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This is the Classical Astronomy Update, an email newsletter especially
for Christian homeschool families (though everyone is welcome!)
Please feel free to share this with any interested friends.
IN THIS UPDATE:
- Announcements
- Perseid Meteor Wrap-up
- Signs & Seasons - the Readers Write!
- Glory Observer Magazine - Now in Print
- Dance of the Planets
- Morning Lunar Eclipse - August 28
- September 1 - Meteor Storm???
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things
of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for
the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious
things put forth by the moon, - Deuteronomy 33:13-14
Welcome to the Classical Astronomy Update!
Hello Friends,
Hope you're all enjoying the wacky weather of the summer of '07! We've had hardly no rain here in Ohio all summer, and got it all in the past week! Our prayers are with you if you're in any of the flooded areas.
Announcements
Perseid Meteor Wrap-up
It's a funny thing writing this astronomy newsletter. Every year since 2002 we've mentioned the Perseid meteor shower and the subject usually breezes by with nary a remark. However, this year we received a ton of comments. I hope all of you had a chance to take a look. Now that we know there is renewed interest in meteors, we'll make it a point to cover that beat!
If you ever want to watch meteors, you need to spend some time outside. If you poke your head out the door for a minute, you won't see anything. Though they call it a "shower," you might not see a single meteor for 10 minutes or even longer. The best thing to do is pitch a blanket onto the grass and lay out with the whole family looking at the sky for at least a half hour. If you happen to see a meteor, everyone will be excited and staying out longer won't be a problem.
Our family layed out on a blanket, and after the usual whining about someone not having enough room, our whole family really enjoyed the time just laying on the dewey grass in the middle of the night looking up. We tried it for three nights in a row (since most meteor showers last for a week or longer.) On two of the three nights, we saw a bright, long-tailed meteor that shot across the sky. It can be very exciting.
It can always be fun at any time to lay out with the family looking at the starry sky. Check out this personal story in Rebekah Wilson's Signs & Seasons review at Keeping Boys Busy in which Rebekah relates her own fond memories of laying under the stars with her family as a little girl. If you're in the market for our Signs & Seasons curriculum, be sure to check out Rebekah's special offer!
Signs & Seasons - The Readers Write!
Speaking of Signs & Seasons, we recently received this kind email from Mrs. Bloom at the Bloom Academy Homeschool:
Our family received our long awaited copy of Signs and Seasons in the mail today, and I must take a moment to tell you what an instant treasure it is. I have not been able to put it down. It is very refreshing to have found such an amazing resource from both a classical and a biblical perspective. I was engaged immediately with the old world font and the layout - and my 3 children, ages 12, 10, and 8 thoroughly enjoyed reading through the prologue.
The Lord is good and deserves all the glory and honor, but we sincerely thank you for allowing yourselves to be used to help Christian families (whether classically home educating or not) rediscover His handiwork from a godly, historical, and classical perspective. It is evident that much labor has been put into this book, and it will be regarded in our family as a treasure for years to come. Many thanks Mrs. Bloom, all glory to God. We're blessed by your kind words!
Glory Observer Now in Print
We reported in the last Update about The 4th Day Alliance, a new Christian astronomy organization. I've been informed that their new creation astronomy magazine, The Glory Observer, is now in print. We saw an advance copy and it is very slick. This issue features an interview with astronomer and author Jason Lisle from Answers in Genesis. I'd encourage you all to check this out!
Dance of the Planets
Morning Lunar Eclipse - August 28
Folks, here's one you won't want to miss. There will be a total eclipse of the Moon before sunrise on the morning of Tuesday, August 28. This early morning sunrise eclipse will be visible from most of North America, except for New England, most of Quebec and the Maritime provinces.
Portions of this lunar eclipse will be also be visible from the western part of South America. It will not be visible at all from Europe, Africa and the parts of Asia to the west of India and China. However, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands will be favored for this total lunar eclipse. The land Down Under will see the entire eclipse on the evening of August 28, local time (which coincides with the morning of the same day in North America).
