Day: April 7, 2016

Deity of the Day for April 7th is Juno

Deity of the Day

Juno

Areas of Influence: Juno was the Goddess of marriage, pregnancy and childbirth.

She was the Queen of the Gods and part of the Capitoline triad that also included Minerva and Jupiter.

This Deity was an embodiment of the traditional female roles of wife and mother.

One of her titles was Lucino (meaning light) as she helped to bring children into the light of this world at birth. She was also said to set and strengthen a child’s bones.

She was also Goddess of conception, a Goddess to be called upon in labour and one who helped settle disagreements between spouses.

Juno protected the finances of the Roman people. In this role she was the patron Goddess of the royal mint.

Before she absorbed many of Hera’s characteristics several scholars suggest that she was a Maiden Goddess.

The Month of June was named after her and it was considered the most favorable month to get married in.

Her other claim to fame is that as an archetypal figure she appears in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest.

Each Roman woman was said to have her own Juno which represented her female spirit.

Origins and Genealogy: According to later Roman myths she was the sister and consort of Jupiter and the mother of Mars, Hebe and Vulcan.

Mars was conceived when the Goddess was impregnated by a flower.

Strengths: Leadership and a loyal wife.

Weaknesses: Jealousy and vindictiveness.

Juno’s Symbolism

This Roman Goddess had a more warlike nature than Hera and was often depicted in a goat skin coat that was favoured among Roman soldiers.

She was also able to throw lightning bolts like her husband Jupiter.

Sacred Birds: Geese and peacocks.

Sacred Plants: The wild fig tree.

Festivals: A special ceremony was dedicated to her in the home to celebrate the beginning of each lunar month.

Her main festival, the Matronalia was held on 1st March. On this day married woman asked their husbands to give them money to make offerings to the Goddess.

A smaller celebration known as the Nonae Caprotinae took place on 7th July.

Greek and Etruscan Equivalents: The Goddess Hera was the Greek equivalent to Juno.

Uni was the Etruscan Goddess who shared many similarities with this Deity.

 

Source:

Goddess-Guide.com

A Little Humor for Your Day – “Camel Questions”

Camel Questions

A mother and baby camel are talking one day when the baby camel asks, “Mom why have I got these huge three-toed feet?” The mother replies, “Well son, when we trek across the desert your toes will help you to stay on top of the soft sand”. “OK” said the son.

A few minutes later the son asks, “Mom, why have I got these great long eyelashes?” “They are there to keep the sand out of your eyes on the trips through the desert”, “Thanks Mom” replies the son. After a short while, the son returns and asks, “Mom, why have I got these great big humps on my back?” The mother, now a little impatient with the boy replies, “They are there to help us store fat for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without water for long periods.”

“That’s great mom, so we have huge feet to stop us sinking, and long eyelashes to keep the sand from our eyes and these humps to store water, but Mom …” “Yes son?” “Why the heck are we in the San Diego zoo?”

 

Source

JokesWarehouse.com

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2016 April 7

Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte
Image Credit: ESO, VST/Omegacam Local Group Survey

 

Explanation: Named for the three astronomers instrumental in its discovery and identification, Wolf – Lundmark – Melotte (WLM) is a lonely dwarf galaxy. Seen toward the mostly southern constellation Cetus, about 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, it is one of the most remote members of our local galaxy group. In fact, it may never have interacted with any other local group galaxy. Still, telltale pinkish star forming regions and hot, young, bluish stars speckle the isolated island universe. Older, cool yellowish stars fade into the small galaxy’s halo, extending about 8,000 light-years across. This sharp portrait of WLM was captured by the 268-megapixel OmegaCAM widefield imager and survey telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory.

Earth Sky News for April 7th: Closest new moon of 2016 on April 7

Closest new moon of 2016 on April 7

The new moon of April 7, 2016, is the closest new moon of the year. It turns new some six hours before reaching perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in this monthly orbit. The April 7 moon counts as a supermoon despite the fact that we won’t see the moon in our sky. In fact, when you see the sun on April 7, think of the moon, too. It’ll be between us and the sun – but not exactly between – crossing the sky with the sun throughout the day.

Wait, you say? Supermoon? But the moon isn’t anywhere near full on this date!

