Mon Jul 29, 2024 DELTA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER
A meteor shower is going on right now. It’s called the Delta Aquarid meteor shower, so named because these meteors come out of the constellation Aquarius, near its fourth brightest star, Delta Aquarii. Most meteor showers are caused by tiny bits of comet dust in space. As the dust hits the earth’s upper atmosphere, it vaporizes, which then heats the air the dust passes through, lighting it up as a momentary streak of light in the night sky – that’s a meteor, also called a shooting star or falling star. Most meteor showers are best seen after midnight, but the light from the waning gibbous moon will mar the view so go outside late in the evening and view it until the moon rises. Get away from bright streetlights, dress warmly, protect yourself against mosquitoes, lie back in a lounge chair and look up high in the east for best results. This is a long-lasting shower which will continue until mid-August; but the best viewing will probably be the next two nights.
Tue Jul 30, 2024 MOON, JUPITER AND MARS TOGETHER IN PREDAWN
Tomorrow morning before dawn, you’ll have a chance to see the planets Jupiter and Mars nearby the old crescent moon, over in the eastern sky. All three objects can be found within the borders of the constellation Taurus the Bull, and will appear fairly close to the Pleiades star cluster and also a red giant star named Aldebaran, which marks the bull’s eye. The moon is closest to the Pleaides, which are also called, “the seven sisters” because on clear dark nights, you can see roughly that many stars in this open cluster. Jupiter will be the brightest star-like object with Mars shining like an orange colored star below and to the west of it, and Aldebaran, about the same color as Mars, below and to the east. One way to tell a star from a planet – Aldebaran will twinkle, while Mars and Jupiter will shine with a steady light.
Wed Jul 31, 2024 GALILEO SEES SATURN
On July 30th 1610 Galileo set up a small, hand-made telescope on his veranda in Padua, and aimed it at a bright yellow, star-like object in the night sky. So what did he see? Just a small round blob of light, and on either side, two even smaller blobs. Were these two large moons of Saturn? Did the planet have handles? Or ears? He couldn’t tell. His crude telescope only magnified objects about 30 times, which wasn’t enough to resolve the mysterious somethings that flanked the sixth planet. Galileo recorded what he saw, then moved on to other discoveries. It wasn’t until 1655 that better telescopes resolved those blobs into rings. Now, 400 years later, even small telescopes are good enough to resolve the rings of Saturn; if you go outside after midnight you can find the ringed planet low in the southeastern sky in the constellation Aquarius.
Thur Aug 1, 2024 LUGHNASADH – LAMAS/AUGUST FULL MOON
Today is the third cross-quarter day of the year: this time it’s Lammas, which divides the summer season into two halves. The old name for today was Lughnasadh, commemorating the marriage of the Celtic sun god Lugh to Danu the earth goddess, assuring that the crops would grow. Their children became the Tuatha de Danaan, the fairy folk of Ireland. In Christian reckoning, this is the “Loaf Mass,” or “Lammas.” The loaves of bread baked at this time were consecrated as the first harvest food. This was a busy time, as there was a lot of farming to be done; the days were much longer than the nights, which meant the farmwork just kept going until everyone was exhausted. Lammas was a small break in this work, work, work period – a chance for everyone to bake some bread and give thanks for the respite.
Fri Aug 2, 2024 MARIA MITCHELL
Maria Mitchell, was born on August 1st, 1818. As a young girl she helped her father in his observatory on Nantucket Island. In 1847 she set up a telescope on her parent’s housetop and discovered a comet. The next year she became the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She also served as professor of astronomy at Vassar College from 1865 until a year before her death in 1889. She contributed to the American Nautical Almanac, observed sunspots and solar eclipses, plus the planets and the moon. A crater on the moon is named for her. Maria Mitchell said, “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but is somewhat beauty and poetry.” But she also asked of her students, "Did you learn that from a book or did you observe it yourself?"
