Earth/Sky: A novel approach to star trails
June 5, 2017
Earth/Sky for tonight
June 4, 2017
Astronomy-sky watching Earth/Sky news Leave a comment
see I was nearly correct in what I viewed in the Night Sky last night. But let’s let them explain it to you.
Moon, Jupiter, Spica on June 4
Earth/Sky News
February 18, 2016
Astronomy-sky watching, Skeen Goodies Earth/Sky news Leave a comment
Hidden galaxies, Mars lakes, uncertain asteroid
Deborah Byrd explains the science behind recent headlines:
EarthSky Pluto
February 11, 2016
Astronomy-sky watching, Skeen Goodies EarthSky // Astronomy Essentials, Pluto 2 Comments


Full moon on January 23-24, 2016
January 23, 2016
Astronomy-sky watching, Skeen Goodies Full moon tonight and she is beautiful already! 5 Comments
Tonight: January 23, 2016
This full moon falls on January 24 at 1:46 Universal Time. Although the moon turns full at the same instant worldwide, the clock time – and possibly the date – differ by time zone. For the mainland United States, the moon reaches the crest of its full phase on this Saturday evening on January 23 at 8:46 p.m. EST, 7:46 p.m. CST, 6:46 p.m. MST or5:46 p.m. PST.
The January 2016 full moon counts as the second full moon after the December solstice. In North America, we often call this full moon the Wolf Moon, Snow Moon or Hunger Moon.
Astronomically speaking, the moon is full at the moment that it’s most opposite the sun in its orbit (180o from the sun in celestial or ecliptic longitude). For general reference, however, we can say the moon is full all night tonight, lighting up the nighttime from dusk until dawn.
Elsewhere around the world, the moon reaches the crest of its full phase at different times on the clock. Looking at the worldwide map below, you can see that the full moon comes at midnight for the Atlantic Ocean, noon for the Pacific Ocean, sunset (January 23) in Alaska and sunrise (January 24) in Asia. All these places will see a full-looking moon lighting up the sky tonight from dusk until dawn.
But to see the moon at the instant of a full moon, the moon has to be above your horizon on the nighttime side of the world.
In both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the January sun – unlike the January full moon – rises south of due east and sets south of due west. In the Northern Hemisphere, these far-southern risings and settings of the sun give us the short days of winter. South of the equator, the same far-southern sunrises and sunsets bring long summer days. Meanwhile, the full moon lies opposite the sun, mirroring the sun’s place in front of the backdrop stars for six months hence.
And that’s why tonight’s moon – like the sun in summer – will follow a high path across the sky as seen from the northern part of the globe – and a low path as seen from the southern.
This January full moon rises north of due east around sunset, climbs highest in the sky around midnight and sets north of due west around sunrise.
Can you tell me the full moon names?
January 23, 2016
Astronomy-sky watching, Skeen Goodies EarthSky // Astronomy Essentials, Names of the Full Moons 2 Comments
EarthSky // Astronomy Essentials, Science Wire
Release Date: Jan 23, 2016
For both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the full moons have names corresponding to the calendar months or the seasons of the year
Some almanacs like to give each month a special full moon name. Other almanacs like to reference full moons relative to seasonal markers, as defined by equinoxes and solstices. Is one way better than the other? No. Both have their roots in folklore. Of course, both the monthly names and the seasonal names necessarily favor either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. That’s because the moon has different characteristics in the two hemispheres, at opposite times of the year. For example, the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. So it falls in September or October for the Northern Hemisphere, and it falls in March or April for the Southern Hemisphere.
Full moon setting. Photo credit-Carl Galloway
Northern Hemisphere full moon names by month:
January: Old Moon, Moon After Yule
February: Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, Wolf Moon
March: Sap Moon, Crow Moon, Lenten Moon
April: Grass Moon, Egg Moon
May: Planting Moon, Milk Moon
June: Rose Moon, Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon
July: Thunder Moon, Hay Moon
August: Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon
September: Fruit Moon, Harvest Moon
October: Harvest Moon, Hunter’s Moon
November: Hunter’s Moon, Frosty Moon, or Beaver Moon
December: Moon Before Yule, or Long Night Moon
Southern Hemisphere full moon names by month:
January: Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Mead Moon
February (mid-summer): Grain Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Red Moon, Wyrt Moon, Corn Moon, Dog Moon, Barley Moon
March: Harvest Moon, Corn Moon
April: Harvest Moon, Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon
May: Hunter’s Moon, Beaver Moon, Frost Moon
June: Oak Moon, Cold Moon, Long Night’s Moon
July: Wolf Moon, Old Moon, Ice Moon
August: Snow Moon, Storm Moon, Hunger Moon, Wolf Moon
September: Worm Moon, Lenten Moon, Crow Moon, Sugar Moon, Chaste Moon, Sap Moon
October: Egg Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Pink Moon, Waking Moon
November: Corn Moon, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Hare Moon
December: Strawberry Moon, Honey Moon, Rose Moon
***About once every 19 years, February has no full moon at all.***
Moreover, in 7 out of every 19 years, two full moons will fall in the same calendar month. The second of the month’s two full moons is popularly referred to as a Blue Moon.
