October has two full moons, and the first one took place on October 1, while the second one occurs on October 31 – Halloween. Because of time zone differences, in eastern Australia and New Zealand, this full moon falls on November 1. Thus, it is the first of two November 2020 full moons there. Halloween is also the fourth and final cross-quarter day of 2020 – the spookiest of the four. It was previously known as All Hallows Eve and to us in North America as Halloween. The second of two full moons in one calendar month is widely known as the Blue Moon. Therefore, this Halloween we will have a Blue Moon, but there’s more! On this year’s Halloween, bright red Mars will appear close to the full moon in the sky. Now, it is past its nearest approach to Earth in 2 years. Blue Moon. Red Mars. Doesn’t it sound spectacular? However, the full moon won’t actually be blue in color, only in name. It is definitely something that you don’t want to miss! The next full moon to fall on … [Read more...]
The Belt Of Venus & Earth’s shadow
You can catch Earth’s shadow in both the evening and morning sky; a blue-gray shadow with a direction that is opposite the sun. It will be darker than the twilight sky. The pink belt above the darkness is known as the Belt of Venus. In the east, it occurs after sunset, and in the west, before sunrise. The phase of the moon changes over the month, and often you won't see the moon in the night sky. However, the Earth's shadow is more reliable. You can catch it every clear evening rising in the eastern sky at the same pace as the sun goes down below the western horizon. Earth’s shadow is large. You may have to turn your head around to see it all. And the shadow is rounded, just like the curved shadow of a round object. The shadow of the Earth extends to space, and it can almost touch the moon. A lunar eclipse occurs every time that happens. To sum up: Look out for Earth’s shadow next time you have a clear sky. In the east that would be after sunset or before sunrise in … [Read more...]
The Closest New Moon
This month, October 2020, looks pretty exciting. On October 16, we will be able to see the closest and biggest new moon this year. But, that’s not all! The Blue Moon, near red Mars, is this year’s farthest and smallest full moon, coming on Halloween (October 31, 2020). You don’t want to miss the Halloween Blue Moon (blue in name only) near Mars - it is going to be interesting to see. In the meantime, we won't be able to see the October 16 new moon, the closest new moon of 2020, and therefore a supermoon. We rarely see a new moon, except when there's an eclipse). That happens because it's the moon phase that's closest to the Earth and the sun for any given month. New moons move across the sky with the sun all day, hidden in the light of the sun. The number of new moons this year is 12, but the moon this October arrives just about 4 hours before the moon moves to the lunar perigee: the closest point of the moon to Earth in its monthly path. New moon: October 16 at 19:31 UTC … [Read more...]
The Magical Sparkles Of Orange Arcturus
Arcturus is one of three stars recognizable for flashing in colors, and tonight you will be able to see it! It appears at this time of the year in the evening sky. You can look for it in the west at dusk or nighttime. If you live in the mid-to-far latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, you can confirm that this star is Arcturus. This can be done once it gets nice and dark, by using the Big Dipper asterism. The Big Dipper arc extended outward always leads to Arcturus. Remember that the Arcturus is an orange star. Around this time of the year, we always get asked about three different stars that have different colors. One of them is Arcturus in the constellation of Boötes the Herdsman, sparkling from west to northwest during dusk. The second one is Capella in the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer, which is now in the northeast in mid-evening. And the last one is Sirius in the constellation of Canis Major the Greater Wolf, which is now in the south before the sun … [Read more...]
Incredible Draco Meteor Shower 6-10th October
Draco the Dragon will be throwing out meteors, or as some call them - shooting stars. This is a shower that's easiest to enjoy at nightfall or early evening, but not after midnight. Your location on Earth doesn’t matter but try watch as close as possible to the nightfall. You will be able to watch it from October 6th to 10th. The ideal evening to catch it is probably October 7. The Northern Hemisphere is favored by this shower, but viewers from the Southern Hemisphere may also capture some Draconids. Luckily, the waning gibbous moon won’t be visible until mid-to-late evening. Search for these meteors for a couple of hours, starting at dusk. Even at northern latitudes, the Draconids are generally a very mild shower, throwing out just a couple of slow-moving meteors every hour. However, over the years, some outstanding displays have occurred. The Draconid meteor shower created an awe-inspiring display of meteors in 1933 and 1946, with thousands of meteors observed every hour in those … [Read more...]
