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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 33:13-15
IN THIS UPDATE:
Announcements
Eclipse Mailbag Dance of the Planets
Dear Friends,
Hope everyone had a nice Easter, and remembered the LORD's resurrection in the midst of visiting with family.
Welcome, new readers! Thanks to everyone who shared around the last newsletter, about the so-called "Blood Moon." It went a little bit viral, and that article got picked up by EarthSky, a prominent mainstream astronomy website. So we have about 100 new readers since last week. Hope you all like the Classical Astronomy Update and maybe learn a few things. I've been creating this newsletter for homeschoolers since 2002, after I quit contributing the SkyWise comic strip to Sky & Telescope.
If you've not yet done so, check out our book Signs & Seasons. Though created as a homeschool curriculum, it has become a popular introduction to astronomy for adult readers. Also, our storybook Moonfinder is a heartwarming children's story that teaches little kids how to follow and understand the phases of the Moon. If any of you new readers are amateur astronomers, please drop me a line, I'd like to hear from you.
There has been a small but enthusiastic response for our Consider Thy Heavens astronomy campouts for this summer. People have asked me if there any charge. The answer is NO, other than your own camping fees and expenses. There is no cost for me or my evening sky program, it's totally free. This is our family vacation time, and your family is invited to join us.
These campouts are my response to the homeschool convention celebrity scene, rather an "anti-convention"... there will be no one peddling stuff or "building their brand," or working the room in some stuffy convention hall. Instead, there will just be a bunch of families meeting together outdoors, in God's creation, to enjoy some daytime activities, and spend time together after dark, experiencing the night and observing the constellations, and maybe some meteors. You'll get to see that the Ryans are a "normal" homeschool family in every respect! (God help us all!)
I'm hoping that everyone who comes will become friends, and that you all will take home what you learn about the sky, and share it with your own friends and family. As we saw with that depressing light pollution map
sent with the last newsletter, the night sky is a rapidly vanishing natural resource. Everyone should experience a truly "biblical" dark sky in their lifetime, while they still can, instead of the "secular" light polluted skies of the big cities and swanky suburbs, with which we are all too well acquainted. So come on down!
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Visit our archive of previous editions of the Classical Astronomy Update newsletters, going back to 2007.
Visit this page to subscribe to the Classical Astronomy Update and the Northeast Ohio Astronomy (NEOastro) newsletters.
Eclipse Mailbag
It's been about four years since the last lunar eclipse, but as in years past, the readers sent in their own photos. Unfortunately, we got "snowed out" here in Cleveland and missed the eclipse. A big cold front scrambled the skies for millions of hopeful eclipse hunters across the eastern USA. But many folks had a great view of the sky, so thanks very much to everyone who contributed these pics!
Angela writes:
I took these pictures from my back yard in Wintersville, Ohio. This is the best I could do with the very small window of opportunity I had to snap a photo of the Lunar Eclipse of 4/15/2014. The moon was shining bright just before the eclipse started, but then a blanket of thick clouds moved in and obscured the view. I didn't get another opportunity to capture a shot for another hour, but I was only able to take a few pictures before the moon was hidden again. The first photo was taken at 1:47 am, and the second was taken at 2:45 am.
Thanks for sending these, Angela! Like the rest of the eastern USA, Ohio was under the clouds, and you may well have had the only eclipse photos at all from the Buckeye State! Thanks for your dedicated effort!
This next pic was taken by Annamarie in California, a friend of Janice from Maryland, an old friend and former coworker of Dr. Parsons and mine from the our days at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. This one is a bit hazy, but shows a nice stage of partial eclipse.
Here's one from Deanna in Texas who writes:
I took these from outside my apartments in Fort Worth, Texas at around 2 to 2:05 a.m.
My sister Kasey in Fairbanks, Alaska sent along a couple of pics. She writes:
Jay, I have a crummy iPhone pic from last night, if you'd like to see it from the Alaskan perspective. We had clear skies, but were waiting for the sun to completely set for the best view. Wish you could have been here!
For those of us who do not live in sub-Arctic latitudes, isn't it amazing that the Sun could still be up at 10 or 11PM local time? Notice how low the partially eclipsed Moon is above the streetlights. This definitely showcases the Alaskan high latitude perspective, where the North Star is high above, near the zenith, while the Sun and Moon ride low above the trees most of the time.
