Basic astronomy and night sky information
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck
On December 21, 2018 at 22:23 Universal Time, the Sun reaches the December solstice, its most southern point on the ecliptic. This marks the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer in the southern hemisphere [Read more…] about The Golden Light of a Winter Solstice
Share This:
Today the Sun reaches the June solstice, its most northerly point on the celestial sphere. This marks the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter in the southern hemisphere. And for the first time in 68 years, the June solstice occurs on the same day as the June full Moon, often called the Strawberry Moon [Read more…] about Strawberry Moon and Summer Solstice Meet
Share This:
(The Great Solstice Aurora from Alan Dyer on Vimeo).
The Sun flared late last week and sent a series of coronal mass ejections in our direction. The high-speed charged particles smacked into the Earth’s upper atmosphere on June 22, 2015, and ignited aurorae borealis as far south as Georgia and Virginia, for example. The deep-southern hemisphere had fine shows of aurorae australis as well. If you missed these splendid vistas, the striking timelapse by astrophotographer Alan Dyer will give you a taste of the intensity and color of the display. Dyer is a master of nightscape and timelapse photography, and when he learned of the possibility of a striking auroral display, he packed his equipment and set to work. He wrote of his impromptu timelapse project on the night of summer solstice: [Read more…] about Aurorae at Summer Solstice
Share This:
