Category: Daily Posts

January 9, 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

Today and tonight the Moon will be in a First Quarter phase. This phase occurs roughly 7 days after the New Moon when the moon is one quarter of the way through its orbit around the earth. Exactly half the moon will be illuminated and half dark. On the day of the First Quarter phase the moon is high overhead at sunset and is visible until mid-night when it sets in the west. The First Quarter phase is a one-day event and in the following days enters a Waxing Gibbous phase becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s First Quarter Phase

The First Quarter on January 9 has an illumination of 47%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 9 the Moon is 7.12 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: First Quarter
Illumination: 47%
Moon Age: 7.12 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 392,887.23 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,113,714.56 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Los Angeles, California, USA

January 09, 2022
12:00 am GMT 4:00 PM PST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:18 Capricorn 41
Moon:09 Aries 57
Mercury:07 Aquarius 47
Venus:18 Capricorn 44 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 48
Jupiter:02 Pisces 09
Saturn:12 Aquarius 47
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 49
Pluto:26 Capricorn 12

True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32 Rx

Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 06 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 21
Chiron:08 Aries 38
Ceres:28 Taurus 05 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 33
Juno:20 Capricorn 30
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 49
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7
Obliquity of the Nine Planets

Northern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Chicago, Illinois, USA

January 09, 2022
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:19 Capricorn 40
Moon:21 Aries 57
Mercury:08 Aquarius 33
Venus:18 Capricorn 09 Rx
Mars:19 Sagittarius 30
Jupiter:02 Pisces 21
Saturn:12 Aquarius 54
Uranus:10 Taurus 51 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 51
Pluto:26 Capricorn 14
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 03 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 27
Chiron:08 Aries 39
Ceres:28 Taurus 03 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 49
Juno:20 Capricorn 53
Vesta:29 Sagittarius 20
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7
Obliquity of the Nine Planets

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

9 January 2022
04:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:19 Capricorn 22
Moon:18 Aries 20
Mercury:08 Aquarius 20
Venus:18 Capricorn 20 Rx
Mars:19 Sagittarius 17
Jupiter:02 Pisces 18
Saturn:12 Aquarius 52
Uranus:10 Taurus 51 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 50January 09, 2022
04:00 pm GMT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:19 Capricorn 22
Moon:18 Aries 20
Mercury:08 Aquarius 20
Venus:18 Capricorn 20 Rx
Mars:19 Sagittarius 17
Jupiter:02 Pisces 18
Saturn:12 Aquarius 52
Uranus:10 Taurus 51 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 50
Pluto:26 Capricorn 13
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 04 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 25
Chiron:08 Aries 38
Ceres:28 Taurus 04 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 44
Juno:20 Capricorn 46
Vesta:29 Sagittarius 10
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

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.

2022 January 9

Hubble’s Jupiter and the Shrinking Great Red Spot

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, STScI; Processing: Karol Masztalerz

Explanation: What will become of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? Gas giant Jupiter is the solar system’s largest world with about 320 times the mass of planet Earth. Jupiter is home to one of the largest and longest lasting storm systems known, the Great Red Spot (GRS), visible to the left. The GRS is so large it could swallow Earth, although it has been shrinking. Comparison with historical notes indicate that the storm spans only about one third of the exposed surface area it had 150 years ago. NASA’s Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program has been monitoring the storm more recently using the Hubble Space Telescope. The featured Hubble OPAL image shows Jupiter as it appeared in 2016, processed in a way that makes red hues appear quite vibrant. Modern GRS data indicate that the storm continues to constrict its surface area, but is also becoming slightly taller, vertically. No one knows the future of the GRS, including the possibility that if the shrinking trend continues, the GRS might one day even do what smaller spots on Jupiter have done — disappear completely.

