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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
- Classical Astronomy at Homeschool Conventions
- Signs & Seasons for Co-ops & Schools
- Signs & Seasons Feedback?
- Classical Astronomy Summer Article
- Classical Astronomy Webinars
- Pennsylvania Star Party Family Campout!
- Signs of the Seasons
- Articles for the Summer Solstice
- Dance of the Planets
- Total Lunar Eclipse June 15
- Saturn Passing Through Virgo
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all
the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake
me not when my strength faileth. - Psalm 71:8-9
Welcome to the Classical Astronomy Update!
Hello Friends,
This "monthly" newsletter keeps slipping and slipping! I last wrote back in March, at the start of spring, and now summer is almost here. Things have been very busy with my day job, and it's been difficult to make time for this newsletter. We're grateful for employment in the current economy, since so many people are really struggling in the world, following the tornados down south and the tsunami in Japan.
There was a report back in early May about a collection of planets that were rounding up in morning sky. This story got a lot of coverage in the media, and I saw numerous articles about it. This is ironic to me, since this was a non-event visually. These planets were too close to the sunrise to look impressive, since they were low to horizon and the twilight was too bright for the planets to be easily seen. This would have been a fair sight in the southern hemisphere, though the autumn weather might have made it tough.
It's sad that so many truly impressive astronomy events go unreported in the media. We try to keep you informed with our newsletter, as opportunity permits. However, if one is truly interested in the sky, there is no substitute for doing the hard work of learning the constellations and discovering how to pick out the bright classical planets. This can add a wonderful aspect to your enjoyment of the outdoors and an appreciation of the LORD's creation.
This was why we created our Signs & Seasons homeschool astronomy curriculum. By learning the sky for yourself, you won't need to rely on flaky media stories and occasional newsletters to keep up with happenings in the night sky.
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Announcements
In the three months since our last newsletter, we've accumulated a lot of news! Bear with us, folks, as we dig out from a backlog of announcements!
Classical Astronomy at Homeschool Conventions
This news is very late getting out, but I'm happy to report that Classical Astronomy/Fourth Day Press will have a vendor booth at the CHEO homeschool conference in Akron, Ohio, from Thursday, June 16 through Saturday, June 18. If you are attending this convention, please stop by and say hi!
We have also recently learned that our Signs & Seasons homeschool astronomy
curriculum is now being carried at homeschool conventions by Rainbow Resource Center, in addition to Grace & Truth Books! If you see either of these vendors at your local homeschool conference, be sure to check out your copy! But don't wait too long, I've heard Rainbow sold out of it at a couple conferences!
Signs & Seasons for Co-ops and Schools
Though we created our Signs & Seasons homeschool astronomy curriculum for individual use by homeschool families, in the last couple years, many homeschool co-ops have adapted the course for classroom use. I've heard nothing but good reports from the groups that that used it! Here's a report from Mary, a homeschool mom in Florida:
Our coop used Jay Ryan's Signs & Seasons for our middle school and high school classes this year. We are planning on continuing our study through the summer here in Florida and the parents all raved that this was thee best science ever.... Perfect for classical education and for the family that likes to study God's word and His story along with science- very much a fan and I would highly recommend. We had lots of field trips and star gazing the local astronomers we met were amazed at the knowledge of our kids! God bless!
If your co-op or school is interested in considering Signs & Seasons
, be advised that we offer a 40% discount on bulk orders. I led a co-op class myself with S&S two years ago, and would be happy to provide an outline of how I presented it to the students. At this time, I don't have any detailed resources for guiding such a class, but we're hoping to compile such information from the classes that have used it already. For now, if you're an ambitious, resourceful homeschool parent who would like to lead some kids into learning more about "The Forgotten Sky," a neglected but rewarding aspect of God's creation, drop us an email to jay@classicalastronomy.com!
Signs & Seasons Feedback?
We don't get much feedback about our Signs & Seasons curriculum, but what we get indicates that there are some families that really love the course and have been blessed by it, and others who really struggled with it and were frustrated. We're sorry that not anyone has had a postive experience with the course, but we have always been happy to offer one-on-one "technical support" to answer questions and otherwise provide help. We hope to compile an S&S Help Center to present some of this information and provide an avenue for additional help.
In the meantime, we'd be grateful for your feedback! Whether your experience has been positive or negative, we'd like to hear from you! It's encouraging to hear nice things, but even if you didn't like our book, we'd still be glad to help or to at least learn how we can improve the course. So feel free to drop us an email to jay@classicalastronomy.com with your comments. Thanks for trying the course, and hope that everyone took away at least something good.
Classical Astronomy Summer Activity Artricle
A while back, I contributed an article to the Stone Soup Homeschool Network. This article is called Stargazing With Your Family, and includes some tips on how your family can observe the sky during the warm months. Also, check out all the other great articles at Stone Soup!
Classical Astronomy Webinars
I've been chatting lately with our friend John Wilkerson at The Wired Homeschool. We talked about offering some Classical Astronomy Webinars where we could present some topics from Classical Astronomy in the form of an online slideshow webinar, including topics that could support the Signs & Seasons
curriculum. Before we do a bunch of work to prepare these webinars, we'd like to know in advance if anyone would be interested in the idea. If any homeschool students, parents or other interested parties might like to be a part of a webinar series, drop an email to jay@classicalastronomy.com
Pennsylvania Star Party Family Campout
Our family, in cooperation with Boy Scout Troop 777, is planning a weekend campout at Cherry Springs State Park in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. This park is a dark sky preserve, and has the darkest sky west of the Mississippi.
