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Sky watch meteors and full moon

New Year’s Eve fireworks kept sky watchers engrossed as TV stations moved across the world to different time zones and countries Dec. 31, 2022.

Then nature followed with the Quadrantids meteors. Begun Dec. 28, it peaks pre-dawn Jan. 3 to Jan 4 in 2023. Their “parent” is the Asteroid 2003 EH from the defunct constellation Quadrans Mualis.

They seem to radiate from a point east of Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper) but can be seen anywhere in a clear sky. The problem will be the moon which will be waxing gibbous on its way to full illumination Jan. 6.

For best time to watch and where in your region check TimeandDate Quadrantids.

Next looking up, is a Mircromoon. Called the Wolf Moon, January’s full moon is considered a Micromoon because it appears smaller due to its orbit which takes it far from Earth (as opposed to a Supermoon which appears large because it is close to Earth).

The January 2023 full moon reaches full illumination at 5 p.m. CST Jan. 6, but will appear full the day before and day after. Some Native Tribes have called it the Wolf Moon because wolves tend to howl more in January.

Read more about the January moon’s names in The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Winter Solstice Remedy

Bus tour during Modernism Week (JJacobs photo)

Just knowing that the Winter Solstice is Dec. 21 with only nine hours and nine minutes of daylight is enough to shiver the bones, not counting predictions of single digit temps.

Cheer up by planning a warm weather trip.

Visit the Phoenix area

Go in time for Superbowl LVII Feb. 12, 2023. It’s at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, home to the Arizona Cardinals. The Phoenix area, particularly Glendale and Scottsdale, are filled with more good restaurants than can be visited in one trip.

Visit the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area

Go in time for Modernism Week Feb. 16-26, 2023 to see where the stars lived between takes in Hollywood. This is an annual event that attracts hundreds of mid-last-century architecture and furniture aficionados from the US and Canada.

For a quick, warm weather fix right

Watch a bowl game on TV the Jan. 2. Most traditional New Year’s Day Bowl games will be Monday, Jan. 2 because they don’t play on Sunday.

Toast your favorite team in the 109th Rose Bowl in Pasadena when Utah plays Penn State, but also catch the 134th Rose Parade earlier. It’s great what can be done on floats with nature’s bounty.Started in 1902 with Stanford taking on Michigan, it’s the “Granddaddy” of bowl games. They don’t hold it on Sunday, so it will be Jan. 2. Rose Parade Guide | Visit Pasadena

Or watch the Citrus Bowl when Purdue plays LSU at the Camping world Stadium in Orlando, FL

Or see the Reliaquest Bowl for the University of Illinois vs Mississippi State at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fl.

Or the Cotton Bowl when USC vs. Tulane.at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Stay Warm

Look between the snowflakes for the Ursid meteors

By now you probably heard that the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice of Dec. 21, 2022, will be making itself known Wednesday followed on Dec. 22-23 by very cold temps, blowing winds and more snow than folks need for a white Christmas.

So, it might be challenging to see the Urid meteors flying across the sky when they peak in the very early hours Thursday and Friday. The good news is that the moon is in its darkest waning crescent phase with very little illumination and becomes a new moon with no illumination Dec. 23.

The Urids are so named because they seem to radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper). Their parent is the 8P/Tuttle comet. They started Dec. 13 and continue through Dec. 24.

Producing only five to 10 meteors an hour, the Urids are a comparatively minor meteor shower but it’s always fun to “catch” a meteor.

For more info visit EarthSky and TimeandDate.

Bright and fast Geminids hurtle across the sky

The Geminids, among the best meteor sky shows of the year, peak Dec. 13-14 in 2022.

Named for the constellation Gemini because the meteors seem to radiate from near its star, Castor, a twin to Pollux, this meteor shower historically hurtles between 100 and 150 fireballs across the sky per hour at its peak. They are traveling at 22 miles per second.

With clear weather and a moon phase that doesn’t make the sky too bright, 120 meteors per hour may be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to the constellation’s position, fewer than half that number are spotted in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 2022, the moon will be wanning gibbous during the Geminids peak. The moon was full Dec. 7-9. But these meteors are bright so chances are you will “catch” at least a few “falling stars.” Find more info at TimeandDate.

The Geminids are different from typical meteor showers. They don’t radiate from a comet but from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. You can pick up more information on asteroids and comets at Astronomical terms and definitions.

NASA experts say just look at the sky instead of trying to find the constellation Gemini because meteors have shorter trails near their radiant so are harder to spot.

When to watch.

Where warm clothing because you may be outside awhile until your eyes adjust to the sky and atmosphere. Choose to go out when Gemini is above the horizon but before the moon rises or later around 2 a.m. even though moonlight might make them harder to find. Find a spot away from lights or away from moonlight such as the shade of a tree.

The Geminids continue through Dec. 24, 2022. For more information visit NASA/Explore and EarthSky.

Brr December Moon

Full Moon (J Jacobs photo) — Full Moon (J Jacobs photg)

That bright white orb in the sky already looks like it is full, but it reaches complete illumination Dec. 7 at 11:09 p.m.

Called the “Cold Moon,” an appropriate Mohawk tribe name considering the temps in the northern latitudes, its high trajectory will make it appear in the sky longer and fuller Dec. 6-9.

Because of its long appearance at night the Mohican tribe calls it the “Long Night Moon.” The December full moon appears a couple of weeks shy of the Winter Solstice, Dec. 21 in 2022, so comes when days are shorter.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, other the Native American tribes have other seasonal names. The Cree tribe has used “Drift Clearing Moon,” “Frost Exploding Trees Moon and Hoar Frost Moon. The Haida and Cherokee tribes have called it “Snow Moon.”

In old Anglo-Saxon times, the December full moon was called the Moon before Yule.