Full moon names by season (Northern or Southern Hemisphere):
After the winter solstice:
Old Moon, or Moon After Yule
Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, or Wolf Moon
Sap Moon, Crow Moon or Lenten Moon
After the spring equinox:
Grass Moon, or Egg Moon
Planting Moon, or Milk Moon
Rose Moon, Flower Moon, or Strawberry Moon
After the summer solstice:
Thunder Moon, or Hay Moon
Green Corn Moon, or Grain Moon
Fruit Moon, or Harvest Moon
After the autumnal equinox:
Harvest Moon, or Hunter’s Moon
Hunter’s Moon, Frosty Moon, or Beaver Moon
Moon Before Yule, or Long Night Moon
There are usually three full moons in between an equinox and a solstice, or vice versa. Seven times in 19 years, four full moons fall in a single season. In that case, the third of a season’s four full moons is also called a Blue Moon. The next Blue Moon by this definition will happen on May 21, 2016.
Thank you, Skeen! You’re Awesome! ❤
Galactoseismology
January 17, 2016
Astronomy-sky watching, Skeen Goodies galactoseismology Leave a comment
Deborah delivers the headlines of the past few days. First up, a new word for you … “galactoseismology,” the study of galaxy-wide quakes in our Milky Way. At the end … a stirring new video on the dramatic upright landing of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, in December. This Sunday, SpaceX will try again for an upright rocket

Earthrise photo
January 5, 2016
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A new earthrise photo, as seen from the moon by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Start 2016 with a sky challenge.
January 1, 2016
Astronomy-sky watching Quadrantid meteor shower 1 Comment
Start 2016 with a sky challenge. The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in moon-free skies, between midnight and dawn on January 4.
The annual Quadrantid shower is nominally active during the first week of January, and is best seen from northerly latitudes. However, peak activity lasts less than a day. So you need to be on the night side of Earth when this shower exhibits its relatively short peak to witness the Quadrantids. In 2016, we don’t expect the waning crescent moon to seriously obtrude on this meteor shower. So if you’re game, try watching between midnight and dawn on January 4.
This meteor shower favors the Northern Hemisphere. That’s because its radiant point – the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to radiate – is far to the north on the sky’s dome.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is capable of matching the meteor rates of the better known August Perseid and December Geminid showers. It has been known to produce up to 50-100 or more meteors per hour in a dark sky.
So why isn’t the Quadrantid shower as celebrated as the Perseid and Geminid showers? It’s because the Quadrantid shower has a narrow peak that lasts for only a few hours. If you miss the peak – which is easy to do – you won’t see many meteors.
If you’re thinking of watching the Quadrantids, do it. Meteor shower peaks are rarely certain, and sometimes a gamble on a shower will reward you with a good show. Just be aware you might not see a whole lot of meteors! No matter where you are in the Northern Hemisphere, the best time to watch is between midnight and dawn, local time. Fortunately, the waning crescent moon shouldn’t intrude too greatly on the January 2016 Quadrantid meteor shower!
The Quadrantid shower is named after the defunct 19th-century constellation Quadrans Muralis. If you trace the paths of the Quadrantids backward, they appear to radiate from a point where this constellation once reigned in the sky. If you wish, you can locate the Quadrantid radiant in reference to the Big Dipper and the bright star Arcturus. Use the chart at the top of this post.
But you don’t need to find the radiant to enjoy the Quadrantids. You need a dark, open sky, and you need to look in a general north-northeast direction for an hour or so before dawn. That’s the Quadrantid meteor shower – from late night January 3 to dawn January 4, 2016 – for the world’s northerly latitudes. Who knows? This shower can produce up to 50 or more meteors per hour, but its peak is rather short and sweet. Just before dawn on January 4, the waning crescent moon will be rather close to Mars, and you can use the moon and Mars to guide you to three more morning planets. Jupiter shines to the west of the moon and Jupiter, and the planets Venus and Saturn sit low in the southeast during the dark hour before dawn.
It’ll be worth getting up in the wee hours just to see the lineup of planets. The green line depicts the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected onto the dome of sky.
Hidden Lair at the Heart of Galaxy NGC 1068
December 24, 2015
Astronomy-sky watching Hidden Lair at the Heart of Galaxy NGC 1068 Leave a comment