The campout is scheduled for the weekend of Friday, July 29 through Sunday, July 31. We are planning on setting up in the general camping area, at the site of the former airport at CSSP. At night, I am planning to lead a visual astronomy program, and also intend to bring my 10" f/5 Dobsonian telescope. I will be leading an Astronomy Merit Badge session for Troop 777, and any one else, Boy Scouts or otherwise, is encouraged to participate.
The sky at CSSP is UNBELIEVABLE. If you're a city dweller, odds are you've never seen so many stars in your life. So if you live within a couple hours driving distance of CSSP, and you'd like your family to have an opportunity to truly see "heavens that declare the glory of God," pencil in this family event for that weekend.
NOTE -- Be advised that all astronomy events are dependent on clear skies, so if rainy weather is in the forecast, our family will not attend. Everyone is encouraged to make their own campsite arrangements and other provisions. There are numerous daytime activities at CSSP, and everyone should have a great time, even without the astronomy portion of the event. Note that our family's plans are subject to change without notice. If you'd like to receive more information from us, including our arrangements, please send an email to jay@classicalastronomy.com.
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Moonfinder Storybook!
We're still trying to find some buyers for our new illustrated family storybook, Moonfinder! As mentioned previously, Moonfinderis the story of a little boy who learns about the phases of the moon with his dad. Moonfinder is a full-color 32-page picture book, for small kids and for other readers of all ages, and is especially designed to help your family understand the phases of the Moon.
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Signs of the Seasons
From the Classical Astronomy archives! Check out these timely articles about the most prominent constellation in the night sky, which is visible in the current month. Be sure to visit our Sky This Month page at our website to read other timely archive articles. Also, feel free to browse the 300+ articles in our archives, or search to find any specific articles on a variety of astronomy topics.
The Summer Solstice Equinox
The Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky of all the days of the year.
Observing the Shadows of the Solstice
As the Sun moves through the zodiac constellations over the annual cycle of the seasons, the Sun moves to its highest point overhead in the sky on the summer solstice. On this day, the noon shadows are the shortest. Because of the orientation of the sky, the height of the Sun corresponds to the length of daylight, so the Sun is highest in the sky on the longest day of the year.
Dance of the Planets Total Lunar Eclipse June 15
The big astronomy news of this week is the total eclipse of the Moon on the evening of June 15. This eclipse will be about as good as it gets, with the Full Moon passing directly through the middle of the Earth's shadow, providing a long and deep eclipse. This eclipse will favor central Asia and eastern Africa, where the entire event will be visible.
For Australia, New Zealand and the far east, the eclipse will begin in the early morning as the Full Moon is about to set in the morning sky, before sunrise. In Europe, western Africa, and South America, the eclipse will already be underway when the Full Moon rises in the east after sunset.
The entire stage of totality will be visible just about everywhere in the eastern hemisphere. Since the path of totality spans about 16 time zones and most of the world's populartion, everyone in those locations should consult their own local information for precise times for the various stages of eclipse as seen in their area.
This eclipse will entirely miss North America, so folks in the USA and Canada will have to do without and read about it after the fact. But if you have any friends that are missionaries to any other continent in the world, please feel free to forward to them this newsletter, so they can be sure to catch the view.
There will be another total lunar eclipse favoring Australia in December, which will be partially visible in Alaska. There will only be one skimpy partial eclipse in 2012, so this Wednesday's event is the best there will be for another few years.
Saturn Passing Through Virgo
Our Sky This Month page at our site also includes an article about the The Evening Stars of June - Arcturus and Spica. If you go out in the clear evenings this month, after sunset, you can see the bright stars Arcturus and Spica hanging high in the evening sky. Arcturus is a first magnitude star in the constellation Bootes, and Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. These are among the brightest stars currently visible in the evening sky.
These two bright stars can be found from the handle of the Big Dipper. Trace the arc of the curve of the handle of the Big Dipper to Arcturus, and then dive straight down to Spica. Or as the saying goes:
"Follow the Arc to Arcturus, and the Spike to Spica."
During 2011 and 2012, these two bright stars of late spring are joined by another "star" -- the planet Saturn. You can't miss Saturn, since it's just about as bright as Spica, and in the same general part of the sky, near the meridian, with Spica and Arcturus.
In the current season, Saturn is passing through the stars of Virgo, and is presently very near the lesser star Porrima, which is designated Gamma Virginis, the third brightest star in Virgo. Saturn is extremely close to Porrima these days, almost right on top of it. If you live in a rural area under dark skies, you should have no trouble seeing these stars together. If you live under the light-polluted skies of the city as we do, you might need binoculars to spot Porrima near Saturn.
The Moon passes Saturn and Spica each month, so if you can learn to find these objects now, you'll be ready for when they pass by in July and August. The waxing crescent Moon will pass Saturn on the evening of July 7, and then again on August 4. So circle your calendars!
Saturn will remain in Virgo through 2012, and will be very near Spica next summer. We'll plan on covering that in a future Update next year.
For more information on learning the seasonal constellations, and understanding why the visible planets move around through the constellations, check out our Signs & Seasons curriculum.
Coming in future Classical Astronomy Updates:
- Throughout 2011, we'll be discussing the upcoming Transit of Venus that will be visible June 5, 2012.
- In the meantime, we'll try to keep you apprised of the seasonal cycles, and also the cycles of the visible planets
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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