The Cosmos for February 22 thru February 28

Monday, February 22
Full Moon officially arrives at 1:20 p.m. EST, but it will look completely illuminated all night. You can find it rising in the east just after sunset and peaking in the south shortly after midnight local time. It dips low in the west by the time morning twilight begins. During the course of the night in North America, the Moon slides from Leo across the northeastern corner of Sextans and then back into Leo.

Tuesday, February 23
One night after Full Moon, Luna appears next to Jupiter. The pair rises around 7 p.m. local time and remains on view until dawn. The waning gibbous Moon, still some 98 percent illuminated, passes 1.7° due south of the planet at 11 p.m. EST. Once our satellite moves away later in the week, take some time to observe Jupiter by itself. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.5, which makes it the sky’s brightest point of light until Venus rises shortly before dawn. The best time to view Jupiter through a telescope is when it climbs highest in the south around midnight. The planet’s spectacular disk spans 44″ and shows at least two parallel dark belts in its dynamic atmosphere. Jupiter is near its best for the year right now, reaching opposition two weeks from today.

Wednesday, February 24
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) currently glows around 9th magnitude and appears nice through 6-inch and larger telescopes. The comet resides in the rather barren northern constellation Camelopardalis the Giraffe, which remains on view all night from most of the Northern Hemisphere but appears highest during the early evening hours. If you target Catalina before the Moon rises tonight, you’ll find it just 0.5° from planetary nebula NGC 1501, which lies next to the picturesque string of stars known as Kemble’s Cascade.

Thursday, February 25
The next two weeks offer an excellent chance to see the zodiacal light. From the Northern Hemisphere, late winter and early spring are great times to observe this elusive glow after sunset. It appears slightly fainter than the Milky Way, so you’ll need a clear moonless sky and an observing site located far from the city. Look for the cone-shaped glow, which has a broad base and points nearly straight up from the western horizon, after the last vestiges of twilight have faded away. The Moon stays out of the early evening sky until March 10.

Friday, February 26
One of the sky’s largest asterisms — a recognizable pattern of stars separate from a constellation’s form — occupies center stage on February evenings. To trace the so-called Winter Hexagon, start with southern Orion’s luminary, Rigel. From there, the hexagon makes a clockwise loop. The second stop is brilliant Sirius in Canis Major. Next, pick up Procyon in the faint constellation Canis Minor, then the twins Castor and Pollux in Gemini, followed by Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, and finally back to Rigel.

The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point in its orbit around Earth, at 10:28 p.m. EST. It then lies 251,894 miles (405,383 kilometers) from Earth’s center.

Saturday, February 27
Mars rises shortly after midnight local time this week and climbs some 30° high in the south by the time morning twilight starts to paint the sky. The Red Planet shines at magnitude 0.3 and dominates the dim stars of its host constellation, Libra the Scales. When viewed through a telescope, Mars appears 8″ across and should display a prominent north polar cap.

Sunday, February 28
Saturn is an easy object to find in the southeastern sky during the early morning hours. It rises along with the background stars of southern Ophiuchus, a region that rises by 2 a.m. local time and climbs nearly 30° above the southern horizon by the time twilight begins. Shining at magnitude 0.5, the planet appears slightly dimmer than Mars, which lies about 20° to its upper right. A telescope reveals Saturn’s 16″-diameter disk surrounded by a beautiful ring system that spans 37″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun at 11 a.m. EST. The distant planet is hopelessly lost in the solar glare but will return to view before dawn in April.
 

Source

Astronomy Magazine

Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, February 23rd

Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 151.93° SSE
Sun Altitude: 39.27°
Sun Distance: 91.967 million mi
Next Equinox: Mar 19, 2016 11:30 PM (Vernal)
Sunrise Today: 6:32 AM↑ 102° East
Sunset Today: 5:41 PM↑ 258° West
Length of Day: 11 hours, 9 minutes

 

Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 318.72° NW
Moon Altitude: -39.71°
Moon Distance: 248830 mi
Next New Moon: Mar 8, 20167:54 PM
Next Full Moon: Mar 23, 20167:00 AM
Next Moonrise: Today6:47 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Percentage of Moon’s Illumination: 99.2%

 
Source:
timeanddate.com

Coven Rules

Dear Ones:
Every Coven should have some rules that people can look at so they know what sort of conduct is appropriate or inappropriate for members, and knowing them being helpful to harmony and fellowship within Coven. Here are a few that I am thinking about instituting:

