of Nicaragua): </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">1:59:32
p</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">.m.
EDT / </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">17:59:32</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
UTC</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">></b><span _msthash="1522" _msttexthash="2700451" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> Last location where full annular eclipse ends: </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">3:49:01 p</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">.m. EDT / </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">19:49:01</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> UTC</span></span></span></p></li></ul><ul>
<li><p style="border: none; break-before: auto; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span _msthash="1523" _msttexthash="2441985" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>></b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
Last location where partial eclipse ends: </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">4:55:16
p</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">.m.
EDT / </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">20:55:16</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">
UTC</span></span></span></p>
</li></ul><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1524" _msttexthash="42905525" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">For
the Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun, the time of
Annularity or “Ring-of-Fire” will reach a maximum time of 5
minutes and 17 seconds. The Path of Annularity will be 116 statute
miles / 186.683904 kilometers wide. </span></span>
</p><p><span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1525" _msttexthash="2144207" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> At the most, the Moon
will cover 90 per-cent of the solar disk.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1526" _msttexthash="41628769" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">A
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun always comes a couple weeks before
or a couple weeks after a Lunar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Moon. The
October 14 eclipse precedes a Partial Lunar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse
of the Moon on October 28, which will primarily be visible in Earth's
Eastern Hemisphere.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1527" _msttexthash="2312947">How
to Determine Sunrise and Sunset times for your location ---</b></span></span></span></p><p><span _msthash="1528" _msttexthash="16850522" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">The time this eclipse can be seen varies for each location on Earth, located along the eclipse path. Of course, it can only be seen while the Sun is above the Horizon for any particular location.</span></p><ol>
<li><p><span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1529" _msttexthash="2198040" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">Check
your local newspaper or television weather reports, or weather app on your cellular telephone;</span></span></p>
</li><li><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1530" _msttexthash="52056056" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">For
those who can receive the NOAA Weather Radio station in their area,
often the National Weather Service provides Sunrise and Sunset times
during their daily local, “Climate Summary” report;</span></span></p>
</li><li><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1531" _msttexthash="2602288" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">Submit
your Zip-Code or city name to one of two Internet web-sites:</span></span></p>
<p>
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1532" _msttexthash="6470438" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">a)
U.S. Naval Observatory – Link >>> <a href="https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/RS_OneDay" target="_blank">https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/RS_OneDay</a></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1533" _msttexthash="5888480" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">b)
Heavens-Above.com – Link >>> <a href="https://www.heavens-above.com/sun.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.heavens-above.com/sun.aspx</a></span></span></p>
</li></ol><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b _msthash="1534" _msttexthash="1424202">HOW
TO SAFELY VIEW ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN ---</b></span></span></span></p><ol>
<li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1535" _msttexthash="49594428" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>Internet
-</b> Watch the eclipse on an Internet, Live-Stream Web-Cast
(Internet links to web-casts near the end of this blog-post). Of
course, people outside of the path of an eclipse can also watch the
eclipse on an Internet, Live-Stream Web-Cast, as well as people
within the eclipse path where clouds obscure the view..</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1536" _msttexthash="34110258" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>Public
Observing Events - </b>Sometimes educational events for eclipse
viewing are sponsored by a local planetarium or science museum,
astronomical observatory, science department of a local college or
high school, amateur astronomy club, or local library.</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1537" _msttexthash="8396687" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>Solar
Pinhole Viewing Box - </b>Create a Solar Pinhole Viewing Box,
as displayed and described at the beginning of this blog-post.</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span _msthash="1538" _msttexthash="190805121" style="color: black;">“<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>Solar
Eclipse Glasses” - </b></span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">For
a few dollars you can purchase Solar Eclipse Glasses. However, only
use such glasses that are specifically labeled for solar eclipse
viewing, preferably approved by the American Astronomical Society
(to ensure you do not purchase fake eclipse glasses). </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>Special
Note: </b></span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">Solar
Eclipse Glasses are very fragile and must be handled gently. Also,
before each use during an eclipse, check the glasses by looking
through the glasses at a lit light bulb; if you find </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i>any</i></span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"> holes
or tears in the glasses, that pair of glasses could damage your
eye-sight during eclipse viewing and should be discarded.</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1539" _msttexthash="46444008" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><b>Shade
Rating Number 14 Welder's Glass – </b>Shade Rating Number 14
Welder's Glass <i>(and only Welder's Glass Rated at Shade
Number 14, the strongest shade available)</i> can be used for
safe eclipse viewing, but may be uncomfortable to some because the
Sun still appears very bright through this glass.</span></span></p>
</li></ol><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b _msthash="1540" _msttexthash="2181387">THESE
ARE THE ONLY SAFE WAYS TO VIEW ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE
SUN !</b></span></span></span></p><p><b><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span _msthash="1541" _msttexthash="2783443" style="font-size: medium;">Live-Stream
Web-Casts of October 14 Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun:</span></span></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span _msthash="1542" _msttexthash="4899817" style="font-size: medium;">Link
1 - Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun (Time & Date.com): >>> <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2023-october-14" target="_blank">https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2023-october-14</a></span></span></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span _msthash="1543" _msttexthash="9068033" style="font-size: medium;">Link
2 - Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun (Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles): >>> <a href="https://griffithobservatory.org/event/partial-solar-eclipse-october-14-2023/" target="_blank">https://griffithobservatory.org/event/partial-solar-eclipse-october-14-2023/</a></span></span></span></b></p><p _msthash="1544" _msttexthash="12254996"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>SOLAR
ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: TIPS FOR SAVE VIEWING: </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Link
>>> </b></span></span></span><a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2e2e8a;"><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html</b></span></span></span></span></a></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span _msthash="1545" _msttexthash="1281111" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">Internet
Links to Additional Information ---</span></span></b></span></p><p><span _msthash="1546" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4576338">Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse</a></span></p><p><span _msthash="1547" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="6989086">Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse#Types" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse#Types</a></span></p><p _msthash="1548" _msttexthash="1250652">2023 Oct. 14 Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun -</p><p><span _msthash="1549" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5404984">Link 1 (NASA): >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2023/where-when/" target="_blank">https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2023/where-when/</a></span></p><p><span _msthash="1550" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="3963661">Link 2 (Time & Date): >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2023-october-14" target="_blank">https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2023-october-14</a></span></p><p><span _msthash="1551" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4660461">Link 3 (Wikipedia): >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_October_14,_2023" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_October_14,_2023</a></span></p><p>Graphic Simulation (Stellarium): Maximum Solar Obscuration by the Moon as seen in Pittsburgh during the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023 October 14:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/grahamscorner/pix/eclipse/Pittsburgh_Max_Eclipse_Simulation_Stellarium.jpg" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/grahamscorner/pix/eclipse/Pittsburgh_Max_Eclipse_Simulation_Stellarium.jpg</a></p><p><i style="font-size: small;">[Graphic Source: Francis G. Graham, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Kent State University and Founder of the American Lunar Society; formerly Planetarium and Observatory Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center - America's 5th major planetarium & Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991)]</i></p><p><b _msthash="1552" _msttexthash="337220">Related Blog-Post ---</b></p><h3 _msthash="1553" _msttexthash="2246114" class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Annular Solar Eclipse Early Thur. w/Web-Casts." Tue., 2021 June 8.</h3><div _msthash="1554" _msttexthash="6183281">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2021/06/annular-solar-eclipse-early-thur-wweb.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2021/06/annular-solar-eclipse-early-thur-wweb.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Wednesday, 2023 October 11</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ? <br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >. <br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-70407242293179295952023-10-07T00:00:00.001-04:002023-10-07T04:47:10.699-04:00NASA to Launch Probe to Metal-Rich Asteroid w/ Laser-Com Experiment<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxp2jXbE8XRf_GxOjmGhZZMi-uYVyJmHnUYEqkSP7LAU8-TaGb9tcJzjdfqOrhuJZr7w1M9PvipmgYQtdI21_iImwY59Ad0YPs763QCHsk4ZCWnRk1Av2dYzs3sZZtrox0ip0U3gRaFgs-i2QwM7sGSTF4wUCdMelAJ-VE1v7DM0yP8W59Em6ApXM8KnEF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="800" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxp2jXbE8XRf_GxOjmGhZZMi-uYVyJmHnUYEqkSP7LAU8-TaGb9tcJzjdfqOrhuJZr7w1M9PvipmgYQtdI21_iImwY59Ad0YPs763QCHsk4ZCWnRk1Av2dYzs3sZZtrox0ip0U3gRaFgs-i2QwM7sGSTF4wUCdMelAJ-VE1v7DM0yP8W59Em6ApXM8KnEF=w640-h475" width="640" /></a><br /></p><p _msthash="17335" _msttexthash="3119519" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Artist's rendering of NASA's Pyche
Space Probe above the 16 Psyche asteroid.</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span _msthash="17334" _msttexthash="31978804" style="font-size: 8pt;"><i>(Image
Sources: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Wikipedia.org, By
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State Univ./Space Systems Loral/Peter Rubin
- Catalog page · Full-res (JPEG · TIFF), Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59257398)</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b _msthash="19215" _msttexthash="232180">By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b _msthash="19214" _msttexthash="741169">Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p _msthash="19213" _msttexthash="78228891" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Next week, NASA
will launch a space probe, called Psyche, to a metal-rich Minor
Planet in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, also called
Psyche (officially titled 16 Psyche). The Psyche probe includes a
laser communications experiment, which expects to increase
communications performance between Earth and spacecraft by up to 100
times better than traditional radio communications.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b _msthash="19212" _msttexthash="66627444">The NASA Psyche mission is scheduled
for launch, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy
rocket, on Columbus Day (actual), Thursday Morning, 2023 October 12 at 10:16
a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 14:16 Coordinated Universal
Time (UTC). A Live-stream Web-cast of the launch can be seen on the
NASA Internet web-site: Internet link near the end of this blog-post.</b></p><p _msthash="19211" _msttexthash="198935217" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As NASA extends
space exploration to the Asteroid Belt, the launch of Psyche occurs
on the anniversary of a historic exploration. Of course, Columbus Day
commemorates the day in 1492 when famous Italian explorer Christopher
Columbus landed in the “New World”. While he believed he had
landed near the “Indies” (what Europeans called the areas we now
know as China, Japan, and India), he actually went ashore on the
island of Guanahani in the Bahamas.</p><p _msthash="19210" _msttexthash="29654807" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Unlike NASA's
OSIRIS-REx mission to Asteroid 101955 Bennu, which returned asteroid
soil samples to Earth just last month, Psyche will be the first
mission to study a metallic asteroid. This probe will explore the
origin of planetary cores.</p><p _msthash="19209" _msttexthash="28782351" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Most asteroids are composed of rock and soil, mostly debris left over from the formation of other planets. However, 16 Psyche is primarily composed of iron
and nickel (determined by radar studies). Asteroid Psyche is the
heaviest known M-type Asteroid (about 140 statute miles / 225.3 kilometers in diameter). At one time, it was thought to be the
exposed core of a proto-planet, but further studies have dismissed
this possibility.</p><p _msthash="19209" _msttexthash="28782351" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It does seem that this asteroid may have once been larger, possibly one of the largest asteroids, but not as large as a planet. For some reason, perhaps the result of a collision with one or more other asteroids, the outer portions of this planetoid were lost to Outer Space, with the iron and nickel core remaining. Scientists believe this asteroid could show what the core of the larger rocky planets, including Earth, may look like.</p><p _msthash="19208" _msttexthash="1797653" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The billion-dollar, NASA Psyche
mission has three main science goals ---</p><ul>
<li><p _msthash="19205" _msttexthash="4199260" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Understand a
previously unexplored building block of planet formation: iron
cores;</p>
</li><li><p _msthash="19206" _msttexthash="8993777" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Look at the
interior of a differentiated body, to see what may be similar to the
interior of other rocky planets including the Earth;</p>
</li><li><p _msthash="19207" _msttexthash="1110395" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Explore a new
type of world, made of metal.</p>
</li></ul><p _msthash="19204" _msttexthash="40896674" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This mission will
also test a new laser communications system, called Deep Space
Optical Communications (DSOC). This will the first test of such an
optical communications system beyond the Earth – Moon system.</p><p _msthash="19203" _msttexthash="197143908" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The 25-kilogram
communications hardware is composed of three elements: flight laser
transceiver (near-infrared laser transmitter and a sensitive
photon-counting camera) aboard Psyche, ground laser transmitter, and
ground laser receiver. The transceiver uses a 8.6-inch /
22-centimeter aperture telescope, which utilizes a mounting which
stabilizes the telescope from spacecraft vibrations. The high-rate
data down-link from the DSOC flight transceiver will be received by
Palomar Observatory's famous 200-inch / 5.1-meter Hale Telescope in
San Diego County, California, operated by the California Institute of
Technology.</p><p _msthash="19202" _msttexthash="38147148" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The DSOC
demonstration, which will use just 75 watts of power, will begin
about 60 days after the Psyche launch, as the spacecraft approaches a
gravity-assist fly-by of Mars (necessitated by a one-year launch delay); 16 Psyche is three times farther from the Sun than the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The DSOC experiment is planned for a
one year operation, with possible extensions of the experiment.</p><p _msthash="19201" _msttexthash="54363725" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The DSOC test runs
will occur, during the out-bound run of the spacecraft, over
distances of 0.1 to 2.5 Astronomical Units. A unit of length, one
Astronomical Unit is equivalent to the average distance
between the center of the Sun and the center of the Earth: about 93
million statute miles / 149.6 kilometers / 8.3 light-minutes.</p><p>
</p><p _msthash="19200" _msttexthash="8372689" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Pysche mission is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The mission was proposed by Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Planetary Science Professor at Arizona State University, who is the mission Principal Investigator.</p><p _msthash="19200" _msttexthash="8372689" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Psyche mission was originally planned for launch in September of 2022; NASA delayed the mission due to software problems. Assuming the spacecraft is launched this month (launch window is 2023 October 5 to 25), it is
expected to enter orbit around 16 Pysche in August of 2029. The
spacecraft orbit is expected to last 21 months.</p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="1558947"><b><span _msthash="28355" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="1196819" style="font-size: medium;">NASA 16 Psyche Launch Live-stream Web-cast:</span></b></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="1558947"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b _msthash="59684" _msttexthash="1022619"><span _msthash="28355" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="73632">Link >>> </span><a _msthash="28356" _msttexthash="706745" href="https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/</a></b></span></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="116428"><span _msthash="36192" _msttexthash="1281111" style="font-size: medium;"><b _msthash="42725" _msttexthash="1281111">Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></span></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="116428"><span _msthash="36192" _msttexthash="436358" style="font-size: medium;">NASA Psyche Space Probe -</span></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="116428"><span _msthash="36192" _msttexthash="2317107" style="font-size: medium;"><span _msthash="53164" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="183573">Link 1 (NASA): >>> </span><a _msthash="53165" _msttexthash="1369524" href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche" target="_blank">https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche</a></span></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="431639"><span _msthash="67513" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="431639">Link 2 (AZ State Univ.): >>> </span><a _msthash="67514" _msttexthash="494949" href="https://psyche.asu.edu/" target="_blank">https://psyche.asu.edu/</a></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="351052"><span _msthash="76647" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="351052">Link 3 (Wikipedia): >>> </span><a _msthash="76648" _msttexthash="1886092" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(spacecraft)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(spacecraft)</a></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="1456494"><span _msthash="92316" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="1101958">Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC):</span></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="1456494"><span _msthash="92316" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="73632">Link >>> </span><a _msthash="92317" _msttexthash="3117764" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Space_Optical_Communications" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Space_Optical_Communications</a></p><p _msthash="20519" _msttexthash="1456494"><b>Related Blog-Post ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"NASA Laser Com-Link Doubles Satellite Data Speed." Mon. 2023 June 5.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/06/nasa-laser-com-link-doubles-satellite.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/06/nasa-laser-com-link-doubles-satellite.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span _msthash="1493" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="4324034"><b _mstmutation="1">Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span _mstmutation="1" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a _mstmutation="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p _msthash="1494" _msttexthash="422539" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Saturday, 2023 October 7.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <span _msthash="1495" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="60017022"><i _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><b _istranslated="1">Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /> <b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /> <b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1"><br _istranslated="1" /></b> <b _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1">Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /> Want to receive <a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ? <br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /> Send request to <<span _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" style="color: #888888;"> </span><a _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >. <br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" /><br _istranslated="1" _mstmutation="1" />gaw</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p _msthash="1496" _msttexthash="954736341" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br _istranslated="1" />Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Electronic Mail: < <a _istranslated="1" href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br _istranslated="1" />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br _istranslated="1" />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991. <br _istranslated="1" />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i _istranslated="1">both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. <br _istranslated="1" />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br _istranslated="1" />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br _istranslated="1" />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br _istranslated="1" />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a _istranslated="1" href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span _istranslated="1" style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span><span _msthash="1497" _mstmutation="1" _msttexthash="5599542">* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a _mstmutation="1" href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></span></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-69248337566805897112023-09-25T00:00:00.004-04:002023-09-25T01:17:20.873-04:00Harvest Moon Friday Provides Extra Evening Light This-Coming Weekend<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg mw-mmv-dialog-is-open" crossorigin="anonymous" height="321" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Harvest_moon.jpg" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" width="625" /></p></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><i>The Harvest Moon often appears orange in color due to Rayleigh Scattering of sunlight from the Moon, which occurs whenever the Moon is near the horizon. The Harvest Moon always rises around the time of local sunset. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org, By The original uploader was Roadcrusher at English Wikipedia. - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Khayman using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15755496)</span></i></p><p><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">More
evening light, coming just after the earlier sunsets of late Summer
and early Autumn, occur with the Harvest Moon (the Full Moon of
September) and a few days near the day of this Full Moon
(weather-permitting). Traditionally, this time of year helped give
farmers more light in the evening as they work to harvest their crops
before the coming Winter. However, anyone can take advantage of this
extra evening light, as the early Autumn evenings continue with
moderate temperatures.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For
this year, the Harvest Moon will be the Full Moon of Friday Morning,
2023 September 29, at 5:57 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) /
9:57 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Of course, the Harvest Moon
becomes visible (weather-permitting) in the vicinity of the time of
sunset on the days around the day of Full Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For
farmers eager to finish harvesting their crops, the bright Full Moon
which shines on their farms for the <i>several evenings</i> <i>closest
to the Autumnal Equinox</i> is called the Harvest Moon. This
year the Autumnal Equinox, the beginning of the season of Autumn or
Fall in the Earth's Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of the
season of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, occurred the previous
Saturday Morning, 2023 September 23 at 2:50 a.m. EDT / 6:50 UTC.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Harvest Moon is one of the signature astronomical events shortly
before the beginning of, or shortly after the beginning of, the Fall
season. It is an event particularly anticipated by farmers of both
the past and the present. As many crops reach the time of harvest in
late Summer and early Autumn, often the work of the harvest has to
continue past sunset, which comes earlier and earlier each evening.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Nature
has come to the rescue of these farmers, with a bright Full Moon
(weather-permitting), which arrives just around the time of sunset,
that allows farmers and their staff to continue the harvest after the
Sun's direct light has dissipated. Hence, long-ago this Full Moon
came to be known as the Harvest Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For
a similar reason, the Full Moon of October is often known as the
Hunter's Moon, which allowed Native Americans to continue the hunt
after sunset, to begin to store meat for the coming Winter months.
