The Celestial Sphere
A Black Moon, Bright Mars and the Paradoxical Winter Solstice By Matthew M. Johnson As December unfolds, the nights grow longer and reach a maximum on Dec. 21, the day of the winter solstice, when the sun rises at 7:10 a.m. and sets at 4:15 p.m. This affords us only nine hours and five minutes […]
The Celestial Sphere
INcoming: Five planets, two meteor showers and a comet By Matthew Johnson Daylight saving time will end for the year on Sunday, Nov. 3., returning us to local standard time. Some great news for space exploration occurred on Oct. 13, when SpaceX successfully landed its 20-story Super Heavy booster back on the launch pad, a […]
The Shorter Nights of Summer
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew Johnson As we leave move into May we have a lengthening of daylight. April began with 12 hours and 45 minutes of daylight, and May will end with 15 hours and 4 minutes of daylight. This is a gain of 2 hours and 19 minutes as the Earth in its […]
Solar Eclipse Explained
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew JohnsonDuring the month of April there are events which will capture and hold the interest and minds of bothprofessional scientists and Americans of all ages. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over parts of Mexico, the UnitedStates and Canada. A total solar eclipse […]
First Day of Spring and a Lunar Eclipse
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew Johnson The long-awaited vernal or spring equinox occurs on March 19 at 11:06 p.m., when the sun is directly over the equator. On the equinox (from the Latin for “equal”), we have an almost equal 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of nighttime, signifying the first day of spring […]
Solar Flares and the Solar Sycle
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew Johnson In the final hours of Dec. 31, 2023, the sun produced a X5.0 solar flare (R3 Strong Radio Blackout), the largest flare observed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center since 2017. There was also a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) related to this event. This […]
Winter Solstice Occurs Dec. 21
The Celestial Sphere By Mathew Johnson The word “solstice” comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to not move). Thus “Winter solstice” means “Sun stands still in Winter.” During the Earth’s revolution around the sun, two solstices occur, the summer one in June and the winter one in December. This year, the winter solstice […]
The Autumnal Equinox
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew Moore Johnson On Sept. 23, at 2:50 a.m., the Earth will experience the autumnal equinox. The term equinox derives from the Old French equinoxe or Latin aequinoctium (from aqui, equal + nox, noct, night). The equinox is a result of the Earth’s being tilted on its axis 23 1/2 degrees. […]
Two Full Moons, Exceptional Year for the Perseid and Saturn at its Best
The Celestial Sphere By Matthew Johnson Eight months from now, on April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will begin its stroll across North America. All solar eclipses occur when the moon in its orbit comes to cover the disc of the sun. What makes this eclipse special is that a good view is within […]
Politics in Space and an August Supermoon
By Matthew Johnson Russia’s war in the Ukraine has extended beyond Ukraine’s borders. It has entered our celestial sphere. In early July, NASA issued a statement condemning images displayed by the cosmonauts from the International Space Station (ISS) by Russia’s space agency “Roscosmos.” Images were displayed in space, circling the Earth every 90 minutes. The […]