 A total eclipse of the Moon occurs when the Full Moon slips behind the Earth and passes into the Earth's shadow, lining up perfectly with the Earth and the Sun. In my opinion, the most interesting parts of a lunar eclipse are the partial stages -- the ingress when the Moon is entering the Earth's shadow, and the egress, when the Moon is departing. During the partial stage, the curvature of the Earth's shadow can usually be seen across the face of the Moon. This is one of the classical proofs that the Earth is round, as noted by Aristotle in 350 B.C. Try to observe this for yourself on Tuesday morning!
Earlybirds across North America will be able to at least see the "ingress" of this eclipse. The beginning partial stage commences at 8:50 UTC, which is 4:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time (3:50 AM Central, 2:50 Mountain, 1:50 Pacific). Yes indeed, these are not "family friendly" hours, but if they get up early before sunrise, observers in the eastern USA and Canada can expect to see ingress early before and during morning twilight.
Totality begins at 5:52 AM EDT (4:52 AM Central). Eastern observers will see a partially eclipsed Moon setting as morning twilight brightens to day. The entire stage of totality can be enjoyed by everyone west of the Mississippi.
During totality, it is common to see a murky red glow on the Moon. This is the result of red sunlight being filtered through the Earth's atmosphere onto the Moon's surface. As described by Joe Rao, astronomy writer and New York weatherman, this is "all the sunrises and sunsets of the Earth shining onto the Moon." If we could be on the Moon during a total lunar eclipse, the Earth would appear as a black circle surrounded by a red sunset ring.
For observers on the West Coast, totality ends at 4:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time. The Moon's egress can then be observed for the next hour, until 5:23 PDT.
Though this eclipse falls during some rude hours for most observers, but it might our best chance to see one for a while. There will be another total eclipse in February, 2008, but here in Cleveland and other points north, we can anticipate a cloudy night in that season. There will be a nice partial eclipse next August, but that will be seen from Europe and Africa and will miss the Americas.
Special Offer! If your family is watching Tuesday's eclipse, please email us a digital photo. It has to be a nice shot -- focused with a large enough Moon image -- and must clearly show the Moon at some stage of eclipse. If we decide the picture quality is acceptable, we will use your pic in the next Update and send you a free copy of Cycles, our astronomy comic book! Some folks might think this to be worth missing a little sleep! In any case don't miss this eclipse!!!
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Order online at our website or from one of our fine distributors.
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September 1 -- Meteor Storm?
Since so many people were interested in the recent Perseid meteor shower, perhaps you all might be interested in a possible upcoming meteor storm. This one's a long shot, folks, but might just be worth the effort.
According to an article by Joe Rao at Space.com, there is a prediction that the Aurigid meteors might put on a spectacular show on the morning of September 1, 2007. The Aurigid meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Auriga (hence the name) which is very near the constellation Perseus, the radiant of the Perseid meteors.
The Aurigids are usually very obscure, but some scientists have predicted that this time the Earth may pass very close to the dust trail left by Comet Kiesse, the source of the stream. The science of meteor prediction is very uncertain and subject to many variables, but if these guys are right, we might see a strong shower or even a storm.
In a normal meteor shower, you might see a single bright meteor every few minutes, or maybe only a few per hour. But in a meteor storm, you might see shooters pinging across the sky two or three at a time. It can be very exciting, even alarming.
We dragged our then-little boys out of bed in November, 2001 for the Leonid meteor storm. It was awesome. We saw several shooters at a time, then a few minutes with nothing, and then see another bunch. Our now-adolescent boys still remember that night to this day. Our home is in the heart of the city with ground lighting all around, especially from the nearby freeway. Many more bright meteors can be seen from rural areas.
According to the article, western North America and the Pacific is favored for this meteor prediction. We'll probably get up anyway to check it out, but I'm personally setting my expectations low. We've been burned by meteor showers before!
COMING UP IN FUTURE UPDATES
- When we continue our "pagan influences" series, we'll explain the differences between the science of astronomy and the pseudoscience of astrology.
Til next time, God bless and clear skies!
-jay
The Ryan Family
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and
the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art
mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
- Psalm 8:3,4, a Psalm of David
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