However, the Harvest Moon is designated as the closest Full Moon to
the Autumnal Equinox, and such a Full Moon does not always occur in
September. Every few years the Harvest Moon occurs in October,
shortly after the Autumnal Equinox. During those years, the Hunter's
Moon occurs in November.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
year, the Hunter's Moon occurs on Saturday Afternoon, 2023 October 28
at 4:24 p.m. EDT / 20:24 UTC. Of course, the Hunter's Moon becomes
visible (weather-permitting) in the vicinity of the time of sunset on
the days around the day of Full Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
year's Hunter's Moon comes with a bonus sky event---a Partial Eclipse
of the Moon! Although, this Hunter's Moon Lunar Eclipse will
primarily be visible in Earth's Eastern Hemisphere (weather-permitting).</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">On
average, the Moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. However,
during the days near the Autumnal Equinox, the Moon rises each day
only about 25-to-35 minutes later each day in the U.S.A., and only
10-to-20 minutes later each day in much of Canada and Europe. Thus, for
several days around the time of the Autumnal Equinox, the Harvest
Moon appears to rise around the same time each evening (roughly
coinciding with local sunset), providing light at the time most
needed by farmers.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
reason for this is due to the Ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun,
Moon, and planets through Earth's sky, which makes a narrow angle
with the horizon this time of year. It is this narrow angle which
provides that moonrise occurs around the time of sunset, near the
time of the Full Moon of September (for the Harvest Moon) and near
the time of the Full Moon of October (for the Hunter's Moon). Hence,
several evenings (before darkness has fallen) appear to have a rising
Full Moon.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Also,
at this time of year when farmers need moonlight the most, the
Harvest Moon <i>appears larger and more prominent</i>, due to
the mysterious but well-known "Moon Illusion" that makes
the Moon seem larger when it is near the horizon. And, while near the
horizon, the Moon is often reddened by clouds and dust, creating the
appearance of a large, rising red ball.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Some
even liken a rising Harvest Moon to a rising "Great Pumpkin,"
of <i>Peanuts</i> comic-strip fame! In
the <i>Peanuts'</i> network-television cartoon just before
Halloween each year (originally aired on CBS-TV on 1966 October 27)
titled, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", the “Great
Pumpkin” rises over the pumpkin patch to provide gifts to all good
little boys and girls.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and other nations in East and Southeast
Asia, a popular harvest festival is celebrated on the date close to
the Autumnal Equinox of the Solar Cycle, as well as close to the
Harvest Moon. This Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival dates back
more than 3,000 years to Moon worship in China's Shang Dynasty.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Although Western Cultures consider September the beginning of Autumn (meteorologists and climatologists consider September 1 the beginning of <i>Meteorological Autumn</i>), the
ancients often termed this as "Mid-Autumn". By this
reckoning, Autumn actually began at the traditional Cross-Quarter Day
of August 1 (when harvesting of wheat usually begins) and ends at the
traditional Cross-Quarter Day of All-Hallow's Eve, also known as
Halloween.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">On
the Chinese Han Calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th
day of the 8th month (on a day between September 8 and October 7 in
our Gregorian Calendar). This usually falls on the night of a Full
Moon, the Harvest Moon.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This year's Harvest Moon will also be the last so-called "Super-Moon" of 2023. A </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">so-called "Super-Moon" occurs when the Full Moon is closer to the Earth than average, and hence, the Moon appears a little larger than average in the sky. This month's Lunar Perigee occurs a little over a day before the Harvest Moon - Wednesday Evening, 2023 September 27 at 9:00 p.m. EDT / September 28, 1:00 UTC: </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">223,638.327 statute miles</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> / 359,911 kilometers distance of the Moon from Earth. </span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Native
Americans also called the Full Moon of September the Corn Moon or
Barley Moon, as Corn and Barley were among their main crops.
Sometimes, the September Full Moon in the Northern Hemisphere is also
known as the Fruit Moon. Other Full Moon names for September include Chrysanthemum Moon (China), Singing Moon (Celtic), Nut Moon (American Indian - Cherokee), Mulberry Moon </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(American Indian - Choctaw), and Moon When the Calves Grow Hair </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(American Indian - Dakotah Sioux).</span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
the Southern Hemisphere, where Winter is turning to Spring, the
September Full Moon is known as the Lenten Moon, Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sugar Moon,
Chaste Moon, or Sap Moon. Another Full Moon name for September includes Storm Moon (South Africa). </span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Harvest Moon in the Southern Hemisphere occurs in March or April,
with the same advantages to Southern Hemisphere farmers as the
Harvest Moon in the Northern Hemisphere.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Internet Links to Additional Info.orrmation ---</b><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Harvest Moon: Link >>> <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/16sep_harvestmoon/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/16sep_harvestmoon/</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Native American Full Moon Names: Link >>> <a href="https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/full-moon-names/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/full-moon-names/</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Other Full Moon Names: Link >>> <a href="https://www.lunarphasepro.com/full-moon-names/" target="_blank">https://www.lunarphasepro.com/full-moon-names/</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Related Blog-Post ---</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">"<span style="font-size: 18px;">Fall Begins at Equinox This-Coming Weekend." Mon., 2023 Sept. 18.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/09/fall-begins-at-equinox-this-coming.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/09/fall-begins-at-equinox-this-coming.html</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 September 25.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-39900908225257712292023-09-18T00:00:00.006-04:002023-09-26T23:32:12.726-04:00Fall Begins at Equinox This-Coming Weekend <img alt="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/pix/graphics/solsticeimage008.png" class="overflowing" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjVQEwpBq7wrS8JaLBkSVdRI8uTNTzX52Hog1hfEciqK91b-uLcqYVoiXPGkQt6Zq44LUdttuvSm5LtKmev9wJmqN0j1UGZfKrKpoEucZkwlncbEoe2g5RgNYah-N0DeSil1D0U8R-D2htbHzSAreMqTHcYJ31oZfaYuqQ1CGyRupnlFw=s0-d" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><div><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>This diagram shows the position of the Earth, in relation to the Sun, at the time of the Autumnal Equinox, as well as the other equinox and solstices of the year.</i></span></span></p><p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Graphic Source: ©1999, Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center (America's 5th major planetarium & Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991) and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club. Permission granted for non-profit use only, with credit to author.]</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
Autumnal Equinox early Saturday morning marks the end of the season
of Summer and the beginning of Fall or Autumn in Earth's Northern
Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, this marks the transition
from Winter to Spring.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
Autumnal Equinox (also known as the September Equinox), the end of Summer and the beginning
of the season of Autumn or Fall in Earth's Northern Hemisphere, occurs Saturday Morning, 2023 September 23 at 2:50 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 6:50 Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC). In the Southern Hemisphere, this moment marks the astronomical
beginning of the season of Spring.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Autumn
or Fall continues in the Northern Hemisphere, and Spring in the
Southern Hemisphere, until the December Solstice: Thursday Evening,
2023 December 21 at 10:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / December
22 at 3:27 UTC. At the moment of the December Solstice, Winter begins
in the Northern Hemisphere and Summer begins in the Southern
Hemisphere.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
approximate and traditional mid-way point between the Autumnal
Equinox and the Winter Solstice comes in the vicinity of October 31
(All-Hallows Eve or Halloween) / November 1 (All-Saints Day) /
November 2 (All-Souls Day): the Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of
Samhain or All-Hallowsmas. The actual November Cross-Quarter Day will
be Tuesday Morning, 2023 November 7 at 11:18 a.m. EST / 16:18 UTC.
The one-week discrepancy between the October 31 and November 7 dates
is due to the fact that the traditional date of Samhain was fixed on
October 31, when the Julian Calendar was still in use.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
ancient times, a calendar season was considered the time between one
Cross-Quarter Day and the next Cross-Quarter Day. So, Autumn was
considered the time between August 1 (Lughnasadh or Lammas Day),
which was the traditional beginning of the wheat harvest, to October
31 (Samhain). Samhain actually means “Summer's end” as the Celtic
calendar only considered two main seasons: Summer and Winter. </span></span></span>
</p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
Celtic peoples of Ireland began celebrations on Samhain in the 5<sup>th</sup>
century B.C. Samhain was considered by the Celtics and Druids on the
British Isles as the end of the old year, with the following day the
beginning of the New Year. In A.D, 835, the Roman Catholic Church
named November 1 All-Saints Day with the previous day becoming
All-Hallows Eve or Halloween, the eve or evening before All-Saints
Day.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It
is believed that in ancient times the Pleiades Star Cluster, also
known as the Seven Sisters, culminated (climbed to the cluster's
highest point in the sky) around Midnight local time on or near
Samhain. Samhain and Pleiades Culmination would have occurred
together around A.D. 11<sup>th</sup> and 12<sup>th</sup> centuries
before the Gregorian Calendar was instituted. For the Pleiades
Culmination to occur during the dark time of the year's end, many
peoples felt this was a time to honor the dead. Although today
Pleiades Culmination occurs on November 21, the Pleiades still can be
seen high in the sky around local Midnight on Halloween,
weather-permitting.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On
the day of the Equinox, the Sun appears directly overhead at local
Noon on the Equator. At the moment of Equinox, the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres of Earth are illuminated equally. And, the time
of Equinox is the only time when the Earth Terminator (dividing line
on Earth between daylight and darkness) is perpendicular to the
Equator.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This,
and the reason for seasons on Earth in the first place, is due to the
fact that Earth rotates on its axis, which is tilted at an
approximate 23.44-degree angle from the Ecliptic, the plane of the
Earth's orbit around the Sun. As the Earth revolves around the Sun,
this axial tilt causes one hemisphere of the planet to receive more
direct solar radiation during that hemisphere's season of Summer and
much less direct solar radiation about a half-year later during that
hemisphere's season of Winter. As mentioned, during an Equinox [in
the Northern Hemisphere: about half-way between Summer and Winter
(Autumnal Equinox), and about half-way between Winter and Summer
(Vernal Equinox)] both planetary hemispheres receive an equal amount
of solar radiation. </span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Although
"Equinox" in Latin means equal-night, the day of the
Equinox does not actually have an equal amount of daylight and
nightfall, as it appears on the Earth's surface. If the Sun was just
a pin-point of light in our sky, as all other stars appear, day and
night would be equal.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">But,
because the Sun is a disk, part of the Sun has risen above the
horizon before the center of the Sun (which would be the pin-point of
light); so there are extra moments of light on the Equinox. Likewise,
part of the Sun is still visible, after the center of the Sun has
set.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Additionally,
the refraction of sunlight by our atmosphere causes sunlight to
appear above the horizon, before sunrise and after sunset.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Each year, September
25 or 26 (Sept. 26 in 2023) marks the Equilux ("equal-light"), the actual day
with equal hours and minutes of the Sun above the horizon, and equal
hours and minutes of the Sun below the horizon. The Equilux occurs
twice each year, approximately 3-to-4 days before the Vernal Equinox,
when Spring begins, and 3-to-4 days after the Autumnal Equinox,
after Autumn or Fall has begun.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">An
urban legend that has been making the rounds for decades has it that
eggs can be stood on their ends only during an Equinox, whether the
Vernal Equinox in the Spring or the Autumnal Equinox in the Fall.
