Day: July 9, 2016

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Noctilucent Clouds Tour France

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 July 9

Noctilucent Clouds Tour France
Image Credit & Copyright: Simon Lericque (GAAC)

 

Explanation: Bright noctilucent or night shining clouds are not familiar sights from northern France. But these electric-blue waves coursed through skies over the small town of Wancourt in Pas-de-Calais on July 6, just before the dawn. From the edge of space, about 80 kilometers above Earth’s surface, the icy clouds still reflect sunlight even though the Sun itself is below the horizon as seen from the ground. Usually spotted at high latitudes in summer months the diaphanous apparitions are also known as polar mesospheric clouds. The seasonal clouds are understood to form as water vapor driven into the cold upper atmosphere condenses on the fine dust particles supplied by disintegrating meteors or volcanic ash. NASA’s AIM mission provides projections of the noctilucent clouds as seen from space.

Earth Sky News for July 9th: Moon near Jupiter again on July 9

Moon near Jupiter again on July 9

By in TONIGHT

Tonight – July 9, 2016 – as seen from around the world, the moon again shines quite close to the giant planet Jupiter. As you gaze at them, imagine Jupiter’s newest “moon,” a spacecraft that journeyed five years through space to reach Jupiter and began orbiting around it this past Monday. This Juno spacecraft mission is the first since Galileo, which arrived in 1995, to orbit Jupiter.

The featured chart at top shows Jupiter and the moon on Saturday night as viewed from North America.

From mid-northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, you’ll see the moon closer to Jupiter than we see it in North America as darkness falls on July 9.

The most stunning view, though, will be from Australia. Check out the special chart, below, made just for our Australian friends, depicting the moon and Jupiter on this night. Indonesia and eastern Asia will also see the  and Jupiter close together on July 9.

Enjoy Jupiter now. Day by day, the giant planet is defending toward the sunset, closer and closer to being swallowed in the twilight glare. Jupiter will be gone from our sky – traveling behind the sun from Earth – by late August or early September.

Have a telescope? The four major moons of Jupiter – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are quite easy to see through a modest, backyard telescope. Some people can even see one or two of these moons in steadily-held binoculars. Often, you can even see these Jovian moons in a twilight sky or a light-polluted city. Give it a try!

The four major moons of jupiter, often called the Galilean moons, have a very rich history in modern astronomy.

When Galileo first observed the moons of Jupiter revolving around the king planet in the early 1600s, it suggested to him the possibly that the planets might actually orbit the sun instead of Earth.

Io, the innermost Galilean moon, enabled the Danish astronomer Ole Romer to come up with a good approximation for the speed of light in 1676. In Ole Romer’s day, it was commonly thought that the speed of light wasn’t finite – but rather, instantaneous.

The Galilean moons also enabled celestial navigators to determine longitude on land. Although the Galilean moons couldn’t be used to determine longitude in the rough and tumble seas, seafarers could double-check the accuracy of their chronometers once they made landfall.

Bottom line: On July 9, 2016, as darkness falls, use the moon to locate the king planet Jupiter. Then use optical aid to glimpse its four major moons, Io Europa, Ganmede and Callisto.

 

Author

BRUCE MCCLURE

Bruce McClure has served as lead writer for EarthSky’s popular Tonight pages since 2004. He’s a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also writes and hosts public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.

Article originally published on EarthSky

Your Daily Influences for July 9, 2016

Your Daily Influences
July 9, 2016

 

Ten of Swords
Goals may be unmet. Plans are in jeopardy. Sorrow may be felt deeply. Be kind to those in need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laguz
Laguz is the feminine Rune. It denotes a deep sexuality and fertility. Laguz also represents that which is ever changing and renewal. You may be in a tremendous spiritual growth period.

 

 

 

Pisces the Fishes
This aspect of your life will be strongly influenced by a person who is escapist and idealistic, secretive and vague, weak-willed and easily led. This person probably relies to heavily upon you to make decisions for them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Daily Influences represent events and challenges the current day will present for you. They may represent opportunities you should be ready to seize. Or they may forewarn you of problems you may be able to avoid or lessen. Generally it is best to use them as tips to help you manage your day and nothing more.

Your Charm for July 9th is The Dorje

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
You are at a physical peak–particularly from a sexual perspective. Enjoy the next few weeks, for they can be remarkable if you let them.

General Description:
In India and Tibet the Dorje or Thunderbolt of Jupiter, is a favourite and greatly valued talisman. It is worn to protect against magic, all spiritual evils and to bring abundance, fruitfulness, and riches. The Dorje is shaped much like a dumb bell with pointed ends, and is the symbol of power and indestructibility. It is supposed to overcome the Buddhist gods Ahi and Vrittra, the serpents, which the Buddhists believe swallow up the waters and cause drought, starvation and death; compelling the serpents to disgorge the waters, and to pour down the fertilizing showers.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for July 9th is Futility

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

Futility



Sadly sometimes our desires lead us down paths which have no end and offer us no chance of achieving the results we want. If we persist we end up like Sisyphus: forever rolling a boulder uphill only to have it roll back downhill before we ever get to the top. Futility suggest the existence of just such a situation–we are chasing a prize that will never be ours. Futility indicates a need to rethink our ambitions and direct our energies towards a goal or goals that can be attained.

As a daily card, Futility implies that you are putting energy into goals that cannot be met. It suggest the need to rethink your desires and possibly find a new goal or goals to chase.