Celestial Sphere

by Matthew Johnson

A meteor is a small body of matter from outer space that becomes incandescent and appears as a streak of light due to friction when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. A meteorite is a meteor that survives the Earth’s atmosphere and strikes the ground. Most are of rocky matter, however, about 10 percent are composed of iron and nickel. 

More than a hundred thousand tons of meteorites land on the earth each year, nearly all are microscopic. The Earth is getting larger and heavier by this mass by 200 million pounds every month. To make this figure somewhat imaginable, that’s 548,000 pounds per day. 

It is possible to find Micrometeorites after a rainstorm. There are various methods one can find on the Web. All that is needed is a roof with a downspout, a large bowl, a magnet, a magnifying glass, a white piece of paper and rain.

Place a large bowl under a downspout to catch rainwater. The rainwater will wash off any micrometeorites that have landed on the roof. Carefully empty the water from the bowl, being watchful to leave a little water in the bowl. Let the remaining water evaporate. There should be a tiny amount of very fine “sand” in the bottom of the bowl. Pour this “sand” onto a piece of white paper. Take the magnet and hold it under the paper and move it around for a few seconds. While the magnetic particles are attracted to the magnet under the paper, pour the rest of the sand into a small bottle.  Carefully collect the magnetic particles and observe them with a magnifying glass. Many of the particles will be man-made metallic contamination. To locate the micrometeorites examine their surfaces for partial melting. The melting is caused by the micrometeorite’s high-speed passage through the Earth’s atmosphere. Look for particles that are spherical with rounded edges and display signs of melting. These are the micrometeorites.

To observe further detail, place them under a microscope.

If possible, observe them under a microscope to see further details.

Planets: 

On July 5 the Earth in its elliptical orbit will arrive at its farthest distance from the Sun (aphelion). Counterintuitively, one would think that in the summer the Earth is closest to the Sun, when in fact it is actually farthest from the Sun. When the Northern Hemisphere is tipped toward the Sun we experience Summer, while the Earth is farthest from the Sun because the northern hemisphere of the Earth is tipped towards the Sun. 

Looking to the west after sunset, Venus and Mars stand close together with the crescent Moon to their right. 

Looking Southeast on the 24^th, the Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter on the left and Saturn on the right. 

Moon phases: 

In July the Moon has two “last quarter” phases

July 1: Last quarter: left half of the Moon is illuminated

July 9: New Moon: (no visible Moon) The best time of the month to observe faint objects such as distant galaxies and star clusters, there is no moonlight to interfere with viewing faint objects on the celestial sphere

July 17: First Quarter: right half of the Moon is illuminated

July 23: Full Moon: July’s Full Moon has numerous historic names. It is known as the “Buck Moon” as new antlers emerge from bucks’ foreheads around this time of the year. It is also referred to as the “Thunder Moon” due to the frequent thunderstorms that occur in summer. The Anglo-Saxon name is either Hay Moon, after the hay harvest that takes place in July, or Wort Moon, indicating that July is the time to gather herbs (worts) to dry.

July 31: Last quarter: left half of the Moon is illuminated.