Sigh, Another Meteor Shower Missed

Since I have been back in the Midwest, coming to Illinois and then, Iowa, I have missed the great meteor showers for one reason-agricultural haze.

Believe it or not, on a night without clouds, London skies are clearer than those in the Bread Basket. The haze comes from the pollen of corn and soybeans, as well as from the dust from the herbicides and pesticides.

It is a lovely warm summer night with a few wispy clouds, but mostly clear, except for haze. At midnight, I went out to see the Perseids--sigh, no such luck.

Haze, haze, haze....and light pollution.

Some of the best sky watching I have done was when I was staying with my dear friend, C, in Kent (see 2011 and on, posts). The meteor showers were spectacular, as she lives two city blocks from the white cliffs between Dover and Folkestone.

Great skies....

Here, the cicadas are singing, the tree frogs croaking out those odd, tenor insect sounds, and the large ground hog, which lives under the back porch, rustles about sniffing for something good to eat out of the garden.

But, I cannot see one shooting star.

Sigh...double wish I was in Kent at C's, as STS is there right now, watching the thunderstorm over the Channel, which will ruin today's cricket match in Canterbury, most likely forcing a draw.

Venus and the Lyrids

The bright object in the western sky tonight is Venus. The Lyrids, a meteor shower in the constellation of Lyra, begin an hour or so after midnight and should be most obvious an hour before dawn.

I have stood near the White Cliffs in Kent and watched the Lyrids, and from the country of Iowa. I hope I see these clearly tonight where I am now. Both times were cold, cold nights. It will be cold tonight as well.

The Lyrids make me a bit homesick for the sky over England. But, perhaps, the best meteor shower I have ever seen was in Ireland in January, the Quandratids.

Another great shower I saw was in Canada, the Orionids. The Perseids are supposed to be the best, but I have not seen a great shower in August as of yet.

One never forgets great sky shows. I hope it is clear where you will be tonight and tomorrow night for this year's Lyrids.

http://earthsky.org/tonight/lyrid-meteors-best-before-dawn

The Same Moon

Thursday Night, attempting to spend one hour with Jesus in my little chapel, just being there after Compline, I felt so far away from Him and all I love.

This isolation seems to be a purgatorial experience for all the time I wasted talking nonsense, wasting time, and not being focused on God in years gone by.

I felt so far away from my dearest both in Europe, in America, and in Japan, wishing to share the High Holy Days with someone I love.

But, no...these are desert days. I am resigned and now have peace in this place.

But, I also felt so far away from Christ's own experience in Gethsemane, my little chapel being thousands of miles away from the Mediterranean and also "modern", the house having been built in the 1980s.

I complained to Christ that although mentally I was in Gethsemane with Him, but with many distractions, I could not share His place. I would have loved to be in Jerusalem.

Then, I thought of the Passover Moon outside, to the southeast, so large and bright. I got up and looked out the small chapel window. The clouds passed over the white orb, playing hide and seek with its brilliance.

Suddenly, looking at the full moon, I realized that Christ had seen this same moon, this same full Passover Moon. Like a lover desperate to find a tie to one's Beloved, I was consoled realizing we shared the same moon, despite the distance and years.

1,982 years ago, my Dear Lord, the Beloved One, looked at this same moon I saw outside my chapel window in the dark night of Holy Thursday.

Perhaps He thought of me, perhaps, in that Garden, as Christ, the God-Man, could see all the sins I have committed and all of us have, down through the ages as part of His Passion. How sad that I caused Him pain that night.

Today, as I rise for Good Friday Tenebrae, I shall think of Christ in a small prison cell, maybe smaller than this small chapel. No moon, no birds, no sunlight, only the horrible stench and cramped quarters of a dirty cell.

But, for one hour, we shared the moon of the great feast, sharing even in suffering, loss, yet, peace in the nothingness, in the darkness of isolation.

Matthew 26

40 And he cometh to his disciples, and findeth them asleep, and he saith to Peter: What? Could you not watch one hour with me?

Lunar Eclipse Holy Saturday

from http://www.moongiant.com/Lunar_Eclipse_Calendar.php

Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) - April 4, 2015

Partial umbral begins: 3:15am. - April 4th

Total eclipse begins: 4:58 a.m. 

Greatest eclipse: 5:00 a.m.

Total eclipse ends: 5:03 a.m.

Partial umbral eclipse ends: 6:45 a.m.

> Moonset at 6:25am in San Francisco 

Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) - April 4, 2015 

Partial umbral begins: 4:15 a.m. - April 4th

Total eclipse begins: 5:58 a.m.

Greatest eclipse: 6:00 a.m.

Total eclipse ends: 6:03 a.m.

Partial umbral eclipse ends: 7:45 a.m.

> Moonset at 6:46am in Denver

Central Daylight Time (CDT) - April 4, 2015

Partial umbral begins: 5:15 a.m. - April 4th

Total eclipse begins: 6:58 a.m. 

Greatest eclipse: 7:00 a.m. 

Total eclipse ends: 8:03 a.m.

Partial umbral eclipse ends: 8:45 a.m.

> Moonset at 6:34am in Chicago 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) - April 4, 2015

Partial umbral begins: 6:15 a.m. on - April 4th

Total eclipse begins: 7:58 a.m.

Greatest eclipse: 8:00 a.m. 

Total eclipse ends: 8:03 a.m.

Partial umbral eclipse ends: 9:45 a.m.

> Moonset at 6:39am in New York

Comet Ison will be a new sky event this year

http://waitingforison.wordpress.com/comet-ison-whats-the-big-deal/

Here are two links about Ison....great stuff!