For more insight into full-moon names plus seasonal and celebration names visit Time and Date.

Along with its long night, another phenomenon of the 2022 December full moon is that Mars will be blocked by the moon on Dec. 7. Called an “Occultation, the planet, moon, Earth and Sun will be in perfect alignment. Space and Scientific American explain what it is and who can see it when.

BTW, Mars will appear very bright earlier before it starts to disappear when its eclipse begins (different times according to where you live) so start looking for it in early evening.

Where to find vacation ideas

Travel and Adventure Show Chicago (Photo courtesy of the TaA Show)

Two Travel and Adventure Shows, one virtual and the other in Rosemont, IL, offer ideas and experts to help you plan your next trip.

The show includes experts, travel tips, itinerary and budget options and private tour suggestions.

Go Online Dec. 7, 2022 from 5 to 10 p.m. ET. Arranged through Eventbrite and Unicomm, you can find it at Eventbrite/virtual and Unicomm/events.

The other show is in Chicago Jan. 14-15, 2023, at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (Hall F) at 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL (847) 692-2220). Jan 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Jan 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT.

It’s a fun show with entertainment, food, expert speakers and lots of handouts.

If you have time, you may want to start out at the virtual show to pick up some ideas in December and then attend the in-person show in January.

For tickets and more information on the January show visit Chicago Travel and Adventure Show | Event Information – Travel Shows.

November full moon plays hide and see

While politicians are busy making last minute pitches on US Election Day Nov. 8, 2022 to influence the course of history, our astrological world is busy following its own course.

November’s full moon, called the Beaver Moon because that creature is about ready to shelter in the lodge it created and stored with food for the winter, will appear full and bright the night of Nov. 7. But, it reaches full bright illumination early the following morning at 6:02 a.m. EST Nov. 8 and will still look full Nov. 9.

Continue reading “November full moon plays hide and see”

It is not a Halloween trick or an alien ship

You don’t have to call a government agency or a news station if you see a fireball overhead. It’s not a trick. It’s a treat. The Taurid meteors are charging across the sky.

However, you might want to notify the American Meteor Society because that organization does keep track of fireball sightings and does want to hear about them.

Indeed, a sighting is likely in 2022 because AMS says the Taurids last great meteor production was in 2015. Taurids’ history has shown that its abundant output tends to happen every seven years.

BTW, other years it’s not so great. So, the time span might be why you hadn’t heard about the Taurids before.

The meteors seem to emanate from constellation Taurus the Bull (its radiant) in two streams, the North and South Taurids. In 2022, South peaks Nov. 4-5 with North peaking Nov. 11-13. Taurus the Bull is near the constellation Orion.

A better watching is arguably period now through Halloween and Day of the Dead. The moon cycle reaches its full stage Nov. 8 so its growing illumination period may make it harder to catch a fireball on Nov. 5. But fireballs, like their name, are bright, so maybe try the peak date.

The Taurids already started Sept. 10 and continue through Nov. 20, 2022. As with most other meteor events, they happen when Earth passes through a stream of cometary debris. With the Taurids that is what Comet 2P-Encke, the parent comet, leaves behind, according to NASA.

NASA notes that unlike many comets, 2P-Encke is not named for its discoverer, Pierre F. A. Mechain, but for Johann Franz Encke who calculated its orbit. The letter P means it is a periodic comet.

Whatever dates you venture out to see a Taurid meteor, the best time is after midnight when the radiant is high. But dress warmly and be prepared to wait. Best watching technique is to scan the skies instead of focusing on the Taurus radiant.

For more information visit Earth/Sky/ Taurids and Space/Taurid meteor shower.

Sky show this week

Look up after midnight to watch what is among the year’s best meteor shower.

Those meteors zooming across the sky at about 41 miles per second are the Orionids. Although they started the end of September and go through mid-November the best time to “catch a falling star” as the song goes, is during the shower’s peak of Oct. 21 when you may see between 10 to 20 meteors per hour.

Fortunately, the moon will be merely a slim wanning crescent during the peak date so moonlight won’t be a factor to see the sky show. Because the Orionids often leave bright trains and show-off as bright fireballs, sky watchers are likely to be rewarded with a meteor or two.

Where they seem to come from is called the Radiant so with a name like Orionids, expect to look towards the Club of the Orion the Hunter constellation. Look north of Orion’s bright Betelgeuse star.

The Parent (origination) of the Orionids is 1P/Halley. Right, the comet. These meteors are comet debris. Dust of Halley’s Comet produce the Eta Aquarids in May, usually best seen in the southern hemisphere, and the Orionids which are better, brighter and can be seen in both hemispheres in mid-October.

Note: Dress warmly and be patient. The meteor show goes from midnight until dawn.

For more info visit EarthSky, Time and Date and NASA Exploration

Hunter Moon appears large and bright for several nights

Don’t be surprised to find a large, bright orb peering into your windows this weekend.

October 2022’s full moon is technically Oct. 9 with full illumination at 4:54 p.m. ET. but it will look full Oct. 8- Oct. 11 due to it’s orbit in relation to the Sun and Earth.

It will also look larger and more luminous than some of the year’s other full moons because it will appear at sunset when the sky is glowing

What’s in a name?

The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that unlike folklore and native American names for full moons, The Harvest Moon and Hunter Moon are related to the autumn equinox.

The Harvest Moon was the full moon closest to the fall equinox on Sept. 22 and so the October full moon is the Hunter Moon because that is the name of the moon that follows the Harvest Moon.

EarthSky an excellent, on-line source of moon and planetary information, points out that the Harvest and Hunter moons relate to the season when autumn starts because of the moon’s orbital path at that time. That means that in the Northern Hemisphere the moon will appear bright in the east just as the sun is setting in the west for several nights.