IN THIS UPDATE:
Announcements
Our Cancer Summer
Moonfinder Illustrated Storybook
Signs & Seasons Blog Review
Classical Astronomy Outdoor Sessions
Astronomy Topics
Comparing the Ohio and Georgia Skies
Dear Friends,
This is the second edition of the Classical Astronomy Update newsletter in the past year, and only the first for 2013. As long-time readers will recall, I formally announced the ending of this newsletter last summer, but then had a change of heart last December, when I announced that it would continue on for an indefinite period, as time and opportunity would permit. 2013 has been a slow year for astronomy activity, but that's not why there has not been a newsletter for so long. In 2013, I've been very preoccupied with all the things going on in our family.
Our Cancer Summer
In March, our 19 year old son, PV2 David Ryan, completed Basic Combat Training with the US Army at Fort Benning, Georgia. For his Advanced Individual Training (AIT), Dave was then transferred to Fort Gordon, in Augusta, Georgia. Only a couple weeks into AIT, Dave was diagnosed with cancer, Stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma.
Though no parent wishes to receive such news, there were many blessings to our son's situation. For one, this type of cancer is very easily treatable with modern medince, and Dave has been given an excellent prognosis. For another, the Army agreed to pay for all his treatment, since he was an active duty soldier. For these blessings, we are very grateful.
The bad news was that the treatment was to be at Fort Gordon, 700 miles from our home in Cleveland, Ohio. Also, it was strongly recommended that a family member relocate to Georgia to provide support and assistance, lest our soldier son endure this trial alone. So I agreed to receive orders from the Army to be my son's "Non-Medical Attendant" (NMA) and relocated to a tiny motel room on base in Augusta.
My son and I remained together in that motel room at Fort Gordon for over three months, from April through July, while Dave received chemotherapy. Fortunately, I was able to perform my day job remotely on a laptop with a wi-fi connection, in order to support the family from afar. Thankfully, the Army eventually found a way to transfer Dave to the Community Based Warrior Transition Unit (CB-WTU) so that he can now live at home through the remainder of chemo. The plan is for Dave to later resume service with the Army upon being pronounced fit for duty. Before leaving Fort Gordon, Dave was promoted to Private First Class, and I was very proud to pin his new rank onto his uniform.
Everyone with the US Army has been wonderful to deal with. I am very proud of all the fine young American men and women who have volunteered to serve our country. I am also very proud to have my son in such company, serving alongside the cream of the crop of American youth. Some of the stories that we heard of wounded soldiers were heartbreaking, and I am personally grateful for the sacrifices made by young men and women in the service of their country. If you also support American soldiers and would like to learn more about how to help, please visit these links and consider financially supporting these worthwhile projects:
I had originally intended to cancel my subscription to this email newsletter service, and not continue with writing The Classical Astronomy Update. However, there were many other things on my mind while we were in Georgia, and I did not cancel before the service auto-renewed for another year. So it looks like we'll continue the newsletter for at least another year, and maybe beyond, as our busy lives permit. Thanks to everyone for your prayers for our son, and for your ongoing interest in Classical Astronomy.
Moonfinder Illustrated Storybook
I'd like to also take this this opportunity to again remind everyone that there is still a very large inventory of our illustrated storybook, Moonfinder. I originally prepared this story back in the 90s, and it is loosely based on my real-life experiences with my same son Dave, back when he was a little boy. In fact, little David himself is the star of this heart-warming story. Here's a review we received from Mrs. O'Brien, back in March:
Hi Mr. Ryan,
I am finally getting back to you to let you know that my family and I love your book Moonfinder. I ordered it about a year ago, and didn't begin reading it to my four-year-old until recently. It's been a big hit! We have been reading it daily. That's what it takes for me to begin to understand it, really. Astronomy seems so complicated to me. But, both my four-year-old and her older sister (age 6) are very excited about learning about the moon through your book. My six-year-old is writing a book review on it for school (first grade). I just left a review on christianbooks.com. It should be posted within a couple of days. Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for your excellent book!
Sincerely,
Joanna O'Brien
Everyone who has tried Moonfinder has loved it. Why not you too? Makes a great gift for the little ones in your life! (Please order from CBD and not our web site, as our directs-sale business is currently defunct, though the site is not yet updated to reflect that.)