 

Tuesday over Zoom: APOD editor to present the Best APOD Space Images of 2021

9 January 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

Today and tonight the Moon will be in a First Quarter phase. This phase occurs roughly 7 days after the New Moon when the moon is one quarter of the way through its orbit around the earth. Exactly half the moon will be illuminated and half dark. On the day of the First Quarter phase the moon is high overhead at sunset and is visible until mid-night when it sets in the west. The First Quarter phase is a one-day event and in the following days enters a Waxing Gibbous phase becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s First Quarter Phase

The First Quarter on January 9 has an illumination of 47%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 9 the Moon is 7.12 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: First Quarter
Illumination: 47%
Moon Age: 7.12 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 392,887.23 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,113,714.56 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

 For Your Local Time and Date

Southeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

9 January 2022
08:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:19 Capricorn 32
Moon:20 Aries 24
Mercury:08 Aquarius 27
Venus:18 Capricorn 14 Rx
Mars:19 Sagittarius 24
Jupiter:02 Pisces 20
Saturn:12 Aquarius 53
Uranus:10 Taurus 51 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 50
Pluto:26 Capricorn 13
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 04 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 26
Chiron:08 Aries 38
Ceres:28 Taurus 03 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 47
Juno:20 Capricorn 50
Vesta:29 Sagittarius 16
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

Southern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Cape Town, South Africa

9 January 2022
03:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM SAST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:19 Capricorn 19
Moon:17 Aries 48
Mercury:08 Aquarius 18
Venus:18 Capricorn 21 Rx
Mars:19 Sagittarius 15
Jupiter:02 Pisces 17
Saturn:12 Aquarius 52
Uranus:10 Taurus 51 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 50
Pluto:26 Capricorn 13
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 04 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 25
Chiron:08 Aries 38
Ceres:28 Taurus 04 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 43
Juno:20 Capricorn 45
Vesta:29 Sagittarius 09
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

Southwestern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

9 January 2022
06:00 am GMT 5:00 PM AEDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:18 Capricorn 56
Moon:13 Aries 07
Mercury:07 Aquarius 59
Venus:18 Capricorn 35 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 59
Jupiter:02 Pisces 13
Saturn:12 Aquarius 49
Uranus:10 Taurus 51 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 50
Pluto:26 Capricorn 12
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 06 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 23
Chiron:08 Aries 38
Ceres:28 Taurus 04 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 37
Juno:20 Capricorn 36
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 57
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

January 8, 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the wester sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waxing Crescent Phase

The Waxing Crescent on January 8 has an illumination of 37%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 8 the Moon is 6.17 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 37%
Moon Age: 6.17 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 388,283.80 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,109,122.97 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northwestern Hemisphere 

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Los Angeles, California, USA

January 08, 2022
12:00 am GMT 4:00 PM PST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:17 Capricorn 40
Moon:27 Pisces 03
Mercury:06 Aquarius 52
Venus:19 Capricorn 21 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 05
Jupiter:01 Pisces 57
Saturn:12 Aquarius 41
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 48
Pluto:26 Capricorn 10
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 34 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 10 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 14
Chiron:08 Aries 36
Ceres:28 Taurus 08 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 17
Juno:20 Capricorn 07
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 17
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Northern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Chicago, Illinois, USA

January 08, 2022
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:18 Capricorn 39
Moon:09 Aries 25
Mercury:07 Aquarius 45
Venus:18 Capricorn 46 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 47
Jupiter:02 Pisces 09
Saturn:12 Aquarius 47
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 49
Pluto:26 Capricorn 12
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 07 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 21

Chiron:08 Aries 37

Ceres:28 Taurus 05 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 32
Juno:20 Capricorn 29
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 48
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

8 January 2022
04:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:18 Capricorn 21
Moon:05 Aries 42
Mercury:07 Aquarius 29
Venus:18 Capricorn 57 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 34
Jupiter:02 Pisces 05
Saturn:12 Aquarius 45
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 49
Pluto:26 Capricorn 11
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 33 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 07 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 19
Chiron:08 Aries 37
Ceres:28 Taurus 06 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 27
Juno:20 Capricorn 23
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 38
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

