Saturday, January 23, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Skywatching Highlights of 2010
Here are some of the more noteworthy sky events that will take place in 2010. Each will be covered in greater detail as the event approaches. Notes about terminology:
Magnitude: On this scale, smaller numbers represent brighter objects, with the brightest stars and planets represented by negative numbers.
Degrees: Distances in the sky, from our point of view, are measured in degrees. Your fist on an outstretched arm measures about 10 degrees of sky.
Jan. 15 – Solar Eclipse
An annular (ring) eclipse of the sun will take place over parts of Africa, India and China. Because the moon is near apogee (its farthest point from Earth in its orbit) and the Earth has just passed perihelion. So the moon appears much smaller than average, and the sun somewhat larger than average. The moon's circle is only about 92 percent as wide as the sun; so 4 percent of the sun's width shows on each side of the moon. Thus, the annular phase lasts a maximum of 11 minutes and 8 seconds. This is a very long duration indeed: nearly twice as long as some people got to watch last July's total eclipse. According to eclipse expert Fred Espenak of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, this is the longest annular eclipse of the 3rd Millennium – its duration will not be exceeded until the year 3043!
Jan. 29 – Mars Close Approach
Mars will be only 61.7 million miles from Earth, closer than it will be again until March 2014. Peaking at magnitude -1.3, Mars will outshine all stars and other planets except Sirius and Jupiter. Opposition to the sun occurs on the 29th. It's during January that Mars begins to become large enough to show, through telescopes, touches of dark surface detail and perhaps occasional white clouds or limb hazes in medium-sized amateur telescopes at the best moments on steady nights when it's fairly high. With time and practice you may see even more. Despite any rumors you might hear, Mars will not be "as big as the full moon" or anywhere near that large. To the naked eye, it will remain a star-like point in the sky.
Feb. 16 – Venus and Jupiter Get Together
Like two ships passing in the twilight, Venus and Jupiter come within about 0.5-degrees of each other this evening. Jupiter is heading toward the sun, while Venus is moving away from the sun. This would normally be a very striking sight, but unfortunately, this conjunction takes place with the two planets just 9 degrees east of the sun – probably too near to it to make a definite sighting. If you would still like to give it a try, then – immediately after sunset – concentrate on that part of the sky just above and to the left of where the sun has just set. Using binoculars sweep around this part of the sky; Venus (magnitude -3.8) will be sitting just below and to the left of Jupiter (magnitude -2.0).
Mar. 28 to Apr. 12: Venus and Mercury Pair Up
The two worlds make for an attractive pair in the west-northwest sky soon after sunset. Between these two dates these two planets are within 5 degrees of each other, Venus appearing to the left and slightly above the dimmer Mercury. On April 3, they will appear closest together, just a little over 3 degrees apart.
Jun. 6: Two Pairs to See
Orange-yellow Mars slides less than a degree north of the bluish star Regulus, a pretty conjunction easily seen in the middle of the evening sky. By then, Mars will have shrunk to a tiny ochre dot even in large telescopes. Also on this night, Jupiter will engage Uranus in the first of a series of three conjunction; there have been only six such triple conjunctions between 1801 and 2200. The last was in 1983 and the next will come during 2037-38.
Jun. 26: Partial Eclipse of the Moon
This eclipse favors the Hawaiian Islands, western Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, eastern portions of Malaysia and Asia. These locations will see the upper half of the moon darkened by the Earth's umbral shadow. Across parts of the eastern U.S., some evidence of the eclipse may become evident as the lighter penumbral shadow casts a "smudge" on the moon's left edge just before moonset.
Jul. 11: Total Eclipse of the Sun
Virtually the entire path of totality falls over water. It will pass within 15 miles of Tahiti (a great cruise ship opportunity) and scores a direct hit on tiny Easter Island, famous for its strange humanoid megalithic statutes. From this speck of land in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, the sun will be totally eclipsed for 4 minutes 45 seconds. Talk about a photo-op! The only other landfall is near the very end of the totality track, over Patagonia.
Early Aug: Planetary Trio
Mars passes less than a couple of degrees south of Saturn on Aug. 1 and Venus slides just over 3 degrees to the south nine days later; on Aug. 8, the three planets will form what Jean Meeus defines as a "trio," when three planets fit within a circle with a minimum diameter smaller than 5 degrees. These three worlds are all well out (46 to 50 degrees) from the sun but, unfortunately for the Northern Hemisphere, south of it and therefore rather low to the sunset horizon.