About the next pic, Kasey writes the following:
One last photo from my phone, and a compelling argument for the purchase of a "real" camera! Approx a few minutes before midnight our time.
Well, I can't argue with that! Glad for your contributions, kiddo!
Here's a couple of pics from Matt, the nephew of my classmate Ann from Garfield Hts., Ohio (Class of '79). This exposure is slightly overexposed and shows the Moon not quite fully eclipsed:
This one is a deeper stage of eclipse. The bright star at the lower right of the Moon is Spica, and the faint one in the upper left is a dim star called 76 Vir. The pics are a little shaky, since Spica and 76 Vir look like little squiggles. But I admire anyone who capture any sort of astro-photographs It's a very tough thing, and quite an accomplishment!
Here's a beautiful pic of the full eclipse with Spica from Deborah in Oklahoma. Deborah writes:
Blood Moon at 3:04 AM CST on 4/15/14 over Edmond, OK.
We had a clear sky and I watched the moon for hours
Very nice, thanks Deborah. But remember, this is a lunar eclipse, and not a "Blood Moon"! We discussed that in detail in the last newsletter! I really hope that term does not stick!
This is a very professional pic from Elliot of Starlight Photography. Check out Elliot's Facebook page to see more of his great work.
Here's a really nice series of pics from Paula in Texas. Paula has been an enthusiastic supporter of our work over the years, and has used our Signs & Seasons curriculum with her homeschool co-op, THEO (The Home Educators Outsource Solution). Paula writes:
I did take a few pictures of the eclipse, but didn't send them because I figured there would be others that were better....
It's really hard with the equipment we have to take a picture showing the detail of the moon (and not overexposing it) and get Mars or any stars in good focus with the same exposure.
It was a beautiful clear night here in Dallas last night! Thanks for doing what you do!
Paula, your family did great work with these pics, thanks so much for sending them! This one is dedicated to the Moon but also includes 76 Vir.
Here's Paula's nice shot of the eclipsed Moon near Spica and 76 Vir....
Paula also sent this view of the eclipsed Moon in the same scene as Mars and Spica, as depicted in the last newsletter. Mars is distinctly seen off to the side at about the 2 o'clock position, while Spica is a faint spark near the Moon at about the 5:30 position. It's so hard to get those exposures just right! Nice work!
Jamie in Louisiana sent in this view which shows a slightly brighter Mars. Jamie writes:
This picture was taken outside Shreveport, Louisiana. It
was around 2:50 a.m. I could see Spica, but my camera didn't pick it up. I can only imagine that the view was amazing, with the ruddy Moon near these bright objects. This was the part that I personally was looking forward to. According to pop astronomer Bob Berman, no one currently alive will ever again get to see an eclipsed Moon in conjunction with a bright star and a bright planet. So anyone who saw it, count yourselves among the fortunate!
This view from Penny in Upper Michigan is sufficiently exposed to capture this rare eclipse conjunction of the Moon with Spica and Mars.
Penny writes this about her family's experience:
We had such a blast early this morning from 1:30am-3:30am Central Time. We all dragged our butts out of bed and saw a spectacular sight. Here in the northwoods we had clear skies & it was very dark with thousands of stars. Unfortunately, also in the northwoods we have lots & lots of trees, so our view was obstructed a bit. Our 11 year old wanted to take photos, so we tried to take a few nighttime pictures and he took a few through our telescope. Even though our view wasn't perfectly clear it was still beautiful & our house had a party atmosphere. I wished I would have made party food. See you in August!!
Our family has also had festive experiences at rude hours of the night during lunar eclipses! (However, I'm not sure if our neighbors enjoyed having us outside, making noise at 5AM!) These late night lunar eclipses really can be memorable family experiences for those who go to the trouble of experiencing God's celestial wonders.
Penny's family has already reserved their campsite for our Michigan "Consider Thy Heavens" astronomy campout! So why not join us and you can talk to Penny about their fun time in the middle of the night on eclipse night! If you missed this eclipse, try again October 8, and also next April 4 and September 28, in 2015!
As explained in our last newsletter, the bright planet Mars is prominent in the night sky. "The Red Planet" has a conspicuous "shiny copper penny" color and is lingering near the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo, just downstream from the star Arcturus in the constellation Bootes.
