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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
- Conventions - SEARCH and CHEO
- Is There a Solar Storm Brewing?
- Signs of the Seasons
- Archives about the Summer Solstice
- Dance of the Planets
The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from
the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. - Psalm 50:1
Welcome to the Classical Astronomy Update!
Hello Friends,
Sorry to everyone that it's been so long since the last Update newsletter. Once upon a time, I tried to write these Updates once or twice a month, but there's only been four newsletters since last summer. It's been so busy lately, including a whole season of deadlines with my day job. We appreciate everyone's prayers.
There's an exciting series of conjunctions shaping up this summer with Venus, Mars, Saturn and the Moon, explained below, and I hope to keep everyone informed. I also hope to soon answer some reader questions about celestial navigation, and am hoping for some time to write that up in the near future.
We're always looking for feedback on this newsletter and our curriculum, but we don't usually hear very much from the readers. Please let us knnow if you've learned anything from the Classical Astronomy Update -- whether you've learned to identify planets or constellations, and whether you've learned how to follow the cycles of the Sun and Moon.
We'd also like to find out whether your family has used our Signs & Seasons curriculum, and whether you've had any successes or difficulties with using that. We'd like to help if we can, but we can't do so unless we hear from you! We're hoping this summer to resume work on the sequel to the Signs & Seasons
, which will explain how angle measurement is used in astronomy to perform useful measurements, including how a sextant has traditionally been used for navigational purposes. It's a fascinating aspect of this forgotten science, and can give the sky observer a much deeper understanding of the celestial bodies and their cycles.
Announcements
Conventions - SEARCH and CHEO
As mentioned in previous Updates, our whole family will be at the SEARCH homeschool conference in Souderton, Pennsylvania, the weekend of June 18-19, 2010. I'm on the program to speak at SEARCH, so if your're attending, please drop in on my talks. The next weekend, we'll also be in Akron, Ohio for the CHEO homeschool convention, June 24-26, 2010. I won't be speaking there, but at either convention, please drop by to our exhibitor table and say hi.
Is There a Solar Storm Brewing?
There was a headline last week in Yahoo news:
This article is one of an increasing number of articles that are forecasting a new, dangerous period of solar activity. When the Sun blows off large solar flares, a stream of electrically-charged particles explode from the Sun, which strike the Earth. Among other things, this can create a spectacular aurora. However, these massive electrical currents can also cause considerable damage electrical grids, as happened in Quebec during the geomagnetic storm of March, 1989.
Scientists are increasingly warning that our computer-driven culture, dependent upon sensitive microelectronic circuits, is extremely sensitive to such solar flares. Satellites in orbit can be totally fried by solar flares, including our telecommunications and GPS networks, upon which all modern commerce and daily activities depend.
An historic solar flare in 1859 caused a "Carrington Event" in which telegraph lines were actually shorting and sparking and even catching on fire! These were the only electrical appliances in operation at that time. If such an event were to occur today, we could expect such things to happen in any electrical wiring, and in just about any electrical or electronic appliance, at home or in industry.
Some scientists warn that we are vulnerable to a potential "Space Katrina" that could do trillions of dollars worth of damage and essentially change the nature of human life on Earth. This would make the fears of the Y2K bug from 10 years ago seem like a walk in the park.
There's also very good reason to believe in a strong connection between solar activity and climate. In 2008, the northern hemisphere had a record cold summer, coinciding with an historic minimum of sunspots. The Old Farmer's Almanac bases its forecasting on the 11 year sunspot cycle, supposing that weather trends recur within that period. In fact, there were record hot temperatures and drought conditions in North America during 1988 and 1999. 2010 is 11 years after that, and so far, we have had a very hot, early spring in my location, and every reason to believe that more hot weather is ahead through the summer.
We are currently in "solar cycle 24," and following the cool summer of 2008, the sunspot activity is increasing. It's feared that when the solar maximum arrives in 2012, the sunspot activity at maximum will be just as extreme as the minimum had been, and this might bode ill for a devasting solar storm. Here's a recent article from a physicist blogger:
Everyone will admit that the Sun's cycles are still poorly understood, and that "space weather" predictions are even more highly uncertain that weather here on Earth. However, whether any specific forecasts hold true, the fact remains that our high tech culture depends entirely on electricity and digital electronics that would be very vulnerable in the event of a massive solar flare. If by some chance the Sun were to enter a period of greatly increased solar activity, it may not even be possible to use electrical devices of any kind.
Not to be an alarmist, but imagine the devastation -- short term and long term -- if we lost the ability to refrigerate food, or if farm machines and shipping vehicles would not be operable to grow the food or deliver it to the grocery stores. We should be grateful to the LORD for withholding the Sun's fury up til the present time.
There's not much we can do to prepare for such a disaster except read up on the aforementioned topics and try to become informed. A part of that might include learning the elements of Classical Astronomy, in the event that we ever need to go back to telling time and navigating by the Sun, Moon and stars.
Signs of the Seasons
Archives About the Summer Solstice
Over the years, we've written extensively about the seasonal milestones, the solstices and the equinoxes. The summer solstice is on June 21, which is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer for observers in the northern hemisphere. For a collection of past Update articles from our Archives explaining all the cool stuff connected to the solstice, spend some quality time at our The Sky This Month page at www.ClassicalAstronomy.com.
Dance of the Planets
Summer Planets of 2010
As we've been mentioning in the Classical Astronomy Update, the bright planet Mars has been a regular feature in the evening sky since January. Throughout the spring, Mars had been moving away from the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini, and recently entered the constellation Leo. As we pointed out in recent Updates, Mars passed near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, on June 6, in a very prominent a conjunction of these two celestial bodies.
The planet Saturn is also in the evening sky this summer. Saturn is currently in the constellation Virgo, but is visible to the southeast of Leo, the lower left as seen from the skies of the northern hemisphere. If you haven't already done so, now is an excellent time to learn
Mars and Saturn, as these planets will be drawing closer over the next couple months, when Mars will pass Saturn.
Also keep your eyes on the bright "evening star" Venus. You can't miss Venus, as it is a blazing blowtorch in the evening sky after sunset! Venus is moving away from the sunset throughout June and July, and Mars and Saturn are drawing toward the sunset.
These three planets will draw closely together during August, 2010. Mars will pass nearest to Saturn on the evening of August 1. Venus will be nearby on this evening, and will draw nearer over the following nights. Venus will make its closest approach to Saturn on the evening of August 9, and will be closest to Mars on the evening of August 13. The waxing crescent Moon will join these planets on the same evening, August 13, 2010. This promises to be a fascinating celestial ballet, and now is the time to watch these planets as they begin to draw together.
The waxing Moon will pass Venus, Mars, Regulus and Saturn over a span of evenings over the next several days. Look for the Moon to make its closest pass of Venus on the evening of Monday, June 14. The Moon will pass under Mars and Regulus on the evening of Wednesday, June 16, and make its closest approach of Saturn on Friday, June 18.
This is a great opportunity to learn these planets, and if you have any success in finding them for the first time, please drop us an email and let us know! And spend time following these bodies each clear evening throughout June and July, to get ready for the big show in early August!
(The motions of the Moon and planets are explained in detail in our Signs & Seasons astronomy curriculum. Please check it out if you'd like to learn more! )
Coming in future Classical Astronomy Updates:
- We'll continue to follow the monthly motions and lunar conjunctions of Venus, Mars and Saturn throughout 2010.
- We also look forward to answering some reader questions about celestial navigation, and the simple techniques of using the stars to steer a sailing ship from one end of the world to the other!
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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