This is completely false. Depending greatly on the size and shape of
the particular egg, eggs can be stood on their ends any day of the
year! Astronomy has nothing to do with whether an egg can stand on
its end. If an egg can stand on its end on the Equinox (and, due to
the shape and size of some eggs, this is not even possible), it can
stand the same way any other day of the year.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
the last few years, with the help of the Internet and Social Media,
another urban legend has become prevalent. Now it is claimed that
brooms can stand, on their own, on their bristles, only on an Equinox
day. This is also false. Again, as with eggs, if a broom can stand on
its bristles by itself (this usually only works with newer brooms,
with more stiff and even bristles) on an Equinox, it can do so any
day of the year!</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and other nations in East and Southeast
Asia, a popular harvest festival is celebrated on the date close to
the Autumnal Equinox of the Solar Cycle, as well as close to the
Harvest Moon. This Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival dates back
more than 3,000 years to Moon worship in China's Shang Dynasty.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Again,
as Western Cultures consider September the beginning of Autumn </span></span></span><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(meteorologists and climatologists consider September 1 the beginning of </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Meteorological Autumn</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">)</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, the
ancients often termed this as "Mid-Autumn". By this
reckoning, Autumn actually began at the traditional Cross-Quarter Day
of August 1 (when some harvesting actually begins) and ends at the
traditional Cross-Quarter Day of All-Hallow's Eve, also known as
Halloween.</span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On
the Chinese Han Calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th
day of the 8th month (on a day between September 8 and October 7 in
our Gregorian Calendar). This usually falls on the night of a Full
Moon, the Harvest Moon. This year, the Harvest Moon occurs on Friday
Morning, 2023 September 29 at 5:57 a.m. EDT / 9:57 UTC.</span></span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">September
22 is designated as Falls Prevention Awareness Day.</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Gregorian calendar"><br /></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;">Cross-Quarter Day: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_Year" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_Year</a><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;">Autumnal Equinox: Link >>> <a href="http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/AutumnalEquinox.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/AutumnalEquinox.html</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Season of Autumn or Fall: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn</a><br /><br />Equinox: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Equilux: Link >>> <a href="https://darkskydiary.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/equinox-equilux-and-twilight-times/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://darkskydiary.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/equinox-equilux-and-twilight-times/</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Earth's Seasons: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season</a><br /><br />Tilt of a planet's axis: Link >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt</a><br /><br />Urban legend of eggs and brooms standing on their own, only on an Equinox:<br />Link >>> <a href="http://www.snopes.com/science/equinox.asp" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.snopes.com/science/equinox.asp</a><br /><br />Falls Prevention Awareness Day: Link >>> <a href="https://nationaltoday.com/falls-prevention-awareness-day/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://nationaltoday.com/falls-prevention-awareness-day</a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Related Blog-Post ---</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;">"<span style="font-size: 18px;">Summer Begins Mid-Day Wednesday at Solstice." Mon., 2023 June 19.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/06/summer-begins-mid-day-wednesday-at.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/06/summer-begins-mid-day-wednesday-at.html</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 September 18.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p></div>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-16865544776051845392023-08-28T00:00:00.028-04:002023-09-02T02:46:49.872-04:00'Blue Moon' Wed. Night: Largest Full Moon of 2023<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="undefined" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/December_2009_partial_lunar_eclipse-cropped.jpg" /></p></div><p><i>Image of a 'Blue Moon' (which was also a so-called 'Super-Moon') as it appeared during the Partial Eclipse of the Moon on 2009 December 31. According to NASA's <u>Five Millennium Catalogue of Lunar Eclipses</u>, a 'Blue Moon' Lunar Eclipse is the rarest type of Eclipse of the Moon, occurring only 11 times per millennium!<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Image Sources: Wikipedia.org, By Codybird - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8877938)</span></i><br /></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>By
Glenn A. Walsh</b></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Reporting
for SpaceWatchtower</b></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“Once
in a 'Blue Moon' ” will come this Wednesday evening, when a Full
Moon that is called a 'Blue Moon' will be visible in the sky,
weather-permitting. And, this particular 'Blue Moon' will also be
considered a so-called 'Super-Moon', as it will be the closest Full
Moon to the Earth, and thus the largest visible Full Moon, this year.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">This
week's Primary Full Moon Phase occurs on Wednesday Evening, 2023
August 30 at 9:36 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / August 31
at 1:36 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Just a little earlier on Wednesday, at 12:00 Noon EDT / 16:00 UTC, the Moon reaches Lunar Perigee (making it a so-called 'Super-Moon'), the Moon's closest approach to Planet Earth for the entire year - distance Earth to the Moon: 221,941.984 statute miles / 357,181 kilometers (nearly 17,000 statute miles / 27,358.848 kilometers closer than average). According to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, a so-called 'Super-Moon' <i>appears</i> about 8 per-cent larger than a normal Full Moon, and about 15 per-cent brighter than a normal Full Moon.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">At this distance, large tides are predicted along ocean coast-lines. This could be particularly problematic for the Gulf of Mexico coast of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with the impending approach of Hurricane Idalia. The Moon will exert about 48 per-cent more tidal force during the Spring Tides of August 30, compared to the tides of two weeks earlier.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">The previous 'Blue Moon', which coincided with a so-called 'Super-Moon', occurred on Thursday, 2009 December 31, 2:13 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 19:13 UTC (which also coincided with a Partial Eclipse of the Moon, which makes this a very rare event). The next 'Blue Moon', which coincides with a so-called 'Super-Moon', will occur on Saturday, 2037 January 31, 9:05:42 a.m. EST / 14:05:42 UTC.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">The first Primary Full Moon
Phase of this month occurred on Tuesday Afternoon, 2023 August 1 at
2:32 p.m. EDT / 18:32 UTC, which was also a so-called 'Super-Moon' and also had the prediction of large tides along ocean coast-lines. For this first Full Moon of August, Lunar Perigee occurred a little less than 12 hours later on August 2 at 2:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 UTC - the distance between Earth and the Moon: 222,022.141 statute miles / 357,310 kilometers.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Of
course the phrase, “Once in a 'Blue Moon' ”, in popular parlance
has come to refer to an event that comes fairly rarely. Actually, on
average, a 'Blue Moon' can occur once every </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">2.716 years,
or once every 2 years, 8 months, and 18 days</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #202122;"><span face="sans-serif"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
approximately.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">A
'Blue Moon' occurs due to how we define calendar seasons and calendar
months. A completely different calendar system would mean that 'Blue
Moon' would have to be re-defined, if 'Blue Moon' is defined at all.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also,
let us be clear that this 'Blue Moon' will not look blue in the sky.
The blue color of the Rainbow, technically the blue wavelength (450 to 495 nanometers) of the Electromagnetic
Spectrum, has nothing to do with a 'Blue Moon'. The only time a Full
Moon Primary Phase might appear with a blue tint could be when fires
or a volcanic eruption release particles, of just the right size,
into the atmosphere which may scatter red light (red wavelength: 700 nanometers) thus allowing the Moon to have a more blue appearance.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
is no </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">official,
astronomical</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
definition for a 'Blue Moon'. There are three </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">cultural</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
definitions of a 'Blue Moon' ---</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">classic
definition</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
of a 'Blue Moon' is the third Primary Full Moon Phase in a calendar
season which has four Primary Full Moon Phases. Most calendar
seasons have three Primary Full Moon Phases, for the three months
per season.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The 13th Primary Full Moon Phase in a calendar year. Such a 'Blue Moon' would also satisfy the third definition of a 'Blue Moon'.</span></span></span></span></span></p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">The
more common definition of a 'Blue Moon' (which became the more
popular definition, due to misinterpretation in the media – more
on this later in this article) is the second Primary Full Moon Phase
in one calendar month.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wednesday
evening's Primary Full Moon Phase will satisfy the third definition
of a 'Blue Moon', the second Primary Full Moon Phase in the month of
2023 August. It does not satisfy the first and second definitions of a 'Blue
Moon', as there are only three Full Moon Primary Phases in the
season of Summer in 2023: July 3 (7:39 a.m. EDT / 11:39 UTC), August
1 (2:32 p.m. EDT / 18:32 UTC), and August 30 (9:36 p.m. EDT / Aug.
31, 1:36 UTC. Interestingly, the Primary Full Moon Phase of 2009 December 31 (which was a 'Blue Moon', so-called 'Super-Moon', and a Partial Eclipse of the Moon) satisfied <i>both</i> the second and third definitions of a 'Blue Moon'.</span></span></p></li></ol>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For
a Primary Full Moon Phase to meet the requirements for the second,
more common, definition of a 'Blue Moon', the 'Blue Moon' has to
occur on the 30th or 31st days of a month, and the first Full Moon has
to occur on the 1st or 2nd days of the same month. Except during a Leap Year (which would be extremely rare, if possible at all), a 'Blue Moon' cannot occur in the month
of February.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Native
Americans, as well as other ancient peoples, used the complete orbit
of the Moon to define a month, what they called a 'moon'. From the
Primary New Moon Phase to the next New Moon Phase, or from the
Primary Full Moon Phase to the next Full Moon Phase, would be
considered one month. Some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, also
use the Moon to help mark dates and times of various festivals as part of
a Lunisolar Calendar for Judaism and as part of a Lunar Calendar for Islam.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
orbit of the Moon around the Earth completes one revolution, in
relation to the stars and lunar phases (Sidereal Period), in 27.32
Earth days. In relation to the Sun (Synodic Period), the Moon
completes one revolution in 29.53 Earth days.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Since 1933, this
Synodic Period has also been known as a Lunation, when used to
describe the time from one New Moon Primary Phase to the next New
Moon Phase. Since gravity locks the near side of the Moon to always
facing the Earth, one lunar revolution is also one lunar rotation
(i.e. one Lunar Day).</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>The term Lunation was originally coined in 1933 by Brit</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">ish Professor Ernest W. Brown, who had just retired from Yale University. He defined Lunation #1 as the first Primary New Moon Phase of 1923: 1923 January 16 at ~9:41 p.m. EST / January 17, 2:41 UTC; the Brown Lunation Number system was used in almanacs until 1983. In 1998, Belgian meteorologist and amateur astronomer Jean Meeus introduced a new Lunation Number system, where Lunation #0 was defined as the first Primary New Moon Phase of 2000: 2000 January 6 at ~1:14 p.m. EST / 18:14 UTC.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
third Full Moon in a season with four Full Moons was called a 'Blue
Moon', so that the nicknames normally given to the three regular Full
Moons of a season by the Native Americans, and later adopted by
farmers who immigrated to America from Europe, could remain
consistent for that particular season. In the 19th century, the </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Maine
Farmers' Almanac</span></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">started
listing 'Blue Moons', as an aid to farmers.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
March of 1946, </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sky
and Telescope</span></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Magazine (which originated as <u>The Sky</u> Magazine, published by New York City's Hayden Planetarium and Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium) misinterpreted the </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">classical</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">'Blue
Moon' definition, by interpreting the 1937 </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Maine
Farmers' Almanac</span></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">as
promoting eleven months with one Full Moon and one month with two
Full Moons. Hence, this started the more popularly-known definition
of a 'Blue Moon' being the second Full Moon in a calendar
month. Deborah Byrd writing for </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">StarDate</span></i></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
the daily, nationally-syndicated radio program from the University of
Texas McDonald Observatory, found the 1946 misinterpretation (with no reason to believe the popular astronomy magazine would be wrong) and
popularized it in their broadcast of Thursday, 1980 January 31 (a 'Blue Moon' occurred that evening at 9:21:56 p.m. EST / February 1, 2:21:56 UTC).</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Is
one 'Blue Moon' definition better than another? Folklorist Phillip
Hiscock of Memorial University in Newfoundland wrote of the new
definition in his article "Folklore of the 'Blue Moon',"
for the 1993 December issue of the International Planetarium
Society's quarterly journal </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Planetarian</span></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">:
"Old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is."</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Native
Americans had several names for the Full Moon of August, which this
month referred to the first Full Moon on August 1: Sturgeon Moon, Red
Moon, Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, or simply Corn Moon. Of course,
these referred to the time of year when harvesting grain or corn was
beginning, the best time to catch sturgeon, or the red appearance of
the Moon as it rises in the haze of late Summer.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
Earth's Southern Hemisphere which is in the middle of the Winter
season, the Full Moon of August is known by the names Snow Moon,
Storm Moon, Hunger Moon, and Wolf Moon.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Internet Links to Additional Information ---</span></b><br /></p><p>Earth's Moon: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon</a> <br /></p><p>Full Moon: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon</a> <br /></p><p>'Blue Moon': Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon</a></p><p>Lunation Number: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_moon#Lunation_number" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_moon#Lunation_number</a></p><p>'Black Moon': Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_moon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_moon</a> <br /></p><p>Photograph of Waxing Crescent Moon, taken by Francis G. Graham (now Professor Emeritus of Physics, Kent State University) using the historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center, Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/observatory/pix/siderostat_moon.jpg" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/observatory/pix/siderostat_moon.jpg</a></p><p>Photographs similar to this one were compiled by Professor Graham to assist with a national research project, in the 1980s, to better map the area near the Moon's South Pole. Today, four nations (U.S., Russia, China, and India) are targeting the Moon's South Pole with space probes, looking for frozen water which may exist in craters which never see sunlight; in the last few years, attempts to reach the Moon's South Pole by Israel, Japan, and Russia were unsuccessful. Such lunar water sources could help maintain a crewed lunar base, as this water can be used for drinking (H2O), creating breathable oxygen (O2), and creating hydrogen (H2) for use as rocket fuel and use in hydrogen fuel cells to power a lunar base. Last Wednesday (2023 August 23), India successfully landed their first unmanned Lunar Lander and Rover near the Moon's South Pole. Later this decade, the United States plans landing an Artemis mission near the South Pole with astronauts, including the first woman and the first astronaut of color to land on the Moon.</p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Today's "Black Moon"." Wed., 2015 Feb. 18.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/02/todays-black-moon.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/02/todays-black-moon.html</a></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"'Blue Moon' Tuesday Night." Tue., 2013 Aug. 20.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/08/blue-moon-tuesday-night.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/08/blue-moon-tuesday-night.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 August 28.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-4028503447536886082023-08-07T00:00:00.005-04:002023-08-07T00:58:01.901-04:00Best Meteor Shower of Year This-Coming Weekend !<div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="https://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/CSC-Meteorite.JPG" src="https://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/CSC-Meteorite.JPG" /></p></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The vast majority of meteors that are visible during meteor showers are usually quite small, even though they often make a bright spectacle when entering Earth's atmosphere. However, some meteors which actually land on Earth, sometimes creating a crater, can be quite large. The above photograph shows the fifth largest fragment of the meteorite which created Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona, on public display near the entrance to the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center. Owned by the City of Pittsburgh, this meteorite was originally acquired for, and displayed at, the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991.</i></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">More Information: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Buhlexhibits.htm#meteorite" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Buhlexhibits.htm#meteorite</a></span><br /></i></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss' History of Buhl Planetarium Internet Web-site)</span></i></p><p></p><p> <b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
annual Perseid Meteor Shower, which peaks late this-coming weekend,
is considered the best Meteor Shower of the year by NASA and most
astronomers. Meteor sightings should be optimum this year, as the
peak of this Meteor Shower comes three days before the New Moon lunar
phase.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Astronomically,
the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower comes this year during the
late-night and early-morning hours of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
2023 August 11, 12, and 13. Technically, the actual peak is
predicted to occur on Sunday, 2023 August 13 at 3:58 a.m. Eastern
Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 7:58 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The
