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.

2018 July 3

An Airplane in Front of the Moon 
Image Credit & Copyright: Ji-Hoon Kim

Explanation: If you look closely at the Moon, you will see a large airplane in front of it. Well, not always. OK, hardly ever. Actually, to capture an image like this takes precise timing, an exposure fast enough to freeze the airplane and not overexpose the Moon — but slow enough to see both, a steady camera, and luck — because not every plane that approaches the Moon crosses in front. Helpful equipment includes a camera with fast continuous video mode and a mount that automatically tracks the Moon. The featured fleeting superposition was captured from Seoul, South Korea two weeks ago during a daytime waxing gibbous moonrise. Within 1/10th of a second, the airplane crossingwas over.

Use Big Dipper to find Polaris

Tonight, use the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear to find the sky’s northern pole star, Polaris. This is the star around which the whole northern celestial sphere appears to turn throughout the night. That’s because this star is located nearly above Earth’s northern axis. In times past, wanderers on the northern face of Earth used Polaris to stay on course.

Once you find it, you can also look for Thuban, a famous former pole star in the constellation Draco the Dragon.

So how can you find Polaris? Look at the chart at the top of this post. You’ll simply draw a line through the Big Dipper’s pointer stars – Dubhe and Merak. That line will point to Polaris, the North Star. You can use this trick to find Polaris any evening – no matter how the Dipper is oriented with respect to your northern horizon.

Once you’ve got Polaris, if your sky is dark enough, you might be able to see the Little Dipper asterism. It’s harder to spot than the Big Dipper and needs a dark sky to be seen.

The chart below shows the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and the star Polaris as you’ll see them in the north on July evenings. Polaris marks the end of the handle on the Little Dipper asterism, which is in the constellation Ursa Minor.

In other words, the Little Dipper is not the whole constellation, but just a noticeable pattern within the constellation Ursa Minor the Smaller Bear.

Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, as is commonly supposed. It’s only 50th brightest or so.

Still, Polaris is bright enough to be seen with relative ease on a dark, clear night.

How to find the star Thuban, and its constellation Draco the Dragon. As night deepens, and the fainter stars of the Little Dipper spring into view, those of you with dark-enough skies can expect to see a winding stream of stars between the Big and Little Dippers. These meandering stars make up the constellation Draco.

The star Thuban is one of the stars here, part of the Tail of the legendary constellation Draco the Dragon, a fixture of the northern skies. I always find Thuban by remembering it’s between the Big and Little Dippers.

Thuban is famous for having served as a pole star around 3000 B.C. This date coincides with the beginning of the building of the pyramids in Egypt. It’s said that the descending passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Gizeh was built to point directly at Thuban. So our ancestors knew and celebrated this star.

Bottom line: Draw a line through the Big Dipper pointer stars to find Polaris the North Star. If your sky is dark, look for Thuban in the Tail of Draco the Dragon.

The Words of Confucius

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Psychic Tip of the Day

July 3, 2018

If You Were Born Today, July 3

You have great strength of character and have a gift for seeing the value of things. Although you do have a unique perspective on most matters, you can be very stubborn about seeing only that side to a story. You are a natural leader and often seek to have your way, but you are also quite poised and regal in manner. Learning to compromise is important to your success on a personal level. You are passionate in love. Famous people born today: Hermann Hesse, Ashley Tisdale, Jerry Hall, Lindsay Lohan, Margot Robbie.

Your Birthday Year Forecast

With the Sun and Moon in harmony in your Solar Return chart, the year ahead should be satisfying and balanced overall. You are in comfortable demand and personally popular, and you are able to achieve a decent balance between work and play; personal and professional life. For the most part, you are on top of your game this year, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there is less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!

This is an excellent year in which to advance projects revolving around communications – writing, speaking, selling, and so forth. Your reputation may be enhanced through word of mouth. Making new contacts through learning and mental pursuits figures strongly as well.

Even so, watch for impatience, especially with your communications. You may not always have follow-through when it comes to your projects as you may be experimenting with new ideas and hobbies. Ups and downs may lead to new commitments nevertheless.

You might often get frustrated if results of your actions are not instant, but it’s best to cultivate some patience when it comes to realizing your goals. As well, if you are not getting the results you crave, consider that you might be aiming too high or too wide.

There can be a stronger tendency toward, or desire for, commitment and deep involvement in your relationships during this period. You may be taking love and/or friendship more seriously. There can be a willingness to make sacrifices if it seems the best way to make improvements in relationships and with money matters. You can be quite particular in your tastes, and better than usual with money and savings.

If there are health issues this year, look for blockages or constrictions since Saturn is involved with the Node.

This can be an excellent period for opening up communications with others, as you are more sensitive than usual and more willing to listen. Getting your point across is easier — it’s not only about what specific words you choose to communicate, you intuitively express the meaning and intention behind the words. You can effectively use words to soothe, heal, and teach this year. You are also more open to new ways of looking at problems, thus it’s considerably easier to find solutions.

Idealistic and humanitarian goals or impulses surface this year. Making connections with others from different backgrounds may figure strongly. Widening your mind through unusual or different experiences can be part of the picture. You more easily make personal sacrifices for what you believe to be the greater good this year.

Saturn forms an opposition to your Sun in December/January. Saturn calls upon you to identify the weaker areas of your life and to fix or strengthen them. Take the time to sort out details, improve your work, and become more efficient this month. Taking a slow and steady approach to life is necessary during this period. Pushing too hard will likely lead to frustration and setbacks. Take it easy and work on self-improvement. Results are not immediate, but will eventually come and bring healthy rewards. Relationships may be (or seem) more challenging than usual while Saturn opposes your Sun. Fortunately, this is a quick pass transit, lasting only a month or so instead of the usual several months.

Cooperation brings rewards your way this year, although there can be some rebelliousness or assertions of independence now. With work, you’re expanding your interests in satisfying ways. Do watch for a tendency to communicate impulsively. There can be increased steadiness and reliability in your social life, however.

2018 is a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time when you find it natural and easy to enjoy life and other people. The focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure than you are in other years. It’s likely to be a rather lighthearted year when opportunities for “play” time are greater than usual. It’s also a favorable year for expressing your creativity. Advice – reach out and connect but avoid scattering your energies.

2019 will be a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It’s “nose to the grindstone” time. It’s a time to pay special attention to practical matters, and it’s not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Positive new relationships are often not formed in a Four personal year. However, it can be a wonderful year for building, development, and laying a solid foundation for future successes. Advice – get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy.

Cafe Astrology