"Best Meteor Shower of 07" December 13-14

Hi all:

According to Space.com, the best meteor shower of the year peaks on the overnight of December 13 to 14. Here's a snippet from the article that gives some skywatching advice for this year's Geminids:

... the Geminids are predicted to reach peak activity on Dec. 14 at 16:45 GMT. That means those places from central Asia eastwards across the Pacific Ocean to Alaska are in the best position to catch the very crest of the shower, when the rates conceivably could exceed 120 per hour.

"But," he adds, "maximum rates persist at only marginally reduced levels for some 6 to 10 hours around the biggest ones, so other places (such as North America) should enjoy some fine Geminid activity as well.

Indeed, under normal conditions on the night of maximum activity, with ideal dark-sky conditions, at least 60 to 120 Geminid meteors can be expected to burst across the sky every hour on the average (Light pollution greatly cuts the numbers) ....

Read more about the Geminid in the rest of the article here.

Enjoy!

hrh

Full Hunter's Moon October 26

Hi all:

October's full moon occurs on the twenty-sixth this year. Here's what Space.com has to say:

Oct. 26, 12:52 a.m. EDT - The Full Hunter's Moon.

With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the fox, also other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a thanksgiving banquet after the harvest.

The Moon will also be at perigee later this day, at 7:00 a.m., at a distance of 221,676 miles from Earth. Very high tides can be expected from the coincidence of perigee with full Moon.

Enjoy!

hrh

Full Harvest Moon - September 26, 2007

Hi all:

Whew! I almost missed this one! I remembered last night as I was driving home from work and saw a huge looming moon visible in the East during twilight.

Anyhoo, September's full moon occurs Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. Watch for it in the Eastern sky.

Here's the info from Space.com:

Sept. 26, 3:45 p.m. EDT - The Full Harvest Moon. Always the full Moon occurring nearest to the Autumnal Equinox. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice - the chief Indian staples - are now ready for gathering.

We have clear days and nights here in Connecticut tonight and tomorrow so should be great moon viewing.

Enjoy!

hrh

Perseids Meteor Shower - overnight August 12-13

Hi all:

This year's Perseids Meteor Shower peaks in the overnight Sunday to Monday August 12 to 13. It coincides with the New Moon August 12, which means the absence of a moon will create dark skies - prime conditions for seeing the meteors!

Here are some observing tips from Space.com:

The meteors in this shower all appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus. The best times to watch will be late night Aug. 12 through dawn Aug. 13.

"The August Perseids are among the strongest of the readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity nominally yield 90 or 100 meteors per hour," said Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Skywatching columnist. "However, observers with exceptional skies often record even larger numbers."

To see the show, one need only find a comfortable spot with a clear view of the northeast horizon, away from local lights. A dark rural location is best. Lie back on a blanket or lounge chair and scan the entire sky. In the late evening, starting around 9 p.m. local time, sharp-eyed observers might see "earthgrazing" meteors that skim the northeast horizon.

"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful," Cooke said. "They are among the most beautiful of meteors." But don't expect more than a handful in an hour, he said.

Later and during the overnight hours, the shooting stars will be higher in the sky as Perseus rises. Some skywatchers enjoy counting the number of meteors they see per minute, per hour or during a 15-minute interval and comparing notes.

Telescopes and binoculars are no help, as the meteors move too swiftly and are best observed with the naked eye.

The cosmic rivers of debris have been laid down for millennia by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes through the inner solar system every 130 years. Perseid meteoroids are exceptionally fast, entering Earth's atmosphere at roughly 133,200 mph (60 kilometers per second) relative to the planet, slamming into the air like bugs hitting a windshield ...

Learn more about the Perseids here.

Let us know if you see any!

Enjoy!

hrh

Full Buck Moon

Hi all:

This month's full moon comes quite late in the month - July 29 to be exact. Here are the details and lore from Space.com:

July 29, 8:48 p.m. EDT - The Full Buck Moon, when the new antlers of buck deer push out from their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, thunderstorms being now most frequent. Sometimes also called the Full Hay Moon.

Enjoy!

hrh

Full Strawberry Moon - June 30, 2007

Hi all:

Quick post I hope you get in time! June's full moon is Saturday 6/30. Here's the scoop from Space.com:

June 30, 9:49 a.m. EDT - The Full Strawberry Moon. Known to every Algonquin tribe. Europeans called it the Rose Moon.

Enjoy!

hrh

Blue Moon Thursday!