best time to watch most Meteor Showers, including this year's
Perseids, is always between local midnight and dawn, when the Earth
is rotating into the Meteor Shower. </b>So, the best time to view
this year's Perseid Meteor Shower is late Friday night through early
Sunday morning.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At
the peak-time, sometimes up-to 50-to-100 Meteors could possibly be
seen per-hour, if observing conditions are ideal. Depending on your
location (including elevation and number of obstructions to sky
viewing, such as hills, trees, and buildings), weather conditions,
Moon phase, and the condition of your eye-sight, seeing 40-to-60
Meteors per-hour would be more likely.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
most Meteors are often dim, <b>it is best to view a Meteor
Shower away from city lights</b>, which cause a brightening of the
sky at night, and hence, the dimmest Meteors are often missed. And,
you want to <b>go out ahead of time, before you start actual
viewing of Meteors, to get your eyes accustomed to the dark
sky. </b>Dark-adapting your eyes for Meteor watching could take
up-to one half-hour.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also,
after your eyes are dark-adapted, <b>do not look at your
cellular telephone while looking for Meteors</b>. The light you see
from your telephone could disrupt your dark-adapted night-vision.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For
the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower this year, the Moon will be
just three days from the Primary Moon Phase of New Moon. What little
of the Moon, that will be visible in the sky, will be a slender,
Waning Crescent Phase Moon. Hence, the dimmer Meteors may be a little
easier to find in a sky that is not brightened by much Moon-light.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Primary Lunar Phase of New Moon (Lunation #1245) will occur on
Wednesday, 2023 August 16 at 5:38 a.m. EDT / 9:38 UTC. In years when
the Moon-light is brighter than it will be this year, try not to look
directly at the Moon, so it does not hinder your dark-adapted
eye-sight.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Actually,
some Meteors from the Perseid Meteor Shower can be seen as early as
mid-July and as late as late August (~July 17 to August 24); but they
are few and far-between. Most Perseid Meteors can be seen
three-to-five days before and three-to-five days after the peak time,
which is considered, approximately, between August 9 and 14 each
year; again, the absolute peak is August 11 to 13.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Viewers
in the Northern Hemisphere are fortunate that the Perseid Meteor
Shower arrives during the Summer month of August, when temperatures
are comfortable for night-time viewing. However, some locations (such
as in the mountains) could be cooler in the early-morning hours. So,
be sure to check your local weather forecast (with NOAA
Weather-Radio, local forecasts on radio, television or local
newspapers, Internet, or your smart-telephone or smart-speaker)
and <b>bring a sweater and / or jacket with you if your location has a
cooler weather forecast.</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Be
aware that sometimes August can be very humid with poor seeing
conditions. And, the closer to the horizon, the worse the seeing
conditions could be.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Binoculars
and telescopes are not very useful for finding Meteors. Meteors
streak across the sky in a <i>very brief </i>period of
time, too short to aim binoculars or a telescope. So, the <b>best
way to view a Meteor Shower is to lie on the ground (perhaps on a
blanket, sheet, or beach-towel—or possibly in a reclining beach or
lawn-chair), in an area with a good view of the entire sky (with few
obstructions such as buildings, trees, or hills, perhaps at a higher
elevation), and keep scanning the entire sky with your naked-eyes
(one-power).</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meteor
Showers appear to emanate from a Radiant point in the sky. For the
Perseid Meteor Shower, the Radiant appears to be within the
Constellation Perseus, named for the hero of Greek mythology (hence,
the name Perseid Meteor Shower). However, you should not,
necessarily, be looking only at Perseus, when looking for Meteors in
this Shower.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Meteors
can appear in any part of the sky at any time.</b></i> In fact,
looking towards Perseus may not result in finding the best
Meteors. Meteors coming from the Apparent Radiant may be seen for a
shorter time in the sky, with much shorter sky streaks.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
Meteor Shower normally consists of dust particles related to a Comet.
Each time a Comet approaches the Sun, the Comet loses dust particles
following the melting of ice on the Comet. These dust particles,
called Meteoroids, continue to follow the same orbit as the Comet and
form a Meteoroid stream. Each year, as the Earth orbits the Sun, the
Earth passes through several of these Meteoroid streams, becoming
Earth's Meteor Showers.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Earth's gravity then attracts many of these Meteoroids to fall to
Earth, and they are viewed by people as Meteors, as they burn-up,
mostly but not always, high in the atmosphere. Most are extremely
small and burn-up completely. From time-to-time, larger particles
enter the Atmosphere and create brilliant displays known as
Fire-balls or Bolides. If these particles are large enough, they may
not completely burn-up and land on Earth as a Meteorite, perhaps even
creating a crater on Earth if the Meteorite is large and heavy
enough.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Many
museums and science centers display Meteorites to the general public.
From 1939 to 1991, the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of
Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center - Pittsburgh's science
and technology museum from 1939 to 1991) displayed the fifth largest
fragment of the Meteorite that formed Barringer Meteor Crater near
Winslow, Arizona. Owned by the City of Pittsburgh, this large
Meteorite is now displayed on the second floor of Pittsburgh's
Carnegie Science Center, outside the entrance to the Henry Buhl, Jr.
Planetarium. Meteorites are also on display in the Hillman Hall of
Minerals and Gems at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Natural History.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Meteors
can be seen any night of the year, although they are not predictable
and are rare outside of one of the annual Meteor Showers.</b> The
vast majority of Meteors that can be seen during the Perseid Meteor
Shower originate from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which has an orbital period
of 133 years, leaving behind a trail of dust and grit. Comet
Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 and last returned for Earth
viewing in 1992.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comet
Swift-Tuttle measures about 16 statute miles / 25 kilometers across,
much larger than the object that is thought to have fallen to Earth
which resulted in the extinction of the Dinosaurs (about 6 statute
miles / 10 kilometers across) approximately 66 million years ago
(after the Dinosaurs had lived on Earth for about 165 million
years!).</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comet
Swift-Tuttle will make a very close approach to the Earth in the year
A.D. 4479. Scientists are now studying whether some day Comet
Swift-Tuttle could impact the Earth. Comet Swift–Tuttle has been
described as "the single most dangerous object known to
humanity".</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There
are two additional Meteor Showers, which both peaked at the end of
July, with some Meteors still visible in mid-August.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower peaked at 1:00 p.m. EDT / 17:00
UTC on Saturday, 2023 July 29; these Meteors are visible each year
between July 12 and August 23. It is not certain which Comet
originated the Southern Delta Aquariids. This is considered a strong
Meteor Shower, with 15-to-20 Meteors visible per-hour, around the
peak of Shower; fewer would now be visible per-hour.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
evening of 2023 July 29 / early-morning of July 30 saw the peak of
the Alpha Capracornid Meteor Shower. The official peak occurred
around 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC on Sunday, 2023 July 30. At the
peak time, 5 Meteors per-hour are expected, making the Alpha
Capracornids a minor Meteor Shower; of course, now there would be
fewer Alpha Capracornids visible per-hour. The Alpha Capracornids,
which originated as remnants of Comet 169P / NEAT, are visible each
year from July 3 to August 15.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another
minor Meteor Shower may be visible to some between August 28 and
September 5 each year; the peak is expected August 31 / September 1.
The peak for this Meteor Shower is about 11:00 a.m. EDT / 15:00 UTC
on Friday, 2023 September 1. The Aurigid Meteor Shower is believed to
have originated as remnants of Comet Kless (C / 1911 N1). Astronomers
do not know the composition of this Meteoric debris. So, it is
uncertain how the Meteors from this Shower may interact with the
Earth's atmosphere, and hence, scientists are unsure how visible this
Shower may be each year.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So
in mid-August, the time for viewing is right. And, of course, with
the warm weather most of us experience in the Northern Hemisphere,
this time of year, what could be better for viewing Meteors?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of
course, <b>Meteor Showers, like all celestial observations, are
weather-permitting.</b> Even a few clouds could obscure quite a
few Meteors.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If
the weather in your area does not permit direct viewing of this
Meteor Shower outdoors, it is possible (but not guaranteed) you may
be able to use Google, Yahoo, Bing, Lycos, or your favorite Internet
search engine to find special, Live-stream Web-casts of the Meteor
Shower at one or more sites on the Internet.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
cautionary note for those who find it necessary to watch the Meteor
Shower on the Internet. The video camera, used for each Live-stream
Web-cast, can only aim at one part of the sky at a time. Hence, do
not expect to see as many Meteors as you might see with your own eyes
outside. Outdoors, you can easily scan the entire sky for Meteors,
while a camera aimed at one area of the sky will only be able to see
the Meteors that enter that particular field-of-view.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ----</b><br /><br />Perseid Meteor Shower: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids</a><br /><br />Comet Swift-Tuttle: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Swift%E2%80%93Tuttle" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Swift%E2%80%93Tuttle</a><br /><br />Constellation Perseus: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_%28constellation%29" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_%28constellation%29</a><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">South Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower:</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Delta_Aquariids" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Delta_Aquariids</a> </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Alpha Capracornid Meteor Shower: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Capricornids" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Capricornids</a> </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Aurigid Meteor Shower:</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link 1 >>><span> </span><a href="https://astronomyforbeginners.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/aurigid-meteor-shower-astronomy-for-beginners/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://astronomyforbeginners.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/aurigid-meteor-shower-astronomy-for-beginners/</a> </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link 2 >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurigids" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurigids</a><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Meteor Shower: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_shower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_shower</a><br /><br />Meteor: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteor" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteor</a><br /><br />Meteoroid: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid</a><br /><br />Meteorite: Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteorites" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteorites</a><br /><br /><b>Fifth largest fragment of the meteorite which struck Barringer Meteor Crater<span> </span></b>near Winslow, Arizona, which was displayed (1939 to 1991) at the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991. Today, this meteorite is displayed on the second floor of Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center, next to the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium:<br />Link >>><span> </span><a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Buhlexhibits.htm#meteorite" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Buhlexhibits.htm#meteorite</a><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b><br /></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Active Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Fri., Sat." Mon., 2022 Aug. 8.<br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/08/active-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-fri.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/08/active-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-fri.html</a><br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Wed., Thur." Mon., 2021 Aug. 9.<br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>><span> </span><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2021/08/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-wed-thur.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2021/08/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-wed-thur.html</a><br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Tue. Night / Early Wed. Morning." Mon., 2020 Aug. 10.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>><span> </span><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/08/annual-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-tue.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2020/08/annual-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-tue.html</a> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></h3><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Tonight's 'Meteor Outburst' w/Web-Casts: 150 Years After Comet-Meteor Shower Link Found." Thur., 2016 Aug. 11.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/tonights-meteor-outburst-wweb-casts-150.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/tonights-meteor-outburst-wweb-casts-150.html</a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Great Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Wed. Night w/ Web-Casts." Wed., 2015 Aug. 12.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/08/great-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-wed.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/08/great-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-wed.html</a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks in Sky & Web-Casts." Tue., 2014 Aug. 12.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/08/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-in-sky-web.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/08/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-in-sky-web.html</a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Sun., Mon. Nights." Sat., 2013 Aug. 10.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>><span> </span><a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/08/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-sun-mon.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/08/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-sun-mon.html</a></h3><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 August 7.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn
A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator
(For more than 50 years! -
Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly
Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer,
original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a.
Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p><p> </p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-79632047665061174872023-07-24T00:00:00.002-04:002023-07-24T00:43:20.055-04:00Webb Space Telescope: Data Doubles Age of Universe?<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="undefined" height="512" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Oldest_star_in_solar_neighbourhood.jpg/800px-Oldest_star_in_solar_neighbourhood.jpg" width="640" /></p></div><i>Digitized Sky Survey image of the oldest known star, with a well-determined age, in our Milky Way Galaxy. Star HD 140283, better known as Methuselah, may be about 14.6 billion years old. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: European Space Agency, NASA, Hubble Space Telescope, Wikipedia.org, By ESA/Hubble, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25275489)</span></i><br /><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A provocative new study, from the
University of Ottawa, proposes that data from the James Webb Space
Telescope may nearly double the age of the Universe, previously
calculated by scientists.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In 2021, astronomers calculated the age
of the Universe at about 13.797 billion years. This came from use of
a cosmological model known as the Lambda-CDM Concordance Model.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The University of Ottawa now
hypothesizes that the true age of the Universe may be closer to 26.7
billion years!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The James Webb Space Telescope data has
found some of the most distant galaxies observed by the telescope are
surprisingly mature, if they were actually only a half-billion years
old. While these galaxies have been estimated to have formed about
300 million years after the Big Bang, their maturity is consistent
with billions of years of cosmic evolution.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The “Big Bang”, which scientists
contend created our Universe, is the physical theory scientists use
to explain how our Universe expanded from an initial state of high
density and temperature to its current state.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Scientists have also been puzzled by
ancient stars, such as Methuselah (HD 140283), that appear to be
older than the estimated age of the Universe, as originally
calculated. While a study from 2013, using data from the Hubble Space
Telescope, estimated the age of this star to be about 14.6 billion
years-old, later studies have estimated the star's age at 12 or 13.7
billion years old.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For many years, scientists have used
two guide-posts to measure the age of the Universe:</p>
<ul><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Astronomical Red-shift of light,
coming from distant galaxies, indicating the speed the galaxies are
moving away from us. Hubble's Law states that galaxies are moving
away from Earth at speeds proportional to their distance from Earth;</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Elapsed time since the Big Bang,
considering the cooling time of the observed Cosmic Background
Radiation and extrapolating backwards from measurements of the
expansion rate of the Universe.</p>
</li></ul>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Rajendra Gupta, author of the
University of Ottawa study, says <span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"Our
newly-devised model stretches the galaxy formation time by several
billion years, making the </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://phys.org/tags/universe/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">universe</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">26.7
billion years old, and not 13.7 as previously estimated”. <span style="font-size: medium;">Dr. Gupta
is Adjunct Professor of Physics in the Faculty of Science at the
University of Ottawa. His scientific paper, “JWST early Universe
observations and Lambda-CDM cosmology”, has been published in the
journal, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Monthly
Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</span></u></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Twentieth
century Swiss Astronomer Fritz Zwicky proposed a “tired light
theory” where the Red-shift of light coming from distant galaxies
is not due to their speed from moving away from the Earth. He
hypothesized that this Red-shift is the result of the gradual loss of
energy of the light's photons after traveling vast distances through
the Cosmos. This theory did not receive much acceptance in the
scientific community because astronomical observations conflicted
with the theory.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Now,
Dr. Gupta has found that </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"by
allowing this theory to coexist with the </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://phys.org/tags/expanding+universe/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">expanding
universe</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
it becomes possible to reinterpret the redshift as a hybrid
phenomenon, rather than purely due to expansion."</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Dr.