~ ~ No coven member shall consume their weight in beans before arriving for ritual.
~ This has happened in the past, and the results can be devastating. It is unpleasant when 32 cubic yards of methane are unexpectedly released into the atmosphere within Circle, and other Coven members begin dropping to the floor unconscious, turning blue, gasping for air and struggling to keep from being overcome by the vapor. Add to this, the presence of the open flame of the candles on the altar and the quarter candles. Several years ago, the north wall of our altar room was blown clear out when the methane expelled was detonated by the flame of a single candle and the explosion that followed interrupted our rites. Please be considerate of others, and make every effort not to render them victims of a tragic episode, particularly as the Guardian of air is called. We evoke the power of the winds, but make every effort not to break wind.

~ ~ Some people feel a need to wear something on their feet while attending ritual.
~ It is suggested that slippers or socks might be acceptable. However, showing up for a skyclad ritual wearing nothing but cowboy boots is utterly unacceptable. This is particularly true if there should be actual shit clinging to those shit kickers!!!! This will definitely be frowned upon.

~ ~ If the rite is to be skyclad, please remember your position in space in relation to the candles.
~ While folks of another religion may appreciate the odd burning bush, we have noted this can lead to negative effects upon a Covener who carelessly fails to exercise due caution, and inadvertently ignites their genitalia! Remember folks, “Never Again the Burning Times” also applies to Witches in our Circle.

~ ~ When skyclad rites are conducted do not pluck a handful of hair from between the cheeks of the High Priest while his back is turned.
~ I would remind everyone that Rogaine is fairly expensive, and difficult to apply to one’s backside. Worse, creates the possibility some embarrassing moments. For example: Your High Priest was recently visiting a distant city and stayed in a motel near the interstate. Can you imagine the awkward moment which ensued when the maid entered the room to change the linen, only to find your High Priest standing on a chair with his pants bunched up in a pile around his ankles, his butt reflected in a mirror, as he tried with questionable results to aim the spray at his derriere? Oh, sure, we can laugh about it now… but such misfortunes present your High Priest with great dismay!

~ ~ Please use deodorant before arriving for ritual.
~ As we all raise our arms in welcome to the Lord and Lady, it would be nice if they are not dropped from the sky by an assault on their senses that leaves them crashing into the Circle by an unexpected blast that renders them incapacitated. If this can have that sort of effect upon the Gods themselves, how much more likely would it be to immobilize your brothers and sisters in Circle???

~ ~ When doing robed rituals, please lend some consideration to the material of which your robes are made.
~ Nogahyde is right out, as are robes that faintly resemble the battle regalia of Atilla the Hun! Similarly, while it may be cute, a robe festooned with images of Homer Simpson, Bart, and the rest of the Simpson family… are contrary to the atmosphere we are attempting to establish.

~ ~ Do not wear combat boots in Circle.
~ When doing rituals as a group outdoors, you will likely need something on your feet, but we tend to take a dim view of combat boots in Circle. It tends to establish the wrong ambiance.

~ ~ Curb your guide dog prior to circle.
~ If you are visually impaired, and must be accompanied into Circle by a guide dog, please make certain the animal has accomplished all of its duties outdoors, rather than simply showing up in the altar room and hoping for the best.

~ ~ Keep your dog by you!
~ On a similar note, it is nice if the animal is neutered. While it may be funny to see a Coven member trying to participate in a Spiral dance with your dog affixed to his leg, the Coven member is likely to form a resentment. Familiars are wonderful helpers to the Witch, so long as they do not become overly familiar!!!!

~ ~ Don’t score the High Priest and High Priestess!
~ Your High Priest and High Priestess, while appreciating the compliment, are nevertheless apt to take a dim view of their Coveners holding signs which have 9.3, 8.6, 9.5, 7.9 and such relating to performance and style points. Please remember this is Witchcraft, not the ABC Wide World of Sports!!!

~ ~ We will keep you apprised of any other rules which may need to be implemented as the need arises. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

—Author Unknown

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 February 22

Where Your Shadow Has Company
Poster Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL, Exoplanet Travel Bureau

 

Explanation: Want to take a relaxing interstellar vacation? Consider visiting Kepler-16b, a world in a binary star system. In fact Kepler-16b is the first discovered circumbinary planet. It was detected in a wide 229 day orbit around a close pair of cool, low-mass stars some 200 light-years away. The parent stars eclipse one another in their orbits, observed as a dimming of starlight. But Kepler-16b itself was discovered by following the additional very slight dimming produced during its transits. Like sci-fi planet Tatooine of Star Wars fame, two suns would set over its horizon. Still, Kepler 16b is probably not a Tatooine-like terrestrial desert world. Instead, Kepler 16b is thought to be a cold, uninhabitable planet with about the mass of Saturn and a gaseous surface … so plan to dress accordingly. Or, choose another Visions of the Future vacation destination.