A Gorgeous Ritual for Tonight’s Magic

  1. Light any of the following scents/incenses: Clove, Eucalyptus, Lilac, Musk seed, Nutmeg, Sage, Sandalwood. These herbs and oils help activate the psychic nature of tonight’s Moon in Pisces.
  2. Invoke the open-minded energy of the Fish with this chant:
    “Like the stars above, I’m in a constant and fluid movement.
    I explore and develop my spirituality like a smart and diligent student”.
  3. Take a piece of paper. Write in clear letters your deepest wish. Don’t overthink. Instead, just start writing. Visualize your idea of a perfect future and write it down in the present tense. The First Quarter Moon is a time of abundance and growth, so think BIG! Be clear and precise, whether it’s a love request, a money target, or just a dream to work towards.
  4. Light a white candle on your altar. Place it next to your petition and leave it there.
  5. Next to your candle, place a Black Tourmaline, Sapphire, or Amethyst. These crystals are great for Saturdays, they will absorb the energy of tonight’s moon and release it gently during the next few days.
  6. Meditate for a while. Then take the paper and paste it in your diary, Book of Mirrors, or (optionally) hide it in a secret place.

Click here for more spells from Spells8.com

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.

2022 January 8

Quadrantids of the North

Image Credit & Copyright: Cheng Luo

Explanation: Named for a forgotten constellation, the Quadrantid Meteor Shower puts on an annual show for planet Earth’s northern hemisphere skygazers. The shower’s radiant on the sky lies within the old, astronomically obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis. That location is not far from the Big Dipper, at the boundaries of the modern constellations Bootes and Draco. In fact north star Polaris is just below center in this frame and the Big Dipper asterism (known to some as the Plough) is above it, with the meteor shower radiant to the right. Pointing back toward the radiant, Quadrantid meteors streak through the night in the panoramic skyscape, a composite of images taken in the hours around the shower’s peak on January 4, 2022. Arrayed in the foreground are radio telescopes of the Chinese Spectral Radioheliograph, Mingantu Observing Station, Inner Mongolia, China. A likely source of the dust stream that produces Quadrantid meteors was identified in 2003 as an asteroid.

 

Status Updates: Deploying the James Webb Space Telescope

8 January 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the wester sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waxing Crescent Phase

The Waxing Crescent on January 8 has an illumination of 37%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 8 the Moon is 6.17 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 37%
Moon Age: 6.17 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 388,283.80 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,109,122.97 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

 For Your Local Time and Date

Southeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

8 January 2022
08:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:18 Capricorn 31
Moon:07 Aries 50
Mercury:07 Aquarius 38
Venus:18 Capricorn 50 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 41
Jupiter:02 Pisces 07
Saturn:12 Aquarius 46
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 49
Pluto:26 Capricorn 11
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 32 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 07 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 20
Chiron:08 Aries 37
Ceres:28 Taurus 06 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 30
Juno:20 Capricorn 27
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 44
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

Southern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Cape Town, South Africa

8 January 2022
01:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM SAST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:18 Capricorn 13
Moon:04 Aries 05
Mercury:07 Aquarius 22
Venus:19 Capricorn 01 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 29
Jupiter:02 Pisces 04
Saturn:12 Aquarius 44
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 49
Pluto:26 Capricorn 11
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 33 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 08 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 18

Chiron:08 Aries 37

Ceres:28 Taurus 06 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 25
Juno:20 Capricorn 20
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 34
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

Southwestern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

8 January 2022
06:00 am GMT 5:00 PM AEDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:17 Capricorn 55
Moon:00 Aries 19
Mercury:07 Aquarius 06
Venus:19 Capricorn 12 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 16
Jupiter:02 Pisces 00
Saturn:12 Aquarius 42
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 48
Pluto:26 Capricorn 10
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 34 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 09 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 16

Chiron:08 Aries 37
Ceres:28 Taurus 07 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 21
Juno:20 Capricorn 13
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 25
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:3
Cardinal:7
Fixed:5
Mutable:7

Celebrating Legends, Folklore and Spirituality 365 Days a Year for January 7 – Saint Distaff’s Day

January 7

Saint Distaff’s Day

In southern England, Saint Distaff’s Day was when work began again after the Christmas holiday. Saint Distaff’s Day was not a saint’s day at all, but rather a tongue-in-check commemoration of the day on which women returned to their distaffs of unspun wool.