Signs & Seasons Blog Review
Classical Astronomy is the study of the heavens (which includes the Sun, our most visible star!) without telescopes, but with the naked eye as they have been done since Creation. It is like learning to read a book written across the sky by God, and it is fascinating how easily you can determine directions, times, and seasons through what He has placed there. I have found in the study that what I used to look at and not even notice (does that make sense?) I am now noticing in far different ways (the length of shadows, etc.).
We've had so little feedback over the years from readers, and it is very gratifying to hear from a parent who "gets" what we are trying to accomplish, and who is having a good experience using our curriculum with his children. Be sure to visit Erick's blog!
Classical Astronomy Outdoor Sessions
As long-time readers may recall, we tried for many years to make the rounds on the homeschool convention circuit with our curriculum. This was very costly and bore very little fruit, as it is hard to reach indoor convention attendees when the message is outdoors. It's been eleven years since starting this homeschool newsletter, and in all this time, I have not gotten a strong sense that many people have learned how to directly observe the sky on their own, without relying on this newsletter or other external sources.
In the hopes of increasing awareness of the night sky among homeschoolers, I'd like to begin conducting Classical Astronomy outdoor sessions. These would include constellation identification, binocular tours of the sky, and some telescope observation. Plans include the following:
* Evening sessions in nearby dark-sky parks in Ohio, and possibly at the homes of families willing to host such events for groups of friends, from church or support groups. These events would need to occur on weekends nearest the Last Quarter or New Moon, to enable viewing dark skies unspoiled by moonlight.
* An Ohio campout for the summer of 2014, after convention season. It would be a simple matter of every family booking their own campsite, with me providing an evening program after dark. We're currently exploring Salt Fork State Park, conveniently located near I-77 and I-70, accessible to the Cleveland/Akron/Canton and Columbus/Dayton/Cincinnati areas.
* A possible event in the state of Texas is being discussed for March, 2014. Current discussion is for a ranch or other overnight venue in the Hill Country outside Austin, TX. Plans are in a very early stage, and details will follow as the plans unfold.
* It would be very possible for such events to be planned elsewhere in the USA, if someone would like to organize such a weekend event where I could show up and present an outdoor evening astronomy program. I'd be very interested to discuss logistics with any interested homeschoolers.
* Such outdoor events would be especially useful as advance training for anyone interested in teaching a Classical Astronomy course in their homeschool support group, using our Signs & Seasons curriculum. Please remember that we offer a 40% bulk discount for any groups ordering a suitable quantity for a class. Once trained, the teachers could plan and execute their own outdoor training sessions at their groups, as part of their classes. It would be great to get 5-10 support group teachers in a given area or within a state. Anyone interested?
It's hoped that these outdoor events will help homeschoolers organize into local skywatching clubs, for the enjoyment and education of their families and others, to further appreciate God's creation. Perhaps a national network of homeschool classical astronomers could come together, to rediscover the LORD's sky? It's also hoped that these events will help homeschoolers prepare for the BIG total eclipse of the Sun, passing over North America on Monday, August 21, 2017.
I'm also currently giving thought to creating a star guide product, specifically to help people learn the seasonal constellations. It could be a supplement to the curriculum, and a useful basis for unit studies with younger kids. Then (with all my other spare time!), I still hope to continue working on the sequel to Signs & Seasons .
We'll mention more about such outdoor events in future newsletters. Please drop me an email at jay@classicalastronomy.com if you are interested in participating in an Ohio event, or hosting such an event in your area. Thanks for your interest!
Astronomy Topics
Comparing the Ohio and Georgia Skies
When most people travel, they admire the surroundings and culture of the places they visit. I like doing that too. While in Augusta, I really came to love sweet tea, eating pizza at the
Mellow Mushroom, and the generally friendly and hospitable nature of people in the South. I also enjoyed experiencing the local flora and fauna, including Georgia pines, colorful crepe myrtles, mockingbirds, and an interesting collection of giant bugs!
Unlike most people, amateur astronomy types like me also like observing the geographical variations in the sky when visiting another part of the country. Staying in Augusta for three months provided ample opportunity to observe the differences in the sky between Northeast Ohio (NEO) and the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA).
