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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:
- Anouncements
- New Classical Astronomy Facebook page
- 2010 Old Farmer's Almanac
- Dance of the Planets
- Moon and Planet Conjunctions This Month
And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth
up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
that know understanding. - Daniel 2:21
Welcome to the Classical Astronomy Update!
Hello Friends,
There's a big, ugly landfill near our house, visible from the nearby freeway. For years, I've driven past this ugly dump and wished it was a green, forested hill. So this past Sunday, my younger kids Sam and Veronica and me went there yesterday with a big bag of acorns, walnuts, buckeyes, pinecones and maple seeds. We walked around and spread them all over that hill in the hope that some of those seeds will take, and in a couple years, trees will begin to grow on that site.
Though the hill looked like an ugly dirt pyramid from the freeway, it was a very nice place on the ground. There were all sorts of wildflowers growing on the hill, in all colors, from orange to purple. There were tall cattails, to high to walk through and too expansive to walk around. It was actually a natural wonder, unspoiled in its own right, since clearly no humans had been back there in many years, probably since the last dump truck. All the plants apparently blew in on the wind. There was a large patch of cottonwood seedlings, which will likely grow into a large stand of trees in a few years to come.
I continue to be amazed at God's beautiful world. It's astounding how a such diversity of colorful plants could establish themselves on an ugly dump simply by the wind. Whether or not we succeeded in introducing hardwood onto that hill, it has become a beautiful place without our help (though it still looks pretty ugly from the freeway.) NASA has sent space probes all over the solar system, and has only found dry deserts and other inhospitable environments. And yet, as far as we can see, the most amazing planet God made is the one we live on.
Announcements
New Classical Astronomy Facebook Page
In our ongoing quest to create an online community for our readers, we recently created a new Facebook fan page for Classical Astronomy. Facebook has changed the functionality for fan pages, and this new page is more of an interactive forum. If you're on Facebook, check out the fan page for www.ClassicalAstronomy.com. Any group posts will appear on your home page at Facebook, and will also be automatically sent from our Twitter account. This way, you can stay posted on short snippets of information on upcoming astronomy events every day, in between these Update newsletters.
2010 Old Farmer's Almanac
The 218th edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac is in the stores. This is the oldest publication in America, having been continuously published every year since 1792. Moreover, the Old Farmer's Almanac is also one of the most commonly available astronomy resources on the market.
For each month, the OFA includes calendar pages that give the times of sunrise and sunset, along with planetary conjunctions and other astronomy events of interest. Numerous astronomy articles and other information is also provided.
In addition, the OFA includes weather forecasts and miscellany on a wide variety of subjects. For example, the 2010 OFA includes an article about the names of many common garden plants, and another article about Mark Twain. The OFA includes recipes, gardening tips, and all manner of useful and interesting information, with something for the whole family.
One thing for which to be advised -- though 256 pages long, the OFA includes three pages on astrology. Though the original editions of the OFA in the late 1700s and early 1800s never included astrology, this silliness entered in somewhere down the line. I'd encourage everyone to ignore or laugh at these silly pages in this otherwise fine piece of Americana.
The OFA can be found in the magazine section of any drugstore or supermarket, or online at http://www.almanac.com/.
Dance of the Planets
Moon and Planet Conjunctions This Month
Each month, as the Moon advances through its monthly cycle of phases, it swings through the constellations of the zodiac. As you can read in our Signs & Seasons curriculum, the zodiac is nothing more than a band of constellations that lie along the plane of our solar system. So at any given time, the Sun, Moon, and planets each appear to lie along the same line of sight with one of these zodiac constellations.
As the Moon swings around the Earth, it appears to move eastwardly through the zodiac constellations from night to night. Along the way, the Moon passes each of the visible planets, and lines up with the Sun during the New Moon. On the nights when the Moon passes nearest to one of the planets, there is a conjunction of the Moon and the planet. Sometimes these conjunctions are far apart, but at other times, the Moon and planet can be very close. Since the classical planets are among the brightest "stars" in the sky, these conjunctions can be an amazing sight in the night sky.
 On the evening of Tuesday, September 29, the waxing gibbous Moon will draw close to the bright planet Jupiter, currently passing through the faint stars of the constellation Capricornus. The Moon and Jupiter will be within three degrees at their closest, about six lunar diameters. This event will favor North and South America. Though not a very close conjunction, it should still be a pretty sight, and easily visible in the early evening by everyone in the family.
After the Full Moon on Sunday, October 4, the Moon will continue rising shortly after sunset due to the Harvest Moon effect. (For more info on the Harvest Moon, read the archive article, Approach of the Autumn Sky, linked at our Sky This Month page.
Earlybird Special
After the Full Moon, the waning Moon will continue to swing eastwardly. During the waning phases, the Moon is best seen in the morning before sunrise. On the morning of Sunday, October 11 the Last Quarter Moon will be passing through the constellation Gemini, near mighty Orion. On this morning, the half-Moon will be approaching the red planet Mars. If you're an earlybird who rises before the Sun each day, keep an eye on the sky the mornings of this week!
On the morning of Monday, October 12, the Moon will closely pass Mars as seen from the Middle East north through western Russia, especially near Moscow. Observers in these areas will see a close conjunction, with the Mars and the Moon separated by only a couple lunar diameters. By the time early morning arrives to North America, the Moon and Mars will be quite separated.
Be sure to watch the bright morning star Venus on these mornings. On the next morning, Tuesday, October 13, Venus will pass very close to the bright planet Saturn. These two will be separated by only a single lunar diameter, and will appear as twin "stars" in the morning sky.
 The waning crescent Moon will join Venus and Saturn on the morning of Friday, October 16. By then, the planets will have moved apart, and the Moon will be far away. However, this should still be an interesting sight in the morning sky. If skies are clear in your area, make sure you catch this early morning dance of the planets!
For more information on lunar conjunctions other precious things put forth by the Moon, check out our Signs & Seasons homeschool astronomy curriculum.
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
Coming in future Classical Astronomy Updates:
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We will hopefully get around to discussing the Quadricentennials of Kepler and Galileo while it is still 2009!
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The red planet Mars is currently visible in the morning sky, and will become visible in the evening sky as winter approaches.
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The bright morning star Venus will be sinking toward the sunset through the fall, and will again be visible as as evening star in early 2010.
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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