Bobs Spaces | Earth and Space Sciences Education

Time 2020-07-25 17:15:18

Web Name: Bobs Spaces | Earth and Space Sciences Education

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According to the pseudoscience of astrology, Wednesday July 22rd the sun will be entering the constellation of Leo the Lion. In fact the Sun is still within the boundaries of the constellation Cancer the Crab, having just entered that region two days ago.   The difference between the two locations of the Sun, the correct astronomical vs. the incorrect astrological, is due to the effects of precession, or more specifically, the precession of the Earth s axis. The Earth wobbles on its axis like a spinning top does as the top slows down. So, in approximately 26,000 years the Earth will have spun, or wobbled one time. This is a repetitive cycle and over the course of one precession cycle the poles of the Earth trace out a circle against the background stars over their respective pole. any star on or nearest to this precession circle is the pole star. Currently the north pole of the Earth points toward Polaris and within this century, due to precession, will point the closest it will be, and then over time the Earth s north pole will shift away.   Another effect of precession has been to cause the celestial grid system to shift moving the original signs of the zodiac by at least one constellation to the west. In other words the Sun is more to the east which in effect means that whatever your zodiacal sign may be according to astrology, you are really the constellation to the west, or before it according to Astronomy.   Click here to read a little more about precession from a previous blog.   The Science of Astronomy has its roots in astrology with the origins of astrology beginning several millennia ago possibly by the Babylonians. Regardless of its origins the basis for at least Sun astrology, the popularized version printed in newspapers, is the position of the Sun relative to stars in the background. However we now know that due to the effects of precession the Sun s position is no longer as it was during the beginnings of astrology.    The slideshow below shows the sun s position within Cancer on July 22nd 2016 AD, and then shifts to show the sun in Leo 4,000 years ago on 22 July 2016 BC. Precession has shifted the sun s position one constellation to the west.This slideshow requires JavaScript.         Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.Also Follow me and other great resources at Feedspot.Share this:FacebookPinterestTelegramTwitterLinkedInEmailPrintRedditTumblrLike this:Like Loading... On Wednesday July 22nd Mercury, the innermost planet, will reach its orbital position known as greatest western elongation at 20.1o. At that moment Mercury, the Sun, and the Earth, would be arranged in something close to approximating a right angle as this graphic shows. Even though it sounds confusing at western elongation for either Mercury or Venus the inner planet will be to the right of the Sun as we view them, meaning that at western elongation an inner planet rises in the east before the Sun rises. And at eastern elongation with the inner planet on the left side of the Sun the inner planet follows the Sun across the sky setting after the Sun sets.From our perspective the orbits of Mercury and Venus appear to move from one side of the Sun to the other out to the left (east) from the Sun to eastern elongation, then reverse and move westward (inferior conjunction) between the Earth and the Sun to western elongation. From there the inner planet moves eastward going behind the Sun (superior conjunction) and eventually reappearing on the eastern side of the Sun for an eastern elongation. Repeat over and over do not stop!There is a lot to see and a few things you cannot see on the morning of Mercury s western elongation. Going by relative apparent magnitudes Mercury (0.33), Venus (-4.43), Mars (-0.89) are all easily visible as bright to very bright star-like objects. On the other hand those not seen with the naked-eye but are still above the horizon in the morning skies include: Uranus (5.80), Eris (18.64), Neptune (7.84), Ceres (7.40)Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.Also Follow me and other great resources at Feedspot.Share this:FacebookPinterestTelegramTwitterLinkedInEmailPrintRedditTumblrLike this:Like Loading... Monday July 20th the outer planet Saturn reaches its orbital position known as opposition. This is a position which has the faster moving Earth passing Saturn and at opposition is centered between the outer planet and the Sun. Picture the arrangement with the Moon at full phase; Sun Earth Moon, and that is similar to the arrangement for Saturn at opposition.When an outer planet, like Saturn, reaches opposition that planet rises around local time for sunset and is visible all night.Saturn shares the evening skies over the eastern horizon with Jupiter as both are rising around the local time for sunset. Both will be visible all night, setting around sunrise. The reddish star Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion is off to the west from the two giant ringed planets. The Summer Milky Way arcs across the sky from the south overhead toward the northeast and if your skies are dark enough should make for awesome viewing. And off to the northwest is Comet 2020 F3 (NEOWISE). And rising over the eastern horizon are the three stars making up the Summer Triangle .Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.Also Follow me and other great resources at Feedspot.Share this:FacebookPinterestTelegramTwitterLinkedInEmailPrintRedditTumblrLike this:Like Loading... Despite clouds along the northern horizon the comet was still easy to see with the naked eye. Well not really easy, easy, but it was certainly visible as an elongated fuzzy object. I was observing near a family using a telescope and they were the first to spot the comet. So, by using the pointer stars of the Big Dipper I looked down from the bowl toward the horizon and there was the comet. In one of the pictures below you can see the pointer stars near the top of the picture.All pictures have been processed to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, temperature, and all have been resized.While waiting for the sky to darken enough the ISS orbited overhead moving across the stars of the Summer Triangle passing closely by the stars Vega in Lyra the Harp and Deneb in Cygnus the Swan (aka the Northern Cross ).Adding to the viewing were the planets Jupiter and Saturn rising in the southeast along with the stars of Sagittarius and Scorpius, and the summer Milky Way.The morning after there were a few clouds blocking a view of the comet, however the waning crescent Moon and Venus were shining brightly and hard to miss. Comet 2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has moved to the evening skies after its close approach to the Sun earlier this month. The comet is now outbound from the solar system and will pass by the Earth coming the closest on the 22nd 23rd. Over the next month or so the comet will gradually move into the polar circumpolar region of the sky and will be above the horizon all night.On the evening of the comet s closest approach to the Earth it will be somewhat lined up with the Pointer Stars in the Big Dipper. However instead of going toward the North star, Polaris, go in the opposite direction to find the comet.Click here to go to the Sky Live web site for accurate finder charts for this comet and other comets.Watch this short video to follow the comet s path:Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.Also Follow me and other great resources at Feedspot. Share this:FacebookPinterestTelegramTwitterLinkedInEmailPrintRedditTumblrLike this:Like Loading... Tuesday July 14th the outer giant ringed planet Jupiter reaches the point in its orbit around the Sun that places the Earth in between Jupiter and the Sun. This is known as opposition, and opposition is an orbital position that applies to solar system objects (outer planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, etc.) orbiting the Sun beyond the Earth s orbit. An object at opposition will have approximately the same heliocentric longitude as the Earth s heliocentric longitude. So on Tuesday both planets will have a heliocentric longitude of around 228o.An opposition of Jupiter occurs approximately every 13 months because both Earth and Jupiter are moving. After one Earth Revolution, an Earth year, the planet Earth will be where it was the previous year at opposition with Jupiter. However Jupiter will not be there because it has moved during the past year as well. It will take the Earth about an extra month or so to catch up with Jupiter. Earth moves 360o each year while Jupiter moves approximately 12o each Earth year. Sunset Local Time.When an object is at opposition it rises at approximately the same time as local sunset and that same object at opposition sets at approximately the time of local sunrise. In other words an object at opposition will be up all night from sunrise to sunset.Picture our Moon at full phase and how it is directly opposite the Sun, with the Earth in between. The full Moon in effect is at opposition but we call it the full Moon instead. And so both the full Moon and Jupiter at opposition, rise at sunset, set at sunrise, and both will be visible all night. Jupiter is currently a few degrees to the west from Saturn and both rise and set together, although Saturn will not reach its opposition for a few more days, on the 20th of this month.Take a brief tour of the Jovian (Jupiter) system. Music by Dark Matter.Live recording of music written by Richard Johnson. Video by me!Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.Also Follow me and other great resources at Feedspot. Share this:FacebookPinterestTelegramTwitterLinkedInEmailPrintRedditTumblrLike this:Like Loading... Also Follow Meand Other Great Blogs. Click on link belowFollow on Feedspot Disclaimer: Any use of my posted information, in any manner whatsoever, will raise the amount of disorder in the universe. Although no liability is implied herein, the reader is warned that this process will ultimately lead to the heat death of the universe. Spam Blocked 264,132 spam blocked by Akismet

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