That’s right. This isn’t a full supermoon. It’s a new supermoon. In fact, the new moons on March 9, April 7 and May 6 all qualify as supermoons.

There are six supermoons in 2016, but this April new moon ranks as the second-closest supermoon of the year, after the November 14 full moon supermoon. Some two weeks from now, on April 22, the full moon will closely align with apogee – the moon’s most distant point – to stage the smallest and farthest full moon of 2016. This sort of full moon is sometimes called a micro-moon or mini-moon.

What is a supermoon? The term supermoon didn’t come from astronomy. We used to call these moons perigee new moons or perigee full moons. Perigee means near Earth. An astrologer, Richard Nolle, is credited with coining the term supermoon. He defines them as:

. . . a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth.

By this definition, a new moon or full moon has to come within 361,524 kilometers (224,641 miles) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, in order to be a supermoon.

It’s a very generous definition, and it’s why supermoons are common in popular culture. According to Nolle’s definition, the year 2016 gives us a total of six supermoons: the new moons of March, April and May, and the full moons of October, November and December.

What time is the April 7 new moon? How close to perigee? The April 7 moon is new at 11:24UTC. Lunar perigee – the moon’s nearest point to Earth for the month – happens about 6 hours after new moon, on April 7, at 17:36 UTC. The March 9 and May 7 new moons also qualify as supermoons, although these new moons don’t coincide as closely with lunar perigee as the April 7 new moon.

The March 9 new moon occurred at 1:54 UTC. Lunar perigee – the moon’s nearest point to Earth for the month – happened about 1 day and 5 hours after new moon, on March 10, at 7:02 UTC.

The May new moon will come on May 6 at 19:30 UTC, or about 15 hours after reaching lunar perigee (May 6, at 4:14 UTC).

Spring tides accompany April 2016’s supermoon. Will the tides be larger than usual at the March, April and May new moons? Yes, all new moons (and full moons) combine with the sun to create larger-than-usual tides, but perigee new moons (or perigee full moons) elevate the tides even more.

Each month, on the day of the new moon, the Earth, moon and sun are aligned, with the moon in between. This line-up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low.

The April 7 extra-close new moon will accentuate the spring tide, giving rise to what’s called aperigean spring tide. If you live along an ocean coastline, watch for high tides caused by the March, April and May 2016 new moons – or supermoons.

Will these high tides cause flooding? Probably not, unless a strong weather system accompanies the perigean spring tide. Still, keep an eye on the weather, because storms do have a large potential to accentuate perigean spring tides.

Can I see the April 7 supermoon? Don’t expect to see the new moon on April 7. At the vicinity of new moon, the moon generally hides in the glare of the sun all day long, pretty much rising with the sun at sunrise and setting with the sun at sunset. On the other hand, if you were on the moon looking at Earth, you’d see a full Earth.

What is the closest supermoon of 2016? As we said above, the year 2016 will have six supermoons: the new moons of March, April and May, and the full moons of October, November and December.

The full moon on November 2016 presents the closest supermoon of the year (356,509 kilometers or 221,524 miles).

This year, in 2016, the March 9 supermoon featured the first eclipse of 2016.

Last year, in 2015, the September 28 supermoon presented the final eclipse of 2015 – and the fourth total lunar eclipse of a lunar tetrad – also known as a Blood Moon.

Farthest full moon of 2016 on April 22. One fortnight (approximately two weeks) after the year’s nearest new moon on April 7, it’ll be the year’s farthest and smallest full moon on April 22, 2016. People are calling this sort of moon a micro moon.

Bottom line: The April 7, 2016, moon counts as a supermoon because it’s new and near Earth. No, you won’t see this moon, because the new moon hides in the glare of the sun, but you might discern the higher-than-usual tides along the ocean shorelines.

 

Author

Bruce McClure

Bruce McClure

Bruce McClure is the chief writer for the popular EarthSky Tonight pages. Since joining EarthSky in 2004, he has written thousands of astronomy articles, enjoyed here by millions. He also writes, gives planetarium shows and hosts a wide assortment of public astronomy programs in and around his home in upstate New York. If you ask an astronomy question on our site, it’s likely to be Bruce that answers it. His love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, and he has sailed the North Atlantic, earning his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. Bruce is also a sundial aficionado. He says his number one passion – besides his wife Alice – is stargazing.

Article published on EarthSky