Aug. 12: Perseid Meteor Shower
One of the best known and most reliable of the annual meteor displays reaches maximum with no moonlight to interfere. Under dark, clear skies, a single observer might see as many as 90 meteors per hour. If you aim to catch one night sky event this summer, make it this one.
Sep. 21: Jupiter, Big and High
Jupiter reaches the middle of the midnight sky, that is, at opposition (magnitude -2.9). In this part of its orbit Jupiter is nearer than its average distance, because in 2011 it will reach its perihelion on Mar. 17; so in a telescope the great banded globe appears practically as large as it can ever get; nearly 50 arc-minutes wide or 1/36 the apparent width of the full moon. Not too far away is Uranus; this is also the date of the second of the series of three Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions (See Jun. 6).
Late Oct: A Close Encounter with a Comet
Comet Hartley 2 will pass to within 11.2 million miles of the Earth on Oct. 20, just a week before it makes its closest pass by the sun. As a result, this comet should briefly become a naked eye object, perhaps becoming as bright as magnitude +4 or +5 – visible from rural locations but perhaps not from cities. The comet will be a morning object, racing rapidly southeast through the stars of Auriga and Gemini. Then, in early November the Deep Impact spacecraft, which had a rendezvous with Comet Tempel 1 in July 2005 should pass within about 600 miles of Hartley 2.
Dec. 14: Geminid Meteor Shower
Even though the moon is at a waxing gibbous phase, it will set soon after midnight, leaving the sky dark for a view of potentially up to 120 meteors per hour. For those willing to brave the cold, this event is well worth planning for.
Dec. 20-21: Total Eclipse of the Moon
North America has a ringside seat for this must-see total lunar eclipse. For the Eastern U.S. and Canada, this will be a predawn event. For the western U.S. and Canada, it comes during the middle of the night of Dec. 20-21, while for Alaska and Hawaii it occurs during the mid-to-late evening hours of the 20th. Totality will last 1 hour and 14 minutes. Western Europe will see the moon set during totality, while conversely, in Japan, the moon will rise during totality.
Magnitude: On this scale, smaller numbers represent brighter objects, with the brightest stars and planets represented by negative numbers.
Degrees: Distances in the sky, from our point of view, are measured in degrees. Your fist on an outstretched arm measures about 10 degrees of sky.
Jan. 15 – Solar Eclipse
An annular (ring) eclipse of the sun will take place over parts of Africa, India and China. Because the moon is near apogee (its farthest point from Earth in its orbit) and the Earth has just passed perihelion. So the moon appears much smaller than average, and the sun somewhat larger than average. The moon's circle is only about 92 percent as wide as the sun; so 4 percent of the sun's width shows on each side of the moon. Thus, the annular phase lasts a maximum of 11 minutes and 8 seconds. This is a very long duration indeed: nearly twice as long as some people got to watch last July's total eclipse. According to eclipse expert Fred Espenak of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, this is the longest annular eclipse of the 3rd Millennium – its duration will not be exceeded until the year 3043!
Jan. 29 – Mars Close Approach
Mars will be only 61.7 million miles from Earth, closer than it will be again until March 2014. Peaking at magnitude -1.3, Mars will outshine all stars and other planets except Sirius and Jupiter. Opposition to the sun occurs on the 29th. It's during January that Mars begins to become large enough to show, through telescopes, touches of dark surface detail and perhaps occasional white clouds or limb hazes in medium-sized amateur telescopes at the best moments on steady nights when it's fairly high. With time and practice you may see even more. Despite any rumors you might hear, Mars will not be "as big as the full moon" or anywhere near that large. To the naked eye, it will remain a star-like point in the sky.
Feb. 16 – Venus and Jupiter Get Together
Like two ships passing in the twilight, Venus and Jupiter come within about 0.5-degrees of each other this evening. Jupiter is heading toward the sun, while Venus is moving away from the sun. This would normally be a very striking sight, but unfortunately, this conjunction takes place with the two planets just 9 degrees east of the sun – probably too near to it to make a definite sighting. If you would still like to give it a try, then – immediately after sunset – concentrate on that part of the sky just above and to the left of where the sun has just set. Using binoculars sweep around this part of the sky; Venus (magnitude -3.8) will be sitting just below and to the left of Jupiter (magnitude -2.0).
Mar. 28 to Apr. 12: Venus and Mercury Pair Up
The two worlds make for an attractive pair in the west-northwest sky soon after sunset. Between these two dates these two planets are within 5 degrees of each other, Venus appearing to the left and slightly above the dimmer Mercury. On April 3, they will appear closest together, just a little over 3 degrees apart.