Gupta also proposes to use “Coupling Constants” as another way to
explain a possible older-than-suspected Universe. Hypothesized by
20</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #212438;"><sup><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">th</span></span></span></span></sup></span><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
century English Theoretical Physicist Paul Dirac (considered to be
one of the founders of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum
Electrodynamics), Coupling Constants are fundamental physical
constants that govern the interactions between particles. Dr. Dirac
believed that these constants may have varied over great lengths of
time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Dr.
Gupta believes that by allowing these constants to evolve, the
formation of early galaxies observed by the James Webb Space
Telescope at high Red-shifts may have taken several billion years,
rather than just a few million years. He believes that this is a more
feasible interpretation of the data, for the advanced level of
development and mass observed in these ancient galaxies.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Additionally,
Dr. Gupta suggests a revision in the “Cosmological Constant”,
which uses Dark Energy as the 'push' responsible for the accelerating
expansion of the Universe. He proposes a new constant that accounts
for the evolution of the Coupling Constants.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">This
could help explain the puzzle of small galaxy sizes in the early
Universe. This modification of the Cosmological Model may allow for
more accurate future observations.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Science Journal Abstract --- <span face="Quicksand, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #dce2e6; color: #212438; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">R Gupta, JWST early Universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology,<span> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #dce2e6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212438; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</i><span face="Quicksand, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #dce2e6; color: #212438; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span> </span>(2023)</span></p><p><span face="Quicksand, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #dce2e6; color: #212438; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/mnras/stad2032/7221343?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false" target="_blank">https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/mnras/stad2032/7221343?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false</a></span> </p><p>The Big Bang: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang</a> <br /></p><p>James Webb Space Telescope:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope</a></p><p>Hubble Space Telescope: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope</a> <br /></p><p>Star HD 140283, Methuselah: Link >>> <span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_140283" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_140283</a> </p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Swiss
Astronomer Fritz
Zwicky: </span>Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Zwicky" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Zwicky</a></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;">English
Theoretical Physicist Paul Dirac: Link >>></span> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dirac" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dirac</a><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Related Blog-Posts ---</span></span></span></span></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span></span></span><br /></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Finally! Live-Stream: Christmas Launch of Next Great Space Telescope." Fri., 2021 Dec. 24.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2021/12/finally-live-stream-christmas-launch-of.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2021/12/finally-live-stream-christmas-launch-of.html</a><br /></h3><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #212438;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span></span></span><br /></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Free: NASA Webb Space Telescope Science Guide on iTunes." Thur., 2012 Dec. 27.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/12/free-nasa-webb-space-telescope-science.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/12/free-nasa-webb-space-telescope-science.html</a><br /></h3>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b> </b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 July 24.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-12490255222188931512023-07-03T00:00:00.015-04:002024-01-03T19:06:45.146-05:00Earth Farthest from Sun for Year: Thursday<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The perihelion (green) and aphelion (orange) points of the inner planets of the Solar System" height="640" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Inner_Planet_Orbits_02.svg/800px-Inner_Planet_Orbits_02.svg.png" width="640" /></p></div><p><i>This diagram shows the Aphelions (green points) and Perihelions (orange points) for our Solar System's inner planets. Seen here from the Northern Ecliptic Pole, the planets move couter-clockwise. The blue portion of the orbits are north of the Ecliptic Plane; the pink portion of the orbits are south of the Ecliptic Plane. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org, By / Original: User:Danial79 / Vectorization: Mrmw - Own work based on: Inner Planet Orbits.jpg:, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92300694)</span></i><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
week of American Independence Day is often one of the hottest weeks
of the year, with many people taking the holiday as an opportunity
for a vacation. However, it is not hot because of a close distance
between the Earth and the Sun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Although
the Summer months in the Northern Hemisphere are known for the year's
warmest weather, the Earth is actually at the point in its orbit
farthest from the Sun (astronomically known as the point of </span><span style="color: black;"><i>Aphelion</i></span><span style="color: black;">)
around July 5. This Thursday afternoon, just two days after American
Independence Day on July 4 and a couple weeks after the Summer
Solstice on June 21, will mark Aphelion for 2023, the location in
Earth's annual orbit around the Sun where our planet is farthest from
the Sun for the entire year!</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This
year, Earth Aphelion will occur on Thursday Afternoon, 2023 July 6 at
4:06 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 20:06 Coordinated Universal Time [UTC –
International time used by scientists; previously referred to as
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Greenwich Civil Time (GCT)]. At that
moment, Earth will be the farthest from the Sun for the whole year:
94,506,364.705 statute miles / 152,093,251 kilometers.</i></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For
A.D. 2023, the season of Summer began at Earth's Northern
Hemisphere's Summer Solstice (and the season of Winter began at the
Southern Hemisphere's Winter Solstice) at the moment of the June
Solstice: Wednesday Morning, 2023 June 21 at 10:58 a.m. EDT / 14:58
UTC. Summer will continue until the Autumnal Equinox when Autumn /
Fall commences in the Northern Hemisphere (and Spring begins in the
Southern Hemisphere) on Saturday Morning, 2023 September 23 at 2:50
a.m. EDT / 6:50 UTC.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">The
Earth's closest approach to the Sun (</span><span style="color: black;"><i>Perihelion</i></span><span style="color: black;">)
each year is around January 2, shortly after the Winter Solstice on
or near December 21. Approximately a half-year's time between Earth Perihelion
and Earth Aphelion, the difference in distance between the Sun and
Earth varies by about 3.2 million statute miles / 5.1499008 million
kilometers.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This
year, Earth Perihelion occurred on 2023 January 4 at 11:17 a.m.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 16:17 UTC. At that time, the Earth was
91,403,034 statute miles / 147,098,924 kilometers from the Sun. Earth
Perihelion next year will occur on 2024 January 2 at 7:38 p.m. EST /
January 3 at 0:38 UTC; distance from Earth to Sun: 91,404, 095
statute miles / 147,100,631.8 kilometers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
general, the distance from the Earth to the Sun is not the major
factor determining the heat of Summer or the cold of Winter. This is
true, despite the fact that Earth receives about 7 per-cent more
solar radiation from the Sun during the time of Earth Perihelion in
January, than at the time of Earth Aphelion in July.</span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Solar
radiation, and hence the heat from the Sun, depends on the length of
daylight and the angle of the Sun above the horizon. The tilt of the
planet's axis, about 23.44 degrees toward the Sun, determines the
additional and more direct solar radiation received by a planet's
Northern or Southern Hemisphere, and hence, the warmer season of the
respective hemisphere.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">While the Sun does have motions (the Sun rotates on its own axis about once every 27 Earth days; our Solar System revolves around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy once every 225 million-to-250 million Earth years), it is actually the motion of the Earth tilted on its axis, away from the plane of the ecliptic (Earth's orbital plane around the Sun), while revolving around the Sun, that causes the Earth's seasons.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
Earth's Perihelion in January, and Aphelion in July, are due to the
elliptical nature of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Perihelion and
Aphelion would not occur if the Earth's orbit was a true circle. </span></span>
</p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">The dates of Earth Perihelion and Earth Aphelion are not fixed. Due to the Earth's Precession of the Equinoxes, these days shift forward approximately one day every 58 years. About 800 years ago, the Earth Perihelion was on the date of the Winter Solstice, around December 21; Earth Perihelion will be on the Vernal Equinox, the beginning of Spring around March 20, about 4,300 years from now. Earth's Axial Precession (often described as a "wobble" in the Earth's orientation, like a spinning top or a gyroscope) gradually changes the orientation of the Earth's Rotational Axis, which completes one rotational cycle once every 25,772 years.</span></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Because
Earth is farther from the Sun during our Spring and Summer seasons,
people in Earth's Northern Hemisphere actually benefit from a few
extra days of warmth (on average), than the number of days in the
Autumn and Winter seasons of the year. When Earth is closer to the
Sun, the Earth travels faster in its elliptical orbit around the Sun
(during the Autumn and Winter months); and, when Earth is farther
than average from the Sun (during the Spring and Summer seasons) the
Earth travels a little more slowly --- again, this refers to the
Northern Hemisphere. Hence, the Spring and Summer seasons, in the
Northern Hemisphere, have a few more days than the Autumn and Winter
seasons.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In
fact, Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at
Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and author of
widely-used, college astronomy text-books, has precisely calculated
the duration of each season, in the Northern Hemisphere:</span></span></p><ul>
<li><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Summer:
93 days, 15 hours </span></span>
</p>
</li><li><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Spring:
92 days, 19 hours</span></span></p>
</li><li><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Autumn
/ Fall: 89 days, 20 hours</span></span></p>
</li><li><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Winter:
89 days, 0 hours </span></span></p>
</li></ul><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">No
matter whether in the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere,
the days of Summer always have the most hours and minutes of daylight
(the length of time between Sunrise and Sunset) each year, while the
days of Winter always have the least number of hours and minutes of
daylight for the year. The exact number of hours and minutes of
daylight, for a particular location, depends on the locale's
geographic Latitude on the Earth. Astronomers, amateur ("ham")
radio operators, and long-distance radio enthusiasts (“radio
DXers”), all of whom mostly depend on non-daylight hours to ply
their craft, often prefer the days of Winter.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Interestingly,
the climate of a locale in the Southern Hemisphere is, on average,
slightly milder than a location at the same latitude in the Northern
Hemisphere, because the Southern Hemisphere has significantly more
ocean water and much less land. Water warms-up and cools-down more
slowly than does land. The only exception is the Antarctic Continent,
which is colder than the Northern Hemisphere's Arctic region,
possibly because most of the Arctic region is covered with water
(although, often frozen water on the surface, but liquid water
beneath the ice) while Antarctica is mostly a land mass.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">When considering the tides of Earth's oceans, High Tides and Low Tides are affected by both the gravity of the Sun and the gravity of the Moon. This is particularly true at or near the times of the Full Moon and New Moon primary Moon phases, when the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon are combined. However, being much closer to the Earth, the Moon's gravitation is much more influential than that of the Sun.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This is even more true this month, since the Sun is farthest from the Earth on July 6. Also, this month's Full Moon occurs on July 3 at 7:39 a.m. EDT / 11:39 UTC, and the Moon is closest to the Earth (Lunar Perigee) for the month on July 4 at 6:00 p.m. EDT / 22:00 UTC at a distance of 223,786.2 statute miles / 360,149 kilometers. Due to the closeness of this Full Moon (known as the Buck Moon, Hay Moon, Thunder Moon, and because July is the month astronauts first set foot on the Moon some refer to it as the Apollo Moon) to the Earth this month, some people refer to this Full Moon as a so-called "Super-Moon", the first of four consecutive "Super-Moons" in 2023. So, during the first week of July, the Moon will appear a little brighter, and the ocean tides will be a little stronger than normal.</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
bright Star Spica (Alpha Virginis) is now visible in the morning sky
(weather-permitting). The brightest star in the Constellation Virgo
the Virgin and the 16<sup>th</sup> brightest star in Earth's
night sky (Apparent Visual Magnitude: + 0.97), Spica may have helped
develop one of civilization's early calendars. A calendar of ancient
Armenia used the year's first sighting of Spica in the dawn sky, a
few days before the Summer Solstice, to mark the beginning of the New
Year for this particular calendar. The development of this calendar
somewhat coincided with the beginning of agriculture in Armenia.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Interestingly, Spica is about 247 Light-Years away from Earth , which means that the light we see coming from Spica began its trip from the star 247 years ago. And, 247 years ago was when Amerca's Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Second Continental Congress in 1776!</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Like
clock-work, a well-known asterism (pattern of stars in the sky, not
officially recognized as a constellation) of three stars shaped as a
triangle is visible nearly overhead around local midnight during the
Summer months (weather-permitting). And logically, as <i>Star
Trek</i>'s Mr. Spock might say, this asterism is known as the Summer
Triangle!</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Three
of the brightest stars in the Summer sky constitute the Summer
Triangle ---</span></span></p><ol>
<li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Vega
(Alpha Lyrae - brightest star in the Constellation Lyra the Harp);
brightest of the three stars and closest to the zenith (highest
point in the sky);</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Altair
(Alpha Aquilae - denotes the eagle eye and brightest star in the
Constellation Aquila the Eagle); second brightest star of the trio;</span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Deneb
(Alpha Cygni - denotes the tail star, is the brightest star in the
Constellation Cygnus the Swan, and is the “head” star of the
asterism known as the Northern Cross).</span></span></p>
</li></ol><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
term Summer Triangle was popularized in the 1950s by American author
H.A. Rey and British astronomer Patrick Moore, although constellation
guidebooks mention this triangle of stars as far back as 1913. And,
during World War II, military navigators referred to this asterism as
the “Navigator's Triangle.”</span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Regardless
of city light pollution, the three bright stars of the Summer
Triangle should be visible to nearly everyone in Earth's Northern
Hemisphere (weather-permitting). So, just look overhead late-evening
or early-morning throughout the Summer for these annual visitors to
our Summer sky!</span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Internet
Links to Additional Information ---</b></span></span></span></p><p> Apehilion & Perihelion:</p><p>Link 1 >>> <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html" target="_blank">https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html</a></p><p>Link 2 >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis#Perihelion_and_aphelion" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis#Perihelion_and_aphelion</a></p><p>Axial Tilt: >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt</a></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Summer Begins Mid-Day Wednesday at Solstice." Mon., 2023 June 19.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/06/summer-begins-mid-day-wednesday-at.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/06/summer-begins-mid-day-wednesday-at.html</a></div><div><br /></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">"Winter Begins at Solstice Wed.; Ursid Meteors Peak Thur." Mon., 2022 Dec. 19.</h3><div>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/12/winter-begins-at-solstice-wed-ursid.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2022/12/winter-begins-at-solstice-wed-ursid.html</a></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Source:</b> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> Monday, 2023 July 3.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-27659893122787189202023-06-19T00:00:00.008-04:002023-07-22T02:23:18.201-04:00Summer Begins Mid-Day Wednesday at Solstice<p></p><div aria-hidden="true" class="nUTA6e"> <img src="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/JuneSolstice.JPG" /> <br /></div><p></p><p></p><div aria-hidden="true" class="nUTA6e"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">[Graphic
Source: © Copyright 2005, Eric G. Canali, former Floor
Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and
Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center - America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991), and Founder of the
South Hills Backyard
Astronomers amateur astronomy club; permission granted for only
non-profit use with credit to author.] <br /></span></i></span></div><p></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Late Wednesday morning, Summer begins
in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth, while at the same time, Winter
begins in the Southern Hemisphere.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>For A.D. 2023, the season of Summer
begins at Earth's Northern Hemisphere's Summer Solstice (and the
season of Winter begins at the Southern Hemisphere's Winter Solstice)
at the moment of the June Solstice: Wednesday Morning, 2023 June 21
at 10:58 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 14:58 Coordinated
Universal Time [UTC – International time used by scientists;
previously referred to as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Greenwich
Civil Time (GCT)]. Summer will continue until the Autumnal Equinox
when the season of Autumn / Fall commences: Saturday Morning, 2023
September 23 at 2:50 a.m. EDT / 6:50 UTC.</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>In Meteorology (Weather Science),
the convention is to start a season on the first day of a calendar
month. So, Meteorological Summer runs from June 1 to August 31.</i>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In Etymology, the word <i>Solstice</i>
comes from the Latin terms <i>Sol</i> (Sun) and <i>Sistere</i> (to
stand still). In ancient times, Astronomers / Astrologers / Priests
recognized that on one day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere,
on or near the day we now call June 21), the Sun would <i>appear</i>
<i>to stand-still</i> as Sol reaches its highest point in the sky for
the entire year. The motion of the Sun's <i>apparent</i> path in the
sky (what is known astronomically, today, as the Sun's <i>Declination</i>)
would cease on this day, before <i>appearing</i> to reverse
direction.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Although the Summer months in the
Northern Hemisphere are known for the year's warmest weather, the
Earth is actually at the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun
(astronomically known as the point of <i>Aphelion</i>) around July 5.