Last time we explained how to find Mars from the Big Dipper. As explained in Chapter 6 of our Signs & Seasons curriculum, you can find Arcturus by following the "arc" of the handle of the Big Dipper, and then "spike" in a straight line in the same general direction toward Spica, according to this simple mneumonic:
Follow the Arc to Arcturus, and Follow the Spike to Spica.
This picture was provided to help everyone locate Mars in the early evening sky.
Apparently, this graphic was effective! I received several replies from readers who were able to find Mars from these stars:
We just came in from stargazing and located Mars by using the Big Dipper, Arcturus, and Spica. It's great to be able to know what we are looking at instead of just turning our eyes up and thinking "Oh that's pretty." Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!! - Megan
We saw Mars, Spica, and Arcturus tonight! Thanks so much for your newsletters. - Sherry in Kentucky
Yes, Jay, I found Mars! and Spica and Arcturus! We had clear skies in the east tonight after we got home from church, and I went right out to look. :-) - Carol
My husband & I set the alarm for 2 am and had our three children (ages 11, 12, & 16) get up and get dressed so they could watch the eclipse of the moon. It was fascinating! We had to come in every few minutes as northern Wisconsin still has quite a bit of snow, and it was cold! We did spot Mars, too, using your picture. - Leah in Wisconsin
Yes - yes! I spotted Mars. :-) - Patty
Here in Las Vegas, NV, there is an overwhelming amount of light pollution. Finding Mars was easy though with your clear instructions. Thank-you so much for all the wonderful information. - Nancy in Nevada
Saw Mars--absolutely beautiful and lustrous, even outside of DC where the skies barely darken at night. Even my teenager gave it the stamp of approval. - Rachel in Maryland
Wow, even the teenager approved! :) I have a couple of them myself, and am therefore very impressed! Thanks friends, that's a lot of feedback, and it is very reassuring to hear that the graphic was effective for finding Mars, even for readers in heavily light-polluted areas.
I hope everyone will continue to spot Mars in the current season, as the Red Planet will be hanging around Virgo, near Spica, for the next several months. Be sure to practice on clear nights through this spring at following the Big Dipper's handle to Arcturus and Spica. If you can learn this trick now, it will help you to find these stars in years to come, and forevermore. This technique is a big help to learning all the spring constellations.
Over the coming months, The Big Dipper will be higher and higher overhead, and by June, Spica and Arcturus will be high in the sky after sunset. Though Mars will be growing dimmer in the coming months, it will still be near the meridian in the early evening, and impossible to miss, especially if you know what you're looking for.
Now that you can find Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, you are well-equipped to observe the retrogradation of Mars through this constellation. We've explained this phenomenon in the past, and a full explanation is given in Chapter 7 of Signs & Seasons.
In the winter of 2014, Mars was moving in its normal eastward motion, and passed Spica on January 28. On March 1, Mars was stationary, and it stopped moving and reversed course. Since then, Mars has been heading westward, and passed Spica again on March 31. Mars is now drawing farther and farther to the west of Spica, and will do so until May 21, when it reaches its next station, past the bright-ish star Porrima in Virgo.
After that, Mars will resume its normal eastward motion, and again passing very close to Spica on the evening of July 12, when these objects will be separated by a mere 1.4 degrees, less than three lunar diameters. It is a bit uncommon to have such a triple conjunction between a star and a retrograding planet.
As the months march onwards, Spica and Arcturus will draw closer to the sunset. However, Mars will be outracing these stars as it chases along through its swift orbit. By July, Mars will be drawing away from Virgo, into the constellation Libra. Into August, Mars will then draw near the slower planet Saturn. Mars and Saturn will be in conjunction on the evening of August 27. By then, Mars will have faded, and will be of the same brightness as Saturn. These two will make a pretty pair, Mars distinctly red, and Saturn more yellowish in appearance. The waxing crescent Moon joins this combo on the evenings of August 31 and September 1, adding its glory to this scene.
Everybody who joins us on the Michigan "Consider Thy Heavens" astronomy campout will be able to see the planets Mars and Saturn approaching conjunction, and glittering brightly in a "biblical" night sky! Wow, I sure cannot wait! Wherever you live, keep your eyes on Mars in 2014, and you'll get to see a wonderful season of celestial sights.
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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