Jun. 6: Two Pairs to See
Orange-yellow Mars slides less than a degree north of the bluish star Regulus, a pretty conjunction easily seen in the middle of the evening sky. By then, Mars will have shrunk to a tiny ochre dot even in large telescopes. Also on this night, Jupiter will engage Uranus in the first of a series of three conjunction; there have been only six such triple conjunctions between 1801 and 2200. The last was in 1983 and the next will come during 2037-38.
Jun. 26: Partial Eclipse of the Moon
This eclipse favors the Hawaiian Islands, western Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, eastern portions of Malaysia and Asia. These locations will see the upper half of the moon darkened by the Earth's umbral shadow. Across parts of the eastern U.S., some evidence of the eclipse may become evident as the lighter penumbral shadow casts a "smudge" on the moon's left edge just before moonset.
Jul. 11: Total Eclipse of the Sun
Virtually the entire path of totality falls over water. It will pass within 15 miles of Tahiti (a great cruise ship opportunity) and scores a direct hit on tiny Easter Island, famous for its strange humanoid megalithic statutes. From this speck of land in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, the sun will be totally eclipsed for 4 minutes 45 seconds. Talk about a photo-op! The only other landfall is near the very end of the totality track, over Patagonia.
Early Aug: Planetary Trio
Mars passes less than a couple of degrees south of Saturn on Aug. 1 and Venus slides just over 3 degrees to the south nine days later; on Aug. 8, the three planets will form what Jean Meeus defines as a "trio," when three planets fit within a circle with a minimum diameter smaller than 5 degrees. These three worlds are all well out (46 to 50 degrees) from the sun but, unfortunately for the Northern Hemisphere, south of it and therefore rather low to the sunset horizon.
Aug. 12: Perseid Meteor Shower
One of the best known and most reliable of the annual meteor displays reaches maximum with no moonlight to interfere. Under dark, clear skies, a single observer might see as many as 90 meteors per hour. If you aim to catch one night sky event this summer, make it this one.
Sep. 21: Jupiter, Big and High
Jupiter reaches the middle of the midnight sky, that is, at opposition (magnitude -2.9). In this part of its orbit Jupiter is nearer than its average distance, because in 2011 it will reach its perihelion on Mar. 17; so in a telescope the great banded globe appears practically as large as it can ever get; nearly 50 arc-minutes wide or 1/36 the apparent width of the full moon. Not too far away is Uranus; this is also the date of the second of the series of three Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions (See Jun. 6).
Late Oct: A Close Encounter with a Comet
Comet Hartley 2 will pass to within 11.2 million miles of the Earth on Oct. 20, just a week before it makes its closest pass by the sun. As a result, this comet should briefly become a naked eye object, perhaps becoming as bright as magnitude +4 or +5 – visible from rural locations but perhaps not from cities. The comet will be a morning object, racing rapidly southeast through the stars of Auriga and Gemini. Then, in early November the Deep Impact spacecraft, which had a rendezvous with Comet Tempel 1 in July 2005 should pass within about 600 miles of Hartley 2.
Dec. 14: Geminid Meteor Shower
Even though the moon is at a waxing gibbous phase, it will set soon after midnight, leaving the sky dark for a view of potentially up to 120 meteors per hour. For those willing to brave the cold, this event is well worth planning for.
Dec. 20-21: Total Eclipse of the Moon
North America has a ringside seat for this must-see total lunar eclipse. For the Eastern U.S. and Canada, this will be a predawn event. For the western U.S. and Canada, it comes during the middle of the night of Dec. 20-21, while for Alaska and Hawaii it occurs during the mid-to-late evening hours of the 20th. Totality will last 1 hour and 14 minutes. Western Europe will see the moon set during totality, while conversely, in Japan, the moon will rise during totality.
Monday, December 7, 2009
| Which Positive Quality Are You? Your Result: Love You are Love. Love is the glue that binds us all together. The love of family, the love of friends, the love between husbands and their wives--these things form the foundation of our happiness, our security, and our comfort. "All you need is love." | |
| Charity | |
| Friendship | |
| Faith | |
| Courage | |
| Peace | |
| Which Positive Quality Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
Thursday, November 19, 2009
FREE WRITING...
When I'm not there... do you think of me? When you're sad and something's bothering you... do you wish I were there to help comfort you? When you've had a long hard day... do you smile knowing that soon you'll be seeing me, and everything will seem better, even if it's just for a moment? When you lay down at night... do you look back and cherish the new memories you've made with me? And when you get up in the morning, does everything inside of you smile, knowing that this will be another day that we'll be together, because that's how I think of you...