Printable Coloring Page for Use in Your Book of Shadows

Let’s Have More Fun – Winter and Summer Word Searches

Let’s Have Some Fun – Printable Coloring Pages

Even though winter is just beginning in the northern hemisphere here in the USA we have been going through a bitter cold period. If you are anything like me something fun to do would be welcomed right now so I give you these pages for you and/or your children and/or grandchildren to color. Take a picture of the creations and email to ladybeltane@aol.com to have it posted on WOTC. Include the first or pagan name you want to be posted with the picture(s).

For Your Listening Pleasure

This is one of my favorite pagan songs. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Always enjoy how you practice your pagan path. Remember none of us can know everything about the magick the universe surrounds us with

Behold There is Magick All Around Us

Until we meet again blessed be my dear Sisters, Brothers, and Honored Guests

January 7, 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

 

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the wester sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waxing Crescent Phase

The Waxing Crescent on January 7 has an illumination of 27%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 7 the Moon is 5.18 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 27%
Moon Age: 5.18 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 383,402.83 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,105,293.09 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Los Angeles, California, USA

January 07, 2022
12:00 am GMT 4:00 PM PST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:16 Capricorn 39
Moon:13 Pisces 41
Mercury:05 Aquarius 50
Venus:19 Capricorn 58 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 23
Jupiter:01 Pisces 45
Saturn:12 Aquarius 34
Uranus:10 Taurus 53 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 47
Pluto:26 Capricorn 08
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 39 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 13 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 08
Chiron:08 Aries 35
Ceres:28 Taurus 11 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 01
Juno:19 Capricorn 43
Vesta:27 Sagittarius 45
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Northern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Chicago, Illinois, USA

January 07, 2022
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:17 Capricorn 37
Moon:26 Pisces 30
Mercury:06 Aquarius 49
Venus:19 Capricorn 23 Rx
Mars:18 Sagittarius 04
Jupiter:01 Pisces 57
Saturn:12 Aquarius 40
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 48
Pluto:26 Capricorn 10
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 35 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 10 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 14
Chiron:08 Aries 36
Ceres:28 Taurus 08 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 16
Juno:20 Capricorn 06
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 16
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

7 January 2022
04:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:17 Capricorn 20
Moon:22 Pisces 39
Mercury:06 Aquarius 32
Venus:19 Capricorn 33 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 51
Jupiter:01 Pisces 53
Saturn:12 Aquarius 38
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 48
Pluto:26 Capricorn 09
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 36 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 11 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 12
Chiron:08 Aries 36
Ceres:28 Taurus 09 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 11
Juno:19 Capricorn 59
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 06
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

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.

2022 January 7

Ecstatic Solar Eclipse

Image Credit & Copyright: Annie Schmidt (Point Blue Conservation Science)

Explanation: A male Adelie penguin performed this Ecstatic Vocalization in silhouette during the December 4 solar eclipse, the final eclipse of 2021. Of course his Ecstatic Vocalization is a special display that male penguins use to claim their territory and advertise their condition. This penguin’s territory, at Cape Crozier Antarctica, is located in one of the largest Adelie penguin colonies. The colony has been studied by researchers for over 25 years. From there, last December’s eclipse was about 80 percent total when seen at its maximum phase as the Moon’s shadow crossed planet Earth’s southernmost continent.

