Star Calendar September 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon is New fairly near the Sun’s passing through the middle of eclipse season (near a moon node) but is also near apogee so that it is too distant for its shadow tip to reach earth, making an annular eclipse. Full Moon occurs… Continue reading
Star Calendar August 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon passes just out of reach of Earth’s sizable shadow on the 18th as it sets at dawn. It is very close to being, or not being, a technical penumbral encounter – but nothing observable will occur. Some eclipse tables will list this… Continue reading
Star Calendar July 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon will show only 1/7 of her fullness on the 7th of the 7th month. 7/7 is the date of the oriental star festival called Tanabata – when two lovers (stars Vega and Altair), separated by a river (the Milky Way), may be… Continue reading
Star Calendar June 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon crosses the seasonal colures (meridians of solstices and equinoxes) every month. This month Sun and Moon cross opposite colures on the same day. Just as the length of daylight changes with the seasons – so does the time of Moon-Up change rapidly… Continue reading
Star Calendar May, 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon is Full three, or sometimes four, times in a season but the names that various cultures have assigned to characterize the circumstances around various full moons of the year generally number 12 – leaving the occasional unnamed one. Similarly the Hebrew luni-solar… Continue reading
Star Calendar April 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon is very dynamic and has several motions of similar mode. A Frenchman sewed photographs of sequential Full Moons together into an animated GIF that shows very nicely the net effect of the various librations – the nodding and swaying face and changes… Continue reading
Star Calendar March 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon makes a less dramatic swing from standing to lying crescent either side of New Moon this year. Firstly the tilt of the lunar path from the ecliptic is currently one that subtracts its obliquity from the equator, secondly, this month’s syzygies fall… Continue reading
Star Calendar February 2016 Star calendar Planets: Moon appears on the 1st at Last Quarter and makes a little line segment with Mars and Zubenelgenubi of Libra (for binoculars) for early risers. After a similar highlight of Saturn/Antares on the 3rd will be a fetching scene on the 6th, between… Continue reading
Atmospheric conditions look favorable to watch the gibbous Moon occult Aldebaran tonight – very shortly after 9:30 PM in the S-SW. After dusk the Moon will be culminating (south and highest for the night) to the right of the “>” of Taurus’ face; further to the left Orion, nearly standing… Continue reading
Star Calendar January 2016 Star Calendar Planets: Moon rises on the autumnal equinox point and beneath Jupiter as the New Year opens. On the 7th it accompanies Venus and Saturn in morning twilight in the ESE and then begins another week or so of moonless dark nights. On the evening… Continue reading