Hi all:

It's been a crazy busy week, so I just realized this morning that I called the full moon this week "Blue Moon Wednesday," but the Full Moon is May 31 - which is Thursday!! Sorry about that! Hope you get to see it anyway ...

Enjoy!

hrh

Blue Moon Wednesday

Hi all:

Here's your friendly reminder that the second full moon this month occurs at 9:04 p.m. EST Wednesday May 31. Space.com has posted a neat history and explanation of why the expression "once in a blue moon" isn't as meaningful as we think.

Here's a snippet of Joe Rao's article:

The phrase "Once in a blue Moon" was first noted in 1824 and refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not truly rare. Yet, to have two full Moons in the same month is not as uncommon as one might think. In fact, it occurs, on average, about every 32 months. And in the year 1999, it occurred twice in a span of just three months!

For the longest time no one seemed to have a clue as to where the "Blue Moon Rule" originated. Many years ago in the pages of Natural History magazine, I speculated that the rule might have evolved out of the fact that the word "belewe" came from the Old English, meaning, "to betray." "Perhaps," I suggested, "the second full Moon is 'belewe' because it betrays the usual perception of one full moon per month."

But as innovative as my explanation was, it turned out to be completely wrong ...

Rao also discusses what natural phenomena can make the moon actually turn blue. Read the rest of the article here.

In any case, enjoy the full blue moon!

hrh

May Full Moons and New Writing Challenge

Hi all:

Sorry you may get this post a bit late to catch May's first full moon - but maybe you can catch the second one!! Here's the scoop on the moon in May from Space.com:

May 2, 6:09 a.m. EDT - The Full Flower Moon. Flowers are abundant everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.

May 31, 9:04 p.m. EDT - The Blue Moon. The second full Moon occurring within a calendar month is usually bestowed this title.

Although the name suggests that to have two Full Moons in a single month is a rather rare occurrence (happening "just once in a . . . "), it actually occurs once about every three years on average.

On another note, as you can see from my April Fool's progress bar, I only made it to about a third of my goal. Guess I'm the fool ...

But never fear, another month, another challenge, this time over at the American Christian Fiction Writer's members' forum. This one is called Book in a Month (BIAM) and is project oriented rather than word oriented, so I'm going to continue the project I worked on for the April Fool's challenge.

Happy May Day!!

hrh

Happy Full Pink Moon (and Paschal Full Moon preceding Easter)

Hi all:

I'll do my last post on "The Secret" tomorrow, so I can let you know about April's full moon in time for you to catch it!

April's full moon occurs April 2 at 1:15 p.m EST and is called the Full Pink Moon. The grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring.

Other names were the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and - among coastal tribes - the Full Fish Moon, when the shad came upstream to spawn.

This is also the Paschal Full Moon; the first full Moon of the spring season. The first Sunday following the Paschal Moon is Easter Sunday, which indeed will be observed six days later on Sunday, April 8.

Enjoy!

hrh

Full Worm Moon - and Total Lunar Eclipse

Hi all:

For all you skywatchers out there, I continue my practice of informing you about each full moon. Here's the info. for March from Space.com:

March's full moon will occur on March 3 at 6:17 p.m. EST.

It is called the Full Worm Moon. In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter, or the Full Crust Moon because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation.

In addition, a total lunar eclipse will take place on this night; the Moon will appear to rise while totally immersed (or nearly so) in the Earth’s shadow over the eastern United States. The rising Moon will be emerging from the shadow over the central United States, while over the Western U.S. the eclipse will be all but over by the time the Moon rises.

Alas, tomorrow's forecast for Southeastern Connecticut is partly cloudy, so we may not get to see the eclipse. I hope you can see it whereever you are!

Enjoy!

hrh

Happy Groundhog's Day - and Full Snow Moon!

Hi all:

I know, I'm a bit early for Groundhog's Day, but since Feedblitz takes a day to send e-mail updates, my greeting should get to you on the right day!

And for those of you who check the site before waiting for the e-mail, you can check out tonight's full moon. Here's the info. from space.com:

Feb. 2, 12:45 a.m. EST – The Full Snow Moon. Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon.

(photo by Poe Field, Princeton, 2001)

I certainly hope the Full Snow Moon lives up to its name and brings us some snow here in Connecticut. According to the weather guy last night, we've had 1 1/2 inches of snow this year - the lowest total since records began being kept in the early 1900s.

Enjoy!

hrh