 

Status Updates: Deploying the James Webb Space Telescope

7 January 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

 

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the wester sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waxing Crescent Phase

The Waxing Crescent on January 7 has an illumination of 27%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 7 the Moon is 5.18 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 27%
Moon Age: 5.18 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 383,402.83 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,105,293.09 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

 

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link 

Currentplanetarypositions.com 

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link 

 For Your Local Time and Date

Southeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

7 January 2022
08:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:17 Capricorn 30
Moon:24 Pisces 51
Mercury:06 Aquarius 42
Venus:19 Capricorn 27 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 58
Jupiter:01 Pisces 55
Saturn:12 Aquarius 39
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 48
Pluto:26 Capricorn 09
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 35 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 10 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 13
Chiron:08 Aries 36
Ceres:28 Taurus 08 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 14
Juno:20 Capricorn 03
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 11
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Southern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Cape Town, South Africa

7 January 2022
03:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM SAST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:17 Capricorn 17
Moon:22 Pisces 05
Mercury:06 Aquarius 29
Venus:19 Capricorn 35 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 49
Jupiter:01 Pisces 52
Saturn:12 Aquarius 38
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 48
Pluto:26 Capricorn 09
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 36 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 11 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 12
Chiron:08 Aries 36
Ceres:28 Taurus 09 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 11
Juno:19 Capricorn 58
Vesta:28 Sagittarius 05
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Southwestern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

7 January 2022
06:00 am GMT 5:00 PM AEDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:16 Capricorn 54
Moon:17 Pisces 04
Mercury:06 Aquarius 06
Venus:19 Capricorn 48 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 33
Jupiter:01 Pisces 48
Saturn:12 Aquarius 35
Uranus:10 Taurus 52 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 47
Pluto:26 Capricorn 08
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 37 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 12 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 09
Chiron:08 Aries 36
Ceres:28 Taurus 10 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 05
Juno:19 Capricorn 49
Vesta:27 Sagittarius 53
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

January 6, 2022 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the wester sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

Visit the January 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waxing Crescent Phase

The Waxing Crescent on January 6 has an illumination of 18%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 6 the Moon is 4.15 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 18%
Moon Age: 4.15 days
Moon Angle: 0.53
Moon Distance: 378,509.92 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,102,226.15 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Los Angeles, California, USA

January 6, 2022
11:00 pm GMT 3:00 PM PST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:16 Capricorn 36
Moon:13 Pisces 07
Mercury:05 Aquarius 47
Venus:19 Capricorn 59 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 21
Jupiter:01 Pisces 44
Saturn:12 Aquarius 34
Uranus:10 Taurus 53 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 47
Pluto:26 Capricorn 08
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 39 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 13 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 07
Chiron:08 Aries 35
Ceres:28 Taurus 11 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 00
Juno:19 Capricorn 42
Vesta:27 Sagittarius 43
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Northern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Chicago, Illinois, USA

January 6, 2022
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:16 Capricorn 36
Moon:13 Pisces 07
Mercury:05 Aquarius 47
Venus:19 Capricorn 59 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 21
Jupiter:01 Pisces 44
Saturn:12 Aquarius 34
Uranus:10 Taurus 53 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 47
Pluto:26 Capricorn 08

True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 39 Rx

Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 13 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 07
Chiron:08 Aries 35
Ceres:28 Taurus 11 Rx
Pallas:18 Pisces 00
Juno:19 Capricorn 42
Vesta:27 Sagittarius 43
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx

Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

 

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for this Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

6 January 2022
04:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:16 Capricorn 18
Moon:09 Pisces 08
Mercury:05 Aquarius 28
Venus:20 Capricorn 10 Rx
Mars:17 Sagittarius 08
Jupiter:01 Pisces 41
Saturn:12 Aquarius 32
Uranus:10 Taurus 53 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 47
Pluto:26 Capricorn 07
True Lunar Node:00 Gemini 40 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:29 Taurus 14 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):19 Gemini 05
Chiron:08 Aries 35
Ceres:28 Taurus 12 Rx
Pallas:17 Pisces 55
Juno:19 Capricorn 36
Vesta:27 Sagittarius 34
Eris:23 Aries 41 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:4
Water:4
Cardinal:6
Fixed:5
Mutable:8

Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Thursday

From apaganmess.com

Planet: Jupiter
Element: Earth
Colors: Deep blue, purple green
Keywords: Expansion, Luck, Abundance, Protection, Stability, Joy, Pleasure, Employment, Leadership

Thursdays are perfect for spells for money and abundance. Anything that you are wanting to bring in more of will benefit from the expansive and abundant energy of Jupiter.