The Earth's closest approach to the Sun (<i>Perihelion</i>) each year
is around January 2. Hence, in general, the distance from the Earth
to the Sun is not the major factor determining the heat of Summer or
the cold of Winter.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>This year, Earth Aphelion will occur
on Thursday Afternoon, 2023 July 6 at 4:00 p.m. EDT / 20:00 UTC. At
that moment, Earth will be the farthest from the Sun for the whole
year: 94,506,364.705 statute miles / 152,093,251 kilometers.</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">However, because Earth is farther from
the Sun during our Spring and Summer seasons, people in Earth's
Northern Hemisphere actually benefit from a few extra days of warmth
(on average), than the number of days in the Autumn and Winter
seasons of the year. When Earth is closer to the Sun, the Earth
travels faster in its elliptical orbit around the Sun (during the
Autumn and Winter months); and, when Earth is farther than average
from the Sun (during the Spring and Summer seasons) the Earth travels
a little more slowly --- again, this refers to the Northern
Hemisphere. Hence, the Spring and Summer seasons, in the Northern
Hemisphere, have a few more days than the Autumn and Winter seasons.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In fact, Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial
Professor of Astronomy at Williams College in Williamstown,
Massachusetts and author of widely-used, college astronomy
text-books, has precisely calculated the duration of each season, in
the Northern Hemisphere:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">* Summer: 93 days, 15 hours</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">* Spring: 92 days, 19 hours</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">* Autumn / Fall: 89 days, 20 hours</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">* Winter: 89 days, 0 hours </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Solar radiation, and hence the heat
from the Sun, depends on the length of daylight and the angle of the
Sun above the horizon. The tilt of the planet's axis toward the Sun
determines the additional and more direct solar radiation received by
a planet's Northern or Southern Hemisphere, and hence, the warmer
season of the respective hemisphere.</p>
<p>While the Sun does have motions (the Sun rotates on its own axis
about once every 27 Earth days; our Solar System revolves around the center
of the Milky Way Galaxy once every 225 million-to-250 million Earth
years), it is actually the motion of the Earth tilted on its axis,
away from the plane of the ecliptic (Earth's orbital plane around the
Sun), while revolving around the Sun, that causes the Earth's
seasons.</p>
<p><i>As of Noon today (June 19), Earth's Axial Tilt or Mean
Obliquity: </i><span style="color: #454545;"><span face="Helvetica, Ubuntu Light, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">23.43623°
or 23°26'10.4"</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>Hence, as the Earth arrives at the point in its orbit around the
Sun, when the north polar axis is most directly inclined toward the
Sun, this marks the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and
the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Alternately, the Winter Solstice in the
Northern Hemisphere (the Winter Solstice is always on or near, what we now refer to as,
December 21) occurs when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit
when the North Pole is most directly inclined away from the Sun (and, the South Pole is most directly inclined toward the Sun). And,
conversely, at this time Summer begins in the planet's Southern
Hemisphere.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>For Earth observers at precisely
23°26′10.9″ / 23.43637° North Latitude at the moment
of the June Solstice, the Sun will appear to shine directly overhead.
The line around the Earth at 23°26'</i><i>10.9″</i><i> / 23.43637° North Latitude is
known as the Tropic of Cancer (a.k.a. Northern Tropic). Likewise, at
23°26′</i><i>10.9″</i><i> / 23.43637°) South Latitude is located the Tropic of
Capricorn (a.k.a. Southern Tropic), where the Sun appears directly
overhead at the moment of the December Solstice.</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>However, as the tilt of the Earth is
dynamic, and changes minutely over the years, the location of the
Tropic lines also change. Currently, these Tropic lines are moving
north at the rate of 0.47 arc-seconds / 49.21 feet / 15 meters per
year.</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The names Tropic of Cancer and Tropic
of Capricorn were coined in the last centuries B.C., when the Sun
would appear in the Constellation Cancer the Crab on the June
Solstice and in the Constellation Capricornus the Horned Goat on the
December Solstice. However today, hours after the June Solstice, the
Sun enters the Constellation Gemini the Twins, 30 degrees from
Cancer. And at the December Solstice, the Sun is now in the
Constellation Sagittarius the Archer.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This is due to “Precession of the
Equinoxes” of Earth, which is analogous to the wobbling of a
spinning top. In the case of the Earth, this 25,772-year wobble
causes observers to view the Sun in different parts of the sky over
the centuries, at the same time of year while remaining in the same
geographical location. As the Earth wobbles over the centuries, the
North Pole Star also changes. Currently, Polaris is our North Pole
Star; around A.D. 13,700, Vega will be our North Pole Star, due to
the Precession of the Equinoxes.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">No matter which hemisphere, the day of
the Summer Solstice always has the most hours and minutes of daylight
(the length of time between Sunrise and Sunset) for the year, while
the Winter Solstice always has the least number of hours and minutes
of daylight for the year. The exact number of hours and minutes of
daylight, for a particular location, depends on the locale's
geographic Latitude on the Earth. Astronomers, amateur ("ham")
radio operators, and long-distance radio enthusiasts (“radio
DXers”), all of whom mostly depend on non-daylight hours to ply
their craft, often prefer the days closer to the Winter Solstice.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Vernal Equinox, when the season of
Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere (and the season of Autumn
begins in the Southern Hemisphere), occurs between the Winter and
Summer Solstices when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit around
the Sun when the Earth's axis is inclined neither toward nor away
from the Sun. Likewise, when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit
around the Sun, between the Summer and Winter Solstices, when the
Earth's axis is inclined neither toward nor away from the Sun, this
is known as the Autumnal Equinox (beginning of Fall or Autumn) in the
Northern Hemisphere; at this time Spring begins in the Southern
Hemisphere. And, half-way between the beginning points of each season
are Cross-Quarter Days, each related to traditional holidays:
Groundhog Day (February 2), May Day (May 1), Lammas Day
(traditionally, the first harvest festival of the year on August 1),
and Halloween (October 31).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In ancient times, the Summer Solstice
was known as Mid-Summer Day, in early calendars observed around June
24. At that time, May 1 to August 1 (i.e. the two Cross-Quarter Days)
was considered the season of Summer. Such early European celebrations
were pre-Christian in origin. Many will associate this ancient
holiday with the famous William Shakespeare play, “A Midsummer
Night's Dream.” Some speculate that the play was written for the
Queen of England, to celebrate the Feast Day of Saint John.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As with the Roman Catholic Church's
decision to Christianize the pagan Winter Solstice festivals with the
introduction of Christmas Day on December 25 (by an early calendar,
December 25 was reckoned as the Winter Solstice), the Church began to
associate the Mid-Summer festivals with the Nativity of Saint John
the Baptist on June 24. In the Christian Bible, the Gospel of Saint
Luke implies that Saint John was born six months before the birth of
Jesus, although no specific birth dates are given.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The most famous celebration of the
Summer Solstice occurs each year at the Stonehenge pre-historic
monument in England. Constructed between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C. in
three phases, the actual purpose of the landmark is still unclear.
However, it seems to have been associated with burials, originally.
It was also used as a type of astronomical observatory, particularly
for observing the Sun, which was important to help early cultures
make annual decisions regarding agriculture.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Stonehenge is known as a way for
pre-historic peoples to mark both the Summer and Winter Solstices.
From inside the monument, a viewer facing northeast can watch the Sun
rise (weather-permitting) above a stone outside the main circle of
rocks, known as the Heel Stone, on the day of the Summer Solstice in
the Northern Hemisphere. Although today, due to serious erosion of
the stones, visitors on the Summer Solstice can only walk around the
landmark from a short distance away during this annual event.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Although not as prominent as
Stonehenge, a calendar ring using smaller rocks was also constructed
at Nabta Playa in southern Egypt, perhaps as early as 7,000 years
ago! As with Stonehenge, some stones aligned with Sunrise on the day
of the Summer Solstice.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Today, a Stonehenge-like event occurs
each year at the University of Wyoming (UW) Art Museum in Laramie,
Wyoming, free-of-charge to the general public. At 12:00 Noon Mountain
Daylight Saving Time (MDT) / 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC on the day of
the Summer Solstice, visitors can see a single beam of sunlight shine
through a solar tube in the ceiling of the UW Art Museum's Rotunda
Gallery; the beam of sunlight then shines onto a 1923 Peace Silver
Dollar embedded in the floor of the Museum's Rotunda Gallery.
Visitors are encouraged to arrive at the museum by 11:30 a.m. MDT /
1:30 p.m. EDT / 17:30 UTC, to view this rather unique architectural
feature.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The bright Star Spica (Alpha Virginis),
the brightest star in the Constellation Virgo the Virgin and the 16<sup>th</sup>
brightest star in Earth's night sky (Apparent Visual Magnitude: +
0.97), may have helped develop another one of civilization's early
calendars. A calendar of ancient Armenia used the year's first
sighting of Spica in the dawn sky, a few days before the Summer
Solstice, to mark the beginning of the New Year for this particular
calendar. The development of this calendar somewhat coincided with
the beginning of agriculture in Armenia.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Like clock-work, a well-known asterism
(pattern of stars in the sky, not officially recognized as a
constellation) of three stars shaped as a triangle is visible nearly
overhead around local midnight during the Summer months
(weather-permitting). And logically, as <i>Star Trek</i>'s Mr. Spock
might say, this asterism is known as the Summer Triangle!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.2in;">Three of the brightest stars in the
Summer sky constitute the Summer Triangle ---</p>
<ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Vega (Alpha Lyrae - brightest star
in the Constellation Lyra the Harp); brightest of the three stars
and closest to the zenith (highest point in the sky);</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Altair (Alpha Aquilae - denotes
the eagle eye and brightest star in the Constellation Aquila the
Eagle); second brightest star of the trio;</p>
</li><li><p>Deneb (Alpha Cygni - denotes the tail star, is the brightest
star in the Constellation Cygnus the Swan, and is the “head”
star of the asterism known as the Northern Cross).</p>
</li></ol>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The term Summer Triangle was
popularized in the 1950s by American author H.A. Rey and British
astronomer Patrick Moore, although constellation guidebooks mention
this triangle of stars as far back as 1913. And, during World War II,
military navigators referred to this asterism as the “Navigator's
Triangle.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Regardless of city light pollution, the
three bright stars of the Summer Triangle should be visible to nearly
everyone in Earth's Northern Hemisphere (weather-permitting). So,
just look overhead late-evening or early-morning throughout the
Summer for these annual visitors to our Summer sky!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Internet Links to Additional
Information ---</b> <br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Summer Solstice:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Link 1 >>> <a href="http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/SummerSolstice.html" target="_blank">http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/SummerSolstice.html</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Link 2 >>> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Season of Summer: Link >>>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">History of Mid-Summer: Link >>>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer</a></span><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Summer "Solstice Day" Annual
Free-of-Charge Day (With Snowballs !), 1985 to 1991, at the original Buhl
Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science
Center), Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991:
</span><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/06/snowballs-on-first-day-of-summer.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/06/snowballs-on-first-day-of-summer.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Stonehenge: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">News Release - University of Wyoming Stonehenge-type event:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Link >>> <a href="https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2018/06/uw-art-museum-to-celebrate-summer-solstice-june-21.html" target="_blank">https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2018/06/uw-art-museum-to-celebrate-summer-solstice-june-21.html</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Star Spica: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spica" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spica</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Precession of the Equinoxes: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_precession" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_precession</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Tropic of Cancer: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Cancer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Cancer</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Tropic of Capricorn: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Capricorn" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Capricorn</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Summer Triangle: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Triangle" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Triangle</a></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span><span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> Monday<span>, 2023 June 19.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator (For more than 50 years! - Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" style="color: #2e2e8a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p><p> </p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-33386746509324337492023-06-14T00:00:00.011-04:002023-06-23T20:48:48.725-04:00Add Your Name to Poem to be Launched to Jupiter Moon Europa<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Europa in natural color.png" height="640" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Europa_in_natural_color.png/275px-Europa_in_natural_color.png" width="640" /></p></div><p><i>Europa, one of the first two moons of Jupiter to be discovered by famous astronomer Galileo Galilei. This image is in natural color.<br /></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Wikipedia.org, By NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill - File:Europa - PJ45-2.png from https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing?id=13844, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125306643)</span></i><br /></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">NASA is inviting everyone to add their
name to a poem that will be launched aboard the Europa Clipper, the
latest U.S. unmanned spacecraft which will study Jupiter's icy moon
Europa. Etched on the probe as a “Message In A Bottle” will be
the poem, <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"In
Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa", written by U.S. Poet
Laureate Ada Limon (Internet link to the poem transcript near the end
of this blog-post).</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space
Center (Launch Complex 39A) in Florida in mid-to-late October of next
year. The tentative launch date is 2024 October 10 (with a 21-day
launch window until October 30), with orbital insertion expected 2030
April 11. To reach Europa, the spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles / 2.89 billion kilometers.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">To
add your name to a microchip which will be included on the
spacecraft, you must register at the special NASA Internet web-site
by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Sunday, 2023 December 31
/ 4:59 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Monday, 2024 January 1.
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Internet
link to NASA web-site for public registration of names on the Europa
Clipper can be found near the end of this blog-post.</b></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>One
of 95 confirmed moons or natural satellites orbiting Jupiter, Europa
was one of the first of two moons discovered circling another planet.