Rainy Nights in Georgia
We did not have as much clear weather as I might have expected for a Georgia summer. It was often very cloudy, rainy and cool, not much different than a typical summer along the shores of Lake Erie. I heard from everyone that 2013 was a record year for rain in the south, and that reservoirs were overflowing that were dangerously low in recent summers.
When the skies were clear, there were many beautiful sunsets. I would often stand outside our motel room and watch the Sun set over the Chinese restaurant at Fort Gordon. It was not as picturesque as watching the summer Sun set over Lake Erie, but it was a nice sight nonetheless. As the days grew longer, from April to June, the sunset scooted to the right along the roof of the Chinese restaurant over the span of nights. As July progressed, the sunset moved back to the left as the days grew shorter.
One thing that was immediately apparent to me as a veteran skywatcher is that night falls very quickly in Georgia compared to Ohio. At the latitude of Augusta, the Sun sets at a very steep angle to the horizon, and the period of twilight is very short. However, at the latitude of Cleveland, the summer Sun sets at a very shallow angle, and the Sun lingers below the horizon for over an hour and a half before twilight finally ends. This phenomenon is completely unnoticed by most people today, who are not accustomed to being outside as night falls, observing the changes in the evening sky.
Midnight Train to Georgia
It was also very interesting to observe the difference in the height of the North Star in the night sky. Since ancient times, navigators have used angle measuring instruments such as sextants to measure the angular altitude of stars above the horizon. The horizon itself represents zero degrees altitude, and the zenith, straight up overhead, represents 90 degrees, a perpendicular angle to the horizon. At any given time, every celestial object above the horizon is at an angular altitude between zero and 90 degrees.
For every place on the Earth, the angular altitude of the north celestial pole is the same angle as the latitude of your location. This secret has always been an important aspect of celestial navigation, and was used for centuries to help sailing ships find the latitudes of their destinations. In fact, latitude on the globe is measured directly by finding the height of the pole above the horizon, along with other easy-to-find geometrical clues.
Cleveland, Ohio is at latitude 41-1/2 degrees, so the North Star is 41-1/2 degrees above the horizon. As seen from Cleveland, the North Star hangs in the sky at nearly half of the angular distance between the horizon and the zenith. The North Star resides in a very prominent in the sky above the shores of Lake Erie. In the summertime, the Big Dipper also rides very high in the night sky, appearing to the west of the North Star.
However, Augusta, Georgia is at latitude 33-1/2 degrees, a whole eight degrees further to the south than Cleveland. Consequently, the North Star is only 33-1/2 degrees above the Georgia horizon, only a bit more than 1/3 of the angular distance from the horizon to the zenith. Eight degrees may not sound like much, but it's almost 10% of the entire angle between the horizon and zenith. Consequently, the North Star sits quite low above the Augusta horizon, compared to its height in the sky as seen from Cleveland.
These differences are simply the result of differences in position on the curved surface of the Earth. These differences in the stars were well understood since ancient times to be proofs that the Earth is a spherical globe. Contrary to the popular urban legend, in the time of Columbus, it was well known that the Earth is round. In that era, no one with a classical education believed differently.
Georgia On My Mind
Though the North Star lies high in the Ohio sky, the southern stars appear very low to the horizon. A conspicuous example is the constellation Scorpius. This grouping of stars is one of the few that actually resembles the object it purports to depict. It's not hard to see the hooked tail of a scorpion in this star pattern. However, the stars of Scorpius lie deep into the southern half of the celestial sphere, and therefore lie very low to the south, just barely above the horizon as seen from the shores of the Great Lakes. From most locations around Cleveland, the Scorpion's tail is in the trees, which makes it hard to identify this constellation.
In Georgia, being in the American South, Scorpius is much higher above the southern horizon. The complete constellation is much easier to see, and the tail is well above the treetops, as seen from a field or other open space. The same applies to other southern constellations. These stars are even higher in the sky as seen from points further south, such as Florida.
Observing such geographical variations can add an additional dimension to traveling, for anyone who would take the time to familiarize themselves with the constellations. In this way, modern travelers can practice the navigational techniques used by the mariners of old, who sailed the oceans in creaky wooden ships. So many homeschoolers today seek to rediscover lost arts, such as growing food and canning and herbal lore, which were used by farming families of early America. Maybe homeschoolers could also add traditional astronomical timekeeping and navigation to these lost arts of centuries past?