Full moon plus Jupiter on February 22

Tonight – February 22, 2016 – no matter where you are on Earth, look for the February full moon! If you’re watching in early evening, you’ll see the dazzling planet Jupiter follow the moon into the eastern sky somewhat after nightfall, but by early evening.

In North America, we call the February full moon the Wolf Moon, Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. Watch as this February full moon climbs upward with Jupiter following it across sky throughout the evening hours. The moon and Jupiter will be high in the sky at and around midnight, and the brilliant twosome will descend westward in the wee hours before sunrise February 23.

If you’re up early tomorrow, on February 23, look for Jupiter over the moon in the western predawn/dawn sky.

Incidentally, that star above the moon and Jupiter this evening is Regulus, the brightest in the constellation Leo the Lion.

If you’re up early during the predawn hours on February 23, you’ll see Regulus below the moon and Jupiter. Throughout the night, as Earth spins beneath the sky carrying the moon and Jupiter westward, the moon is slowly but surely moving in its orbit around Earth, coming closer to Jupiter all the while as seen on our sky’s dome. By the time night falls again on the evening of February 23, the moon will have moved so far in its orbit that you’ll see the moon partnering more closely with Jupiter.

The moon will look full all night long tonight. However, astronomers regard the moon as full for only a fleeting instant – at the moment that the moon is most directly opposite the sun for the month. This full moon moment happens on February 22, 2016, at 18:20 Universal Time.

Although the moon turns full at the same instant worldwide, the clock times differ around the world. At our U.S. time zones, the moon turns full on February 22 at 1:20 p.m. EST, 12:20 p.m. CST, 11:20 a.m. MST or 10:20 a.m. PST. So by the time North Americans view the moon at nightfall February 22, it’ll be slightly past full moon.

Bottom line: Don’t miss out on the great sky show on the night of February 22, 2016, as the February full moon and the dazzling planet Jupiter light up the nighttime from early evening until dawn!

 

Author

The Words of Confucius

I will not be concerned at other men’s not knowing me;I will be concerned at my own want of ability.

Your Daily Influences
February 22, 2016 

 

 

Four of Wands Reversed
Peace and prosperity will be had, yet something may still seem missing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isa
The Ice Rune, represents stagnation and a passionless existence. Your life’s course may seem blurry at the moment, but if you persevere you will move onto better days.

 

 

 

 

The Arrow Head
The arrowhead pointing down means a storm is brewing within this aspect. Trouble is coming your way from a source very close to you. Be prepared to have an important discussion that could change your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Shuffling the Cards, Your Past Present & Future Reading for Today

 

Past Influence whose impact on your life is waning.

The Believer

The Believer represents Faith and the realization that you have an important place in the workings of the Universe. Although The Believer may not always understand why things are the way they are, they none-the-less feel an underlying cosmic rhythm which is moving events in a direction that is good. The Believer rejoices in their celestial role, because they realize their life has purpose on a grand scale.

 

 

 
Present Influence whose impact on your life is very strong.

Alturism

Altruism denotes the noble act of giving to those in need without the expectation of a return. The act of giving has been seen as one of humankind’s greatest attributes throughout history. It is honored in nearly every culture. To give is a gift to both those who receive and those who give. Giving is usually associated with addressing the material needs of others, but the gift given can take many forms such as wisdom or protection or simply a shoulder to cry on.

 

 

 

 

Future influence whose impact on your life is growing and will be very strong in the future.

Solitude

Solitude is represented by a single person standing at the end of a boardwalk staring out at a vast, empty panorama. They are truly alone, but may not feel loneliness. They are at a place in their life where the need to withdraw from the our secular world is strong, because their focus should be on their inner self, their morality, and their dreams. The view before them is empty, but it is a canvas on which they may paint their future–a future restricted only by the size of their imagination and courage. For them Solitude is a choice. They chose to take the walkway that distances them from the rest of us. It is also a choice that can be undone. Just as they chose to take a path that leads them away from us, they may choose to turn around and come back at anytime.