It was famous astronomer Galileo Galilei who spotted Europa, along
with Jupiter moon Io, on 1610 January 8.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>It
was also observed about the same time by German astronomer Simon
Marius, which led to a dispute regarding who was the true discoverer.
Although Marius did not report his discovery until a day after
Galileo reported the discovery, Marius actually gave the mythological
names to the four Galilean Moons. The moon Europa is named after
Europa, a Phoenician noblewoman in Greek mythology, daughter of the
King of Tyre.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Discovery
of Europa and Io, along with Jupiter moons Callisto and Ganymede a
few days later (these four moons are known as the Galilean Moons),
was a monumental discovery, proving that some planetary objects
orbited other planets besides the Earth. This definitively
illustrated that the Copernican model of the Solar System is the
correct model.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Galileo
made this discovery at the University of Padua in Italy. He used the
first </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">astronomical</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
refracting telescope, of a 20-power magnification.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Europa
is the sixth closest moon to Jupiter, the sixth largest moon in the
Solar System, and the smallest of the four Galilean Moons. Europa is
just a little smaller than Earth's Moon.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Europa
is composed of silicate rock and an iron-nickel core with a water-ice
crust and a very thin atmosphere made-up mostly of Oxygen (O2). With
the smoothest surface of any solid object in the Solar System, the
hypothesis is that Europa has a sub-ice liquid ocean, which could
harbor extraterrestrial life.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Tidal
Heating, from close proximity to the largest planet in the Solar
System, is thought to keep the sub-surface ocean in a liquid state.
Eruptions of water vapor plumes, similar to those seen on Saturn's
moon Enceladus, have been observed on Europa by the Hubble Space
Telescope and the Galileo space probe. It is thought that probes to
Europa can sample water from these plumes for composition and
possible life, without having to land on the surface and drill into
the ice sheet.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>The
Europa Clipper is not designed to orbit Europa. Scientists have
determined this would be too dangerous due to the strong radiation
belts emanating from Jupiter which could seriously damage equipment
systems on-board the spacecraft.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Instead,
the Europa Clipper will enter a very elliptical orbit around Jupiter,
which brings the spacecraft close to Europa at a certain portion of
the orbit. The Europa Clipper is scheduled to make 44 close fly-bys
of the surface of the planetary body. This will allow the space probe
to make scientific measurements and observations, while giving it
more time to send the data back to Earth during the greater length of
time when the radiation belts are not affecting the equipment.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Originally
scheduled to launch aboard a NASA Space Launch System (SLS) super
heavy-lift rocket (the same rocket set to send astronauts back to the
Moon this decade), NASA received permission from the U.S. Congress to
use a commercial launch vehicle instead. So, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy
rocket will launch the Europa Clipper. The 5.5-year trajectory to the
Jovian system will include two gravity-assist maneuvers to provide
greater energy for the long trek: with Mars in February of 2025 and
with Earth in December of 2026.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>The
goals of the Europa Clipper mission are to determine if Europa could
be inhabited by extraterrestrial life and to scout for appropriate
landing sites for a future Europa landing space probe. While
examining the water plumes for possible life, scientists will be
looking specifically for the three main requirements of life: liquid
water (H2O), appropriate chemistry, and energy.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>The
three objectives scientists will be studying during this mission ---</span></span></span></p>
<ul><li><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Ice
Shell and confirmation that a sub-surface ocean exists;</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Ocean
composition;</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Geology
and characteristics of surface features.</span></span></span></p>
</li></ul>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Internet
Link to Poem, "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa":</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span>Link
>>> <a href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/a-poem-for-europa/" target="_blank">https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/a-poem-for-europa/</a></span></span></span>
</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><b>Internet
Link to “Message In A Bottle” Public Registration for the Poem,
"In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa" on NASA's Europa
Clipper spacecraft:</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><b>Link
>>> <a href="https://europa.nasa.gov/message-in-a-bottle/sign-on/" target="_blank">https://europa.nasa.gov/message-in-a-bottle/sign-on/</a></b></span></span></span>
</p>
<p><b> Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Jupiter Moon Europa: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(moon)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(moon)</a></p><p>Europa Clipper Space Probe -</p><p>Link 1 (NASA) >>> <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper" target="_blank">https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper</a> </p><p>Link 2 >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Clipper" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Clipper</a> <br /></p><p>Tidal Heating: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_heating" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_heating</a></p><p>Galileo Galilei: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei</a> <br /></p><p>Simon Marius: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Marius" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Marius</a><br /></p><p>More Poetry Regarding Astronomy & the Space Sciences:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/poetry/" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/poetry/</a></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Laser-Powered Sub to Explore Jupiter Moon Europa ?" Sun., 2018 Oct. 7.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/10/laser-powered-sub-to-explore-jupiter.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2018/10/laser-powered-sub-to-explore-jupiter.html</a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Deadline to Add Name to NASA Mars Lander: Tuesday Night." Sun., 2015 Sept. 6.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/09/deadline-to-add-name-to-nasa-mars.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2015/09/deadline-to-add-name-to-nasa-mars.html</a><br /></h3><p></p><p><b>Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span><span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p> Tuesday<span>, 2023 June 14.</span></p><p><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p></p><p>Glenn
A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator
(For more than 50 years! -
Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly
Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer,
original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a.
Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-13233473566854101502023-06-05T00:00:00.001-04:002023-06-05T00:06:49.736-04:00NASA Laser Com-Link Doubles Satellite Data Speed<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="undefined" height="446" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/OPALS_laser_beams_data_to_Earth.jpg/800px-OPALS_laser_beams_data_to_Earth.jpg" width="640" /> <br /></p></div><p> <i>Artist's rendering of a NASA laser communications link aboard the International Space Station. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Wikipedia.org, By NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA&#039;s OPALS to Beam Data From Space Via Laser, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33293907)</span></i><br /></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">NASA, the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) and other institutions have doubled the rate of data
down-loads from an Earth satellite launched last year. A space laser
now allows data from the satellite to be received at a rate of 200
gigabytes per second, which doubles the rate of 100 gigabytes per
second reached last year.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For the advance of scientific research,
Jason Mitchell, an aerospace engineer with NASA's Space
Communications and Navigation Program, says of the new milestone
“more data means more discoveries”.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">During a satellite's typical 5-minute pass overhead, the new data rate will allow the
transmission of more than 2 terabytes of data. This is the equivalent
of 1,000 high-definition motion pictures.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Within a month of reaching orbit in
June of 2022, the laser com-link reached 100 gigabytes per second
which is 100 times faster than Internet speeds using fiber optics in
most cities and more than 1,000 times faster than traditional
satellite radio data speeds.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This advancement comes from the
TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) System, which was launched into
Earth orbit in May of last year on NASA's Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) satellite, which uses an infrared laser. TBIRD
and PTD-3 were launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
in Florida on 2022 May 25, via SpaceX's Transporter-5 launch vehicle.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The PTD-3 satellite is a ~26.45-pound /
12-kilogram Cube-Sat. The satellite is described as the size of 2 cereal
boxes stacked on top of each other. TBIRD is just the size of a
tissue box.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This new laser communications system
should help with data coming from experiments on the International
Space Station (ISS). Currently, much of this data must be returned to
Earth via storage drives on cargo spacecraft, due to limitations on
down-link rates. TBIRD can particularly help with data regarding
Earth climate and resources, as well as astronomy and astrophysics
data.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One problem that scientists had to
overcome was the technical problems of laser communications. Laser
beams tend to distort when traveling from space, due to atmospheric
effects and weather conditions. This can cause power loss and data
loss.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Scientists have developed an “Automatic
Repeat Request” (ARQ) protocol to control the data transmission. A
low data rate up-link signal from the ground station alerts the
satellite to re-transmit a certain block of data. To increase
efficiency, the protocol lets the satellite know which specific data
blocks need to be re-sent, so the whole transmission does not have to
be repeated.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another problem with laser beams is
their tendency to form narrower beams than radio signals. TBIRD
provides the satellite with the proper orientation information, so
the laser beam is directed to a specific ground station.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">TBIRD can support multiple channels
through wavelength separation. This is how TBIRD reached 200
gigabytes per second by using two 100 gigabytes per second channels.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This new laser communications
technology can have several new applications:</p>
<ul><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Imaging Black Holes with the Event
Horizon Telescope;</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Satellites in geostationary orbit;</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Missions to the Moon and
eventually Mars and other Solar System destinations;</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Atmospheric data links:
building-to-building and mountaintop-to mountaintop (where the
laying of fiber optic cable is not feasible due to technical or
financial reasons).</p>
</li></ul>
<p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Laser Communication in Space:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_communication_in_space" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_communication_in_space</a></p><p>NASA News Release - TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) System:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/cubesat-set-to-demonstrate-nasas-fastest-laser-link-from-space" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/cubesat-set-to-demonstrate-nasas-fastest-laser-link-from-space</a></p><p>MIT TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) System:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://www.ll.mit.edu/sites/default/files/other/doc/2023-02/TVO_Technology_Highlight_12_TBird.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ll.mit.edu/sites/default/files/other/doc/2023-02/TVO_Technology_Highlight_12_TBird.pdf</a></p><p>NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator:</p><p>Link>>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/small_spacecraft/Pathfinder_Technology_Demonstrator/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/small_spacecraft/Pathfinder_Technology_Demonstrator/</a></p><p><b>Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span><span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p> Monday<span>, 2023 June 5.</span></p><p><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p></p><p>Glenn
A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator
(For more than 50 years! -
Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly
Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer,
original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a.
Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p><p> </p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-80338947822134641282023-05-22T00:00:00.003-04:002023-05-22T00:08:35.788-04:00Citizen Science: Help NASA 'Listen' to the Solar Wind<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img height="360" src="https://listen.spacescience.org/SOHO_SDO_ESO_t.jpg" width="640" /></p></div><i>Image showing the Sun and Solar Wind, from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite, a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Sources: NASA, ESA)</span></i><br /><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub>Help NASA 'listen' to audified
particles streaming from the Sun into Outer Space. NASA's HARP
Citizen Science Project asks volunteers to use their ears to help
scientists pick-out complex wave patterns of the Solar Wind.</sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub>Outer Space is far from empty. The
Solar Wind consists of charged particles, electrons, and ions, known
as Solar Plasma, streaming every minute from the Sun, and probably
from other stars in the Universe. But, this stream of particles is
not consistent.</sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub>When this Solar Wind plasma stream
hits the Earth, it causes the magnetic field lines-of-force and the
plasma around our planet “to vibrate like the plucked strings of a
harp, producing ultralow-frequency waves” according to NASA.</sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub>The frequencies of the waves
scientists need to measure are too low for the human ear to hear.
HARP, the Heliophysics Audified Resonances Plasma Project, is a
NASA-sponsored Citizen Science Project which 'audifies' or makes
audible the ultra-low frequency waves caused by by the Solar Wind.
Citizen Scientists can then help scientists decipher the audible
whistles, crunches, and whooshes heard from this stream of solar
particles.</sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><sub>“</sub></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: black;"><sub><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">What
excites me most about the HARP project is the ability for citizen
scientists to make new discoveries in heliophysics research through
audio analysis,” said the project’s principal investigator,
Michael Hartinger, a heliophysicist at the Space Science Institute in
Colorado, in a NASA news release. “We need their help to understand
complex patterns in the near-Earth space environment.”</span></span></sub></span><sub>
</sub></span></span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span><sub>The
data that Citizen Scientists will use for this project comes from the
THEMIS Mission (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions
during Substorms), which originally consisted of five satellites
launched by NASA in 2007. As part of the THEMIS Mission, the
satellites flew through the Magnetosphere, what NASA calls Earth's
magnetic “harp”. </sub></span></span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So,
THEMIS has provided a great deal of data since 2007. However, there
is too much data for scientists to evaluate by themselves. According
to NASA, “By converting this data into sound and listening with
your ears, the brain can pick out complex wave patterns much faster
than by eye”.</span></span></sub></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><sub>“</sub></span><span style="color: black;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">THEMIS
can sample the whole harp,” Hartinger said, “and it’s been out
there a long time, so it has collected a lot of data.”</span></span></span></span></sub></span><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></sub>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To
learn more about the NASA HARP Project, and to volunteer to
participate in the project, go to the following Internet web-site:</span></span></sub></b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Link
>>> <a href="https://listen.spacescience.org/" target="_blank">https://listen.spacescience.org/</a></span></span></sub></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Internet Links to Additional Information ---</span></span></sub></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">NASA News Release: "Help Discover the Sounds of Space Played by NASA's HARP."</span></span></sub></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Link >>> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/sun/help-discover-the-sounds-of-space-played-by-nasa-s-harp" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/sun/help-discover-the-sounds-of-space-played-by-nasa-s-harp</a> </span></span></sub></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">NASA THEMIS Mission: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THEMIS" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THEMIS</a> <br /></span></span></sub></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Solar Wind: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind</a> </span></span></sub></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><sub><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plasma - One of Four States of Matter: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)</a> </span></span></sub>
</p>
<p> Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) Satellite:</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_and_Heliospheric_Observatory" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_and_Heliospheric_Observatory</a><br /></p><p>More Citizen Science Projects: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/citizenscience.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/citizenscience.html</a> <br /></p><p><b>Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span><span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p> Monday<span>, 2023 May 22.</span></p><p><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p></p><p>Glenn
A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator
(For more than 50 years! -
Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly
Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer,
original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a.
Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p><p> </p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-31332539745385903872023-05-01T06:00:00.006-04:002023-05-21T23:12:18.329-04:00May Day Originated in Astronomy<div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img height="640" src="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/pix/tulipsIMG_0263.jpg" width="480" /></p></div><p> <i>April showers bring May flowers !</i></p><p><i>Tulips growing in suburban Pittsburgh this Spring. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss; Photographer: Glenn A. Walsh)<br /></span></i></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Today, May 1, marks the <i>traditional</i>
Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltane, better known as May Day.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The <i>actual</i> Astronomical
Cross-Quarter Day date varies using the modern Gregorian Calendar.