Here is part of an article found here:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112754503/comet-ison-to-put-on-a-show-in-2013-122712/

Ison has been traveling for millions of years from the Oort cloud to reach Earth. The comet’s surface is very dark, and it is a few tens of miles across.

Whitehouse says if you jumped into the air while on the surface of the comet, you could leap 20 miles up, and it would take you over a week to come back down.

By the end of the summer next year the comet will become visible in small telescopes and binoculars. A few months later, by October, it will be passing Mars and the surface will shift, with the surface of the rock responding to thermal shock.

As the comet passes the orbit of Earth, the gas and dust geysers will gather force, and the space around Ison will become brilliant as the ice below the surface turns into gas and erupts. Once this happens, it will be reflecting the light of the sun.

By late November next year, the comet will be visible to the unaided eye just after dark in the same direction as the setting Sun. The comet’s tail could stretch like a searchlight into the sky above the horizon.

Ison will then swing rapidly around the Sun, passing within two million miles of it, which is closer than any planet ever does. The comet will be able to be seen to an “unaided eye” for months.

When Ison gets close in its approach to the Sun, it could become intensely bright, but at this point it will be difficult and dangerous to see without special instruments.

Late February and Early March Night Sky

I have found another great website for news on the upcoming sky events. Check out this site, which I have used before and the second one, which is new to me.

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

I shall  do more later in the week.       http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/  

When I was in Malta earlier this year, the sky was fantastic. The English sky has been so cloudy where I have been staying that sky watching has been almost impossible. Right now, we are having sleet.

Look for Jupiter in Taurus. Great light in the sky.....

The Eagle Nebula

The Night Sky in December

Iowa, where my family lives, has had snow. Five inches with ice underneath means that many older people have trouble getting about..



Here, the weather has turned colder and the raindrops are large and cold. The few balmy days around Christmas seem to have turned. But, January is on the way.

If one can be in an area which is clear, a spectacular heavenly event may be seen. Jupiter is next to the Moon in the early hours of the morning providing a great reason to either stay up or get up early.

I mentioned the Summer Circle earlier this year and now I draw your attention to the Winter Circle.

Two nights ago, despite some clouds, I could see the brightest of these stars. I suggest a look. Orion is up and huge, the constellation of Christmas, the Hunter, called Strider, and therefore, as I have noted before here, a reference Tolkien put into his character of Aragorn, one of the three Christ figures in LOTR.

Remember that stars twinkle in the sky and planets do not. The full moon is tomorrow and this is a great time to look at the Winter Circle if you can look south to south west, then west, over the hours of the night.

The December Sky

One of my favourite months for sky gazing is December. Here are some events to note.

Orion is the main constellation one will notice and as I wrote last winter, a reference to Christ's birth, as Orion rising indicates it is winter. Two of the brightest stars in the sky,  Betelgeuse and Rigel, are clear in opposite parts of the belt. With the eyes, the multiple stars θ1 and θ2 Orionis, called the Trapezium and the Orion Nebula (M42) can be seen. This constellation helps you find other bright stars, as this diagram from Wiki shows clearly. Orion rises in the east.

The other constellation which is obvious is Cassiopeia. The constellation looks like an upside down "w"in the northeastern sky. The other amazing event involves a meteor shower. The Geminids can be seen on the 13th - 14th of the month. You will have to get up between two and three in the morning to see these. The shower is worth getting up for....wear warm clothes.

September Sky

I have not been giving as many updates for the sky events, such as constellations and planets, as I can hardly see anything from where I have been living.

Jupiter next to the moon was fantastic in the early hours of yesterday. We have had two fairly clear nights, but clouds are moving in. The temperature has dropped 20 Fahrenheit degrees already tonight from earlier today.

If I were in the country, as I was last year at this time, I would be able to see these things. Last year, I was in Norfolk and saw most of these constellations easily. If one used Cassiopeia as a guide, the large W in the sky, all the rest are easy to find. Cygnus, the Swan, is obvious if one is in the country. Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus.

I love London, but I could never stay here all of my life, as I cannot see the stars and the planets. But, God may have other plans for me. When I am in Ireland, I shall see many more stars, but the rain clouds obstruct the views many nights.

Also, if one looks at the map, one can see that the night sky for England would be slightly different in Ireland, which is so much farther north than where I have been.

Cetus, the Whale is also clear. Mira is the brightest star in Cetus.  Happy star gazing.

Praise ye Him, O sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars and light . Ps. 148

Right now, from where I am in Ireland, I can see in the night and morning sky, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn and the great constellations of Orion and Canis Major with Sirius, the brightest star. If one is in a dark area, Canis Minor and the Hare may also be seen.

Last week, I saw three large shooting stars, one in Orion. Orion is also called "Strider", which, of course, reminds us of Aragorn in LOTR. When I look at Orion, I think of Aragorn , the Christ figure in the book, and of Christ Himself, who is the Hunter of our souls. In the winter sky, He calls us and how can one not praise The Father Creator for such beauty? The winter sky is worthy of watching both at dawn and at dusk. I love to watch Orion stride across the sky.  One can also see Draco and the Little and Big Bears if one is in the right place.

Orion is my favorite constellation and The Pleiades, my favorite cluster. I can only see four of the seven sisters in The Pleiades, and I shall tell their story in another post.  There is too much highway and town light pollution for me to see as much as I would want, but the sky is fantastic.



Here is a great link for all.

By the way , if you want to know more about telescopes , visit my brother's  website in Iowa at this site.