Unreal Full Harvest Moon On The 1st 2nd Of October
There will be two full moons in October 2020 – the first one will appear on October 1 or 2, 2020. It depends on which part of the world you live in. This full moon is called Harvest Moon in the Northern Hemisphere and counts as autumn’s first full moon. Moreover, it is spring’s first full for the Southern Hemisphere. Regardless of where you live, expect a full-looking moon to brighten up the sky from dusk till dawn within the next few nights. Furthermore, that bright red “star” close to the moon is not a star at all. It is the red planet – Mars. A season is described as the time span between the equinox and the solstice, or vice versa. Usually, one season has 3 full moons, and in 2020 the season between the fall 2020 equinox and the winter 2020 solstice brings the usual three full moons. September 2020 equinox: September 22 at 13:31 UTCFull moon: October 1 at 21:05 UTC (Harvest Moon)Full moon: October 31 at 14:49 UTC (monthly Blue Moon)Full moon: November 30 at 9:30 UTCDecember … [Read more...]
The Reason Behind Fast Sunsets During The Equinoxes
Did you know that there is a natural occurrence that happens around this time of the year at sunset? It is a phenomenon that you would probably never expect. Basically, the sun is setting faster during the time of an equinox. The quickest sunsets (and sunrises) happen at or around the equinoxes. And the slowest ones happen at or near the solstices. Therefore, it doesn’t matter where you live; this occurs both in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Just to make thigs clear, when we mention sunset here, we're talking about the exact amount of time it takes for the sun’s body to disappear below the western horizon. Why is the sun setting so fast during the equinoxes? At every equinox, the sun rises pretty much to the east and sets to the west. This means – on the day of an equinox – the setting sun reaches the horizon at its steepest point. In the meantime, at a solstice, the sun sets farthest north or farthest south of due west. The angle of the setting sun gets shallower … [Read more...]
A Magical Young Moon Is Upon Us On 18-20th September
On September 17, 2020, the new moon crossed 5° north of the sun, heading out of the morning sky and into the night sky. The day the new moon occurs, we cannot see it at all. This happens because it rises and falls with the sun (more or less) and is lost in the sun's light during the day. However the moon still returns; on September 18, 19, 20, and 21, you will see the moon as a crescent in the west. This can happen in one or more of these nights, after sunset. In the days following the new moon, as the moon proceeds its steady path across the earth, it is easy to spot the moon rising east of the sun on the dome of the sky. That's a little further from the sunset each night. Fortunately for us, the moon will hit its perigee – the nearest position to Earth in its monthly orbit – on September 18, 2020. This means that the new moon is moving away from the sun at a high orbital speed at the moment. Therefore, we're predicting that a number of attentive viewers may see the young … [Read more...]
Full Corn Moon Will be Upon Us On 1st & 2nd September
On the night of September 1-2, 2020 the third and last full moon of our Northern Hemisphere summer will take place. Simply put, this is the last of three full moons to appear in between the June 20 solstice and the September 22 equinox. The September full moon also presents the Harvest Moon to the Northern Hemisphere. This happens because the September full moon – more frequently than not – is the closest full moon to the September equinox. However, this year, the first of two full moons in October 2020 occur closer to this equinox. Therefore, this year’s Harvest Moon will be happening on October 1.There are a few names we in North America use in case the September full moon is not the Harvest Moon. For example: Fruit Moon, the Corn Moon, or Barley Moon. When can you see it? The corn moon will be completely full on September 2, 2020 at 5:22 UTC. In the North American and U.S. time zones, which corresponds to the 2nd of September at 2:22 a.m. ADT, 1:22 a.m. EDT, 12:22 a.m. CDT … [Read more...]
Will Mars Be The Same Size As The Moon?
One of the most asked questions this week is Will Mars Be The Same Size As The Moon on August 27? The answer is no, not really. This story has been spreading since 2003. Will Mars Be The Same Size As The Moon on August 27, 2020? Is Mars really going to be as large as the moon, visible from Earth? No to all of these stories. This joke is rooted in a 15-year Mars cycle that really happened, which is peaking – allowing us a fantastic year to observe Mars – in 2020. While this is not valid, you are probably going to see the statement in an email – or social networks; that Mars will be as big as a full moon in Earth's sky on a specific day, usually August 27 in any given year. Often there is a belief that the moon of Mars and Earth would appear as a double moon. And that's just not the facts. It's not the case in 2020. And therefore, it never was. It’s never going to be true. The hoax usually looks like this: “NOW YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WATCH MARS – IT IS GOING TO BE … [Read more...]