This year, the <i>actual</i> Beltane Cross-Quarter Day occurs on Friday,
2023 May 5 at 8:25 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 12:25
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While using the ancient Celtic
Calendar, May 1 marked the <i>traditional</i> Beltane Cross-Quarter
Day, the Gaelic May Day Festival. This festival was widely observed
in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In Wales, a similar
celebration is known as Calan Mai.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The earliest known such Spring
celebrations came during the Roman Republic era. The ancient Roman
festival of Floralia (Festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of
Flowers) occurred around this time-of-year (April 27 to May 3).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The ancient Celtic Calendar divided the
year into four Gaelic Festival, Quarter Days: Lady Day / Vernal
Equinox (March 25), Mid-Summer Day / Summer Solstice (June 24),
Michaelmas / Autumnal Equinox (September 29), and Christmas / Winter
Solstice (December 25). Then, each Quarter (what we now call a
Season) was divided into Cross-Quarter Days: Candlemas / Imbolc /
Groundhog Day (February 2), Beltane / May Day (May 1), Lughnasadh /
Lammas Day (August 1), and Samhain / Halloween (October 31).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Celtic Calendar created Beltane,
what we now call May Day, as the midway-point between the Vernal
Equinox and the Summer Solstice. However, they called the Summer
Solstice <i>Mid-Summer</i>, famous today in the name of the
Shakespeare play, “A Mid-Summer Night's Dream”.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Beltane, in the Celtic Calendar, was
actually considered the beginning of Summer. In ancient times, a
Cross-Quarter Day was considered the beginning of a Season, while an
Equinox or a Solstice was considered the midway-point in a Season.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Beltane or May Day was a day of
agricultural celebration, as crops sown earlier were beginning to
sprout. It also marked the time of year when cattle were moved to
pastures for Summer grazing. The day marked rituals to protect the
cattle, crops, and the parishioners.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It was also a day for young couples to
pair-up. However, weddings would not be expected until the Mid-Summer
Quarter Day. Even today, many weddings are planned for the month of
June.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">By the 20<sup>th</sup> century, Beltane
customs fell out-of favor. However, Celtic Neopagans and Wiccans now
celebrate customs based on Beltane as a religious holiday.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the latter part of the 19<sup>th</sup>
century, May Day became connected with the labor movement. 1889 May 1
was chosen as International Workers' Day (in some countries known as
Labour Day) by the Second International to commemorate the Chicago
Haymarket Riot and the struggle for an eight-hour work day.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In 1955, the Roman Catholic Church
dedicated May 1 to “Saint Joseph the Worker”. Saint Joseph is
considered the Patron Saint of Workers and Craftsmen, among other
workers.</p><p>Completely unrelated, in the United States May 1 is also considered Law Day.<br /></p><p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Beltane: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane</a> </p><p>May Day: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day</a> </p><p>International Workers' Day: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day</a> </p><p>Law Day: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Day_(United_States)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Day_(United_States)</a> <br /></p><p>Celtic Calendar: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_calendar" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_calendar</a> </p><p>Gregorian Calendar: Link: >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar</a><br /></p><p><b> Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Astronomy Needed to Calculate Dates of Passover & Easter." Sun., 2023 April 2.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/04/astronomy-needed-to-calculate-dates-of.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/04/astronomy-needed-to-calculate-dates-of.html</a><br /></h3><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Spring Begins at Vernal Equinox Mon. Afternoon." Fri., 2023 March 17.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/03/spring-begins-at-vernal-equinox-mon.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/03/spring-begins-at-vernal-equinox-mon.html</a><br /></h3><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Daylight Saving Time Returns - Year-round?" Fri., 2023 March 10.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font: 18px Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Link >>> <a href="https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/03/daylight-saving-time-returns-year-round.html" target="_blank">https://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2023/03/daylight-saving-time-returns-year-round.html</a><br /></h3><p><b>Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span><span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p> Monday<span>, 2023 May 1.</span></p><p><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p></p><p>Glenn
A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator
(For more than 50 years! -
Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly
Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer,
original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a.
Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p><p> </p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467968634858358008.post-71889835673562886682023-04-17T11:00:00.020-04:002023-04-17T18:13:40.015-04:00LIVE-STREAM: Rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse Early Thur. Morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/SolarEclipseSafetyCanali.GIF" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="646" src="https://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/SolarEclipseSafetyCanali.GIF" width="600" /></a></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>NO PARTIAL PHASE OF ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, NOR ANY ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE / ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, IS SAFE TO LOOK AT DIRECTLY, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER TRAINING AND PROPER EQUIPMENT TO DO SO SAFELY; OTHERWISE EYE-SIGHT COULD BE DAMAGED PERMANENTLY !!!</b><span> </span>This graphic shows<span> </span><b>one way</b><span> </span>to safely view the partial phases of a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun, or safely view an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun, by building a Solar Pinhole Viewing Box (a.k.a. Pinhole Camera) as shown above. After building this box,<b><span> </span>you must turn your back to the Sun</b><span> </span>and allow the light from the Sun to go through the pinhole and shine on a white piece of paper on the other end of the inside of the box<span> </span><b>(NEVER LOOK THROUGH THE PINHOLE AT THE SUN!).</b></i><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Graphic Source: Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center, America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's science and technology museum from 1939 to 1991, and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club.)</span></i><b> <br /></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">M<b>ore Information - </b></span></i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: TIPS FOR SAFE VIEWING –</span></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html</a></span></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>By Glenn A. Walsh</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Reporting for SpaceWatchtower</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Early Thursday morning (2023 April 20),
a rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun (both Total
and Annular Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun) will be visible,
weather-permitting, just north and west of Australia. A Live-Stream
Internet Web-Cast of the event will be available for those not in the
area of the eclipse, or if inclement weather prevents direct viewing
of the event.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>NEVER
LOOK </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i><b>DIRECTLY </b></i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>AT
ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER
TRAINING AND PROPER EQUIPMENT TO DO SO SAFELY</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><i><b>;
OTHERWISE EYE-SIGHT COULD BE DAMAGED PERMANENTLY</b></i></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>!!!</b></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Internet link to Live-Stream
Web-Cast of 2023 April 20 Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of
the Sun near the end of this blog-post.</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>WHERE CAN THIS ECLIPSE BE SEEN ?</b></p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The path of the
2023 April 20 Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun will
run from the southern portion of the Indian Ocean to just north of
Australia (which will just touch the north-western tip of Australia,
known as North West Cape, a remote peninsula of Western Australia).
This eclipse concludes north and east of Australia. A Partial Solar
Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun will be visible,
weather-permitting, just beyond the confines of the Hybrid Solar
Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This eclipse will
appear as a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun in the
North West Cape Peninsula and Barrow Island of Western Australia,
close to the middle of the Eclipse Path. This eclipse will appear as
an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun. at the
beginning of the Eclipse Path (at and near local Sunrise) and at the
end of the Eclipse Path (at and near local Sunset).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>WHEN CAN THIS ECLIPSE BE SEEN?</b></p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This rare Hybrid
Solar Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun will be visible,
weather-permitting, early on Thursday Morning, 2023 April 20.
Although eclipse times will vary for specific locations, the
following are the general times for this eclipse. Times are given in
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the international time used by
scientists; subtract 4 hours from the times given for Eastern
Daylight Saving Time (EDT) or subtract 5 hours from the times given
for Eastern Standard Time (EST). ---</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">First location to
see Partial Eclipse begin: 1:34:26 UTC</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">First location to
see Full Eclipse begin: 2:37:08 UTC</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Time of Primary
Lunar Phase of New Moon (Lunation #1241): 4:12 UTC</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Greatest Eclipse:
4:16:46.8 UTC</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Last location to
see Full Eclipse end: 5:56:43 UTC</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Last location to
see Partial Eclipse end: 6:59:22 UTC</p>
<p style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>WHAT
IS ---</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon comes
directly between the Sun and the Earth and part or all of the lunar
shadow falls on a portion of our planet. </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Any
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun is dangerous to eye-sight to
view directly, unless you have the proper training and proper
equipment to do so safely! </span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun always occurs near and at the time
of a Primary Lunar Phase of New Moon.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Path
of the Eclipse includes a Path of Totality, where the Moon
completely obscures the Sun for a short length of time for a
particular location on the Earth which is within the Path of
Totality. At the time of Totality, darkness similar to a deep level
of dusk falls on that location, and sometimes scientists with special
observing equipment can view Solar Flares and / or Prominences
emanating from the Sun. With direct Sunlight completely blocked, the
air temperature generally declines noticeably, and birds and other
wildlife often begin their night-time routines.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>An
Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An
Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun is somewhat
similar to a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun. However,
unlike a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun, the Sun is
never completely covered by the Moon, for a location in the Path of
Annularity, during an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the
Sun. And, like during a Total Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the
Sun, the natural light level acts almost like at dusk, the air temperature
generally declines noticeably, and birds and other wildlife are
confused and may begin their night-time routines during an Annular
Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During
an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun while in the
Path of Annularity, the Moon blocks-out the vast majority of the Sun,
except for the extremely bright edge of the solar disk. Hence, this
type of eclipse is often referred to as a “Ring-of-Fire” Solar
Eclipse / "Ring-of-Fire" Eclipse of the Sun, as the bright edge appears as a ring-of-fire around the dark
Moon.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
reason an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun does not
completely block-out the Sun's light, as does a Total Solar Eclipse /
Total Eclipse of the Sun, is because during an Annular Solar Eclipse
/ Annular Eclipse of the Sun the Moon is farther from Earth than
normal and appears a little smaller as viewed from Earth. Hence, the
Moon is too far, and appears too small, to block-out the entire solar
disk.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun occurs when the
eclipse begins as an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the
Sun, during the middle of the Eclipse Path transitions to a Total
Solar Eclipse / Total Eclipse of the Sun, then transitions back to an
Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun as the Eclipse
Path ends.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A
Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun ?</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun occurs when only
part of the Sun is blocked by the Moon. <i>This is also true during
the Partial Phases of a Total, Annular, or Hybrid Solar Eclipse /
Total, Annular, or Hybrid Eclipse of the Sun.</i> Usually, more of
the Sun is still visible during a Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial
Eclipse of the Sun (<i>and during the Partial Phases of other Solar
Eclipses / Eclipses of the Sun</i>) than during an Annular Solar
Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the Sun or Hybrid Solar Eclipse / Hybrid
Eclipse of the Sun.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>There
is no time during an Annular Solar Eclipse / Annular Eclipse of the
Sun, or during a Partial Solar Eclipse / Partial Eclipse of the Sun
</b><b>(</b><i><b>or during the Partial Phases any Solar Eclipse /
Eclipse of the Sun</b></i><b>),</b><b> when it is safe to
look </b><i><b>directly</b></i> <b>at the eclipse, unless
you have the proper training and proper equipment to do so safely!</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ECLIPSE
PAIRS ---</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eclipses
always come in pairs, and sometimes three in-a-row. A Lunar Eclipse /
Eclipse of the Moon either precedes a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the
Sun by a couple weeks, or a Lunar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Moon
follows a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun by a couple weeks.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This
time, a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse / Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon
follows on Friday Afternoon, 2023 May 5. This eclipse can be viewed
directly [any Lunar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Moon is safe to view
with the naked-eyes (one-power), binoculars, or a telescope] from the
Indian Ocean, Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, and New
Zealand. However, a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse / Penumbral Eclipse of
the Moon is quite dim and often difficult to discern.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>HOW
TO SAFELY VIEW ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN ---</b></span></span></span></p>
<ol><li><p style="border: medium none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding: 0in; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Internet
-</b> Watch the eclipse on an Internet, Live-Stream Web-Cast
(Internet link to Live-Stream Web-Cast near the end of this
blog-post). Of course, people outside of the Path of an Eclipse can
watch the eclipse on an Internet, Live-Stream Web-Cast, as well as
people within the Eclipse Path where clouds obscure the view..</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: medium none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding: 0in; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Public
Observing Events - </b>Sometimes educational events for eclipse
viewing are sponsored by a local planetarium or science museum,
astronomical observatory, science department of a local college or
high school, amateur astronomy club, or local library.</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: medium none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding: 0in; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Solar
Pinhole Viewing Box - </b>Create a Solar Pinhole Viewing Box (a.k.a. Pinhole Camera),
as displayed and described at the beginning of this blog-post.</span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding: 0in; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Solar
Eclipse Glasses” - </b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For
a few dollars you can purchase Solar Eclipse Glasses. However, only
use such glasses that are specifically labeled for solar eclipse
viewing, preferably approved by the American Astronomical Society
(to ensure you do not purchase fake eclipse glasses). </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Special
Note: </b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Solar
Eclipse Glasses are very fragile and must be handled gently. Also,
before each use during an eclipse, check the glasses by looking
through the glasses at a lit light bulb; if you find </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">any</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> holes
or tears in the glasses, that pair of glasses could damage your
eye-sight during eclipse viewing and should be discarded.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
</li><li><p style="border: medium none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding: 0in; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Shade
Rating Number 14 Welder's Glass – </b>Shade Rating Number 14
Welder's Glass <i>(and only Welder's Glass Rated at Shade
Number 14, the strongest shade available)</i> can be used for
safe eclipse viewing, but may be uncomfortable to some because the
Sun still appears very bright through this glass.</span></span></span></p>
</li></ol>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>THESE
ARE THE ONLY SAFE WAYS TO VIEW ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE
SUN </b>!</span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>INTERNET
LINK TO LIVE-STREAM WEB-CAST OF 2023 APRIL 20 ECLIPSE:</b></span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Link
>>> <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2023-april-20" target="_blank">https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2023-april-20</a></b></span></span></span>
</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>SOLAR
ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: TIPS FOR SAFE VIEWING – Link >>>
<span> </span><a href="https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/soleclipse/solareclipseviewingtips.html</a></b></span></span></span>
</p>
<p><b>Internet Links to Additional Information ---</b></p><p>Solar Eclipse: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse</a><br /></p><p>Hybrid Solar Eclipse: Link >>> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse#Types" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse#Types</a><br /></p><p><b>Related Blog-Posts ---</b></p><p>Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 2013 Nov. 3.</p><p><b> </b>Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/11/partial-sunrise-solar-eclipse-sunday.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/11/partial-sunrise-solar-eclipse-sunday.html</a> </p><p>Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 2005 April 5.</p><p>Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/eclipse/hybrid2005.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/eclipse/hybrid2005.html</a><br /></p><p><b>Source:</b><span> Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SpaceWatchtower</a>,</span><span> a project of <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">Friends of the Zeiss</a></span> </p><p> Monday<span>, 2023 April 17.</span></p><p><br /> <i><b>Like This Post? Please Share!</b></i><br /><br /> <b>More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:</b><br /> <b>Link >>> <a href="https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower</a></b><br /><b><br /></b> <b>Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks</a></b><br /><br /> Want to receive <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">SpaceWatchtower</span></a> blog posts in your in-box ?<br /> Send request to <<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="mailto:spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc" target="_blank">spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc</a> >.<br /><br />gaw</p><p></p><p>Glenn
A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator
(For more than 50 years! -
Since Monday Morning, 1972 June 12):<br />Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/index.html" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/</a><br />Electronic Mail: < <a href="mailto:gawalsh@planetarium.cc" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">gawalsh@planetarium.cc</span></a> ><br />Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/" target="_blank">http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/</a><br />SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/</a><br />Formerly
Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer,
original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a.
Buhl Science Center), America's fifth major planetarium and Pittsburgh's
science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.<br />Formerly Trustee,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of only five libraries where <i>both construction and endowment </i>funded by famous industrialist & philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.<br />Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --<br />* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: Link >>> <a href="http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.planetarium.cc</span></a> Buhl Observatory: Link >>> <a href="http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html" target="_blank">http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html</a><br />* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: Link >>> <a href="http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear: Link >>> <a href="http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://johnbrashear.tripod.com</span></a><br />* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: Link >>> <a href="http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>* Other Walsh-Authored Blog & Web-Sites: Link >>> <a href="https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html" target="_blank">https://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/gawweb.html</a></p><p></p>Friends of the Zeisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16508227348733070405noreply@blogger.com0