I don’t know why you can’t hear this in person or why you think it’s mushy or stupid but here goes…It's YOU. You mean everything to me... you are the first thought in my head in the morning when I wake up; my last thought before I go to bed. You smile at me in my dreams... when you are sad, I feel sad, and when I see your true smile, I feel incredible, like there is no other thing around and all I can see is you.
While you sleep I tell you goodnight with tears in my eyes and whisper that I love you as not to wake you up but still hoping you may hear me some how, although I am next to you I wish we were curled up by side by side holding each other, it never comes…Time passes, But not fast enough, I try to be strong. But I'm not that tough, when I again feel your embrace it will be all right, but my heart aches for you on this lonely night.
What I have with her is worth it. It is worth every lonely night, every tear I cry from missing her, and the pain I feel from not having her close even though she is here with me. It is worth it because he is my one and only. When I picture myself years from now, I see only her. No matter how painful distance can be, real or emotional, not having her in my life would be worse.
Late at night when the entire world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you and watch you as you take in breath. And I wish on a star that somewhere in your dreams that you were thinking of me and watching me and loving me too…
The worst feeling of being alone is when you’re alone with the one that you love in your presence. No looks, no touches, no smile...I will continue to look out of the corner of my eye when she is not looking. I will continue to tear up when she is not looking. I will continue to say I love you, I will continue to hug her…I will just continue…if that is all that I am allowed to do…
I don’t know why you can’t hear this in person or why you think it’s mushy or stupid but here goes…It's YOU. You mean everything to me... you are the first thought in my head in the morning when I wake up; my last thought before I go to bed. You smile at me in my dreams... when you are sad, I feel sad, and when I see your true smile, I feel incredible, like there is no other thing around and all I can see is you.
While you sleep I tell you goodnight with tears in my eyes and whisper that I love you as not to wake you up but still hoping you may hear me some how, although I am next to you I wish we were curled up by side by side holding each other, it never comes…Time passes, But not fast enough, I try to be strong. But I'm not that tough, when I again feel your embrace it will be all right, but my heart aches for you on this lonely night.
What I have with her is worth it. It is worth every lonely night, every tear I cry from missing her, and the pain I feel from not having her close even though she is here with me. It is worth it because he is my one and only. When I picture myself years from now, I see only her. No matter how painful distance can be, real or emotional, not having her in my life would be worse.
Late at night when the entire world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you and watch you as you take in breath. And I wish on a star that somewhere in your dreams that you were thinking of me and watching me and loving me too…
The worst feeling of being alone is when you’re alone with the one that you love in your presence. No looks, no touches, no smile...I will continue to look out of the corner of my eye when she is not looking. I will continue to tear up when she is not looking. I will continue to say I love you, I will continue to hug her…I will just continue…if that is all that I am allowed to do…
Thursday, November 5, 2009
MY RULES FOR A PERFECT DAY
MY RULES FOR A PERFECT DAY
1. Just for today, I will try to live through this day only -- and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do some things for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt I had to keep them up for a life-time.
2. Just for today, I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that. "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Happiness is from within -- it is not a matter of externals.
3. Just for today, I will adjust myself to what is and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.
4. Just -for today, I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, and nourish it and not abuse it nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my will.
5. Just for today, I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer all day. I will.read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.
6. Just for today, I will.exercise my soul in three ways, to wit: (1) I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. If anybody knows of it, it will not count. (2) I will do at least two things I don't want to do, just for exercise of will-power. (3) I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt. They may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
7. Just for today, I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, and criticize not one bit nor find fault with anything, and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.
8. Just for today, I will have a program. I will write down just what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I'll have it as a pattern to follow. It will save me from the two pests - HURRY and INDECISION.
9. Just for today, I will have a quiet half-hour, all by myself, and relax. In this half-hour, some time, I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective to my life.
10. Just for today, I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love and to believe that those I love, love me.
2. Just for today, I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that. "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Happiness is from within -- it is not a matter of externals.
3. Just for today, I will adjust myself to what is and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.
4. Just -for today, I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, and nourish it and not abuse it nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my will.
5. Just for today, I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer all day. I will.read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.
6. Just for today, I will.exercise my soul in three ways, to wit: (1) I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. If anybody knows of it, it will not count. (2) I will do at least two things I don't want to do, just for exercise of will-power. (3) I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt. They may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
7. Just for today, I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, and criticize not one bit nor find fault with anything, and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.
8. Just for today, I will have a program. I will write down just what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I'll have it as a pattern to follow. It will save me from the two pests - HURRY and INDECISION.
9. Just for today, I will have a quiet half-hour, all by myself, and relax. In this half-hour, some time, I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective to my life.
10. Just for today, I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love and to believe that those I love, love me.
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