From AncientPathway.com

Magickal Intentions:
Luck, Happiness, Health, Legal Matters, Male Fertility, Treasure and Wealth, Honor, Riches, Clothing Desires, Leadership, Public Activity, Power, Success

Incense:
Cinnamon
Musk
Nutmeg
Sage

Planet:
Jupiter

Sign:
Sagittarius
Pisces

Angel:
Sachiel

Colors:
Purple
Royal Blue
Indigo

Herbs/Plants:
Cinnamon
Beech
Buttercup
Coltsfoot
Oak

Stones:
Sugilite
Amethyst
Turquoise
Lapis Lazuli
Sapphire

Click here for more information about Thursday’s correspondences from Spells8.com

Magick Candle

Light a green candle to promote growth, fertility and abundance. Meditating with a green candle encourages us to improve in personal projects such as studies, work and self-development. It is great for casting prosperity or good luck spells, and also when invoking the healing energies of Nature.

Ruling Deities

Wiccan Goddess Gaia Wiccan God Osiris Wiccan God Poseidon Wiccan God Pan Wiccan God ZeusCernunnos, Gaia, Osiris, Pan, Poseidon and Zeus are rulers of Thursdays.

Crystals

Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Tiger’s Eye, and Sugilite.

Carrying these gemstones today can bring success and fulfillment of your goals. Wear them as a talisman or simply keep them close to you to harness their energy.

Potion

Drink a cup of Green Tea today to strengthen your focus. Green tea is loaded with beneficial antioxidants, and, besides caffeine, green tea contains aminoacids that help boost brain function. It has a large amount of L-theanine, an amino acid that is beneficial for memory, attention, concentration and learning.

From ask-angels.com

There are references which list Zadkiel and Sachiel as the same being… However, my experience is that they each have an individualized Divine I Am Core, so I’ll describe them both for you here.

Archangel Zadkiel “Righteousness of God” 

Zadkiel carries the flame of righteousness and forgiveness and will assist you in releasing any forgiveness held towards yourself or others so that you can remember the full truth of who you are. Forgiveness will assist you in releasing heavy emotions like fear and anger into the light to be transmuted back into love.  Archangel Zadkiel is happy to help you strengthen your connection with the Divine. He can also help you to transmute negative back into pure light, and positive energy, with the Violet Flame.

Archangel Sachiel “The Covering of God”

Sachiel or Sachael is an angel of wealth, water, success and prosperity. Sachiel’s energy is big, bright, soothing and incredibly uplifting. His bright loving presence brings hope, inspires health, cuts through negative emotional energy, depression and despair by reconnecting you with the true authenticity of your soul light and purpose. Sachiel supports with expansion and growth in all ways, helping those who call upon him to sync with the flow abundance, prosperity and good fortune.

41 Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts

You’re Invited to Olympus Mall Where the Greek Gods Dwell and Sell

Far away on Mount Olympus lives the… Well, the Olympians — the twelve most important Greek dieties.

In ancient times, the Olympians and the rest of their family were an important part of daily Greek culture. Each god and goddess ruled certain realms and also played their part in mythology; fascinating stories that helped ancient Greeks to grasp the world around them, including the weather, religious beliefs, and their own social system.

That being said, even the Olympian gods must earn a living.

Possessing so many powers and abilities, they all agreed that they would make excellent business owners, and so opened a grand mall and invited all the mortals.

Let’s grab a shopping bag and go explore the Greek god family tree!

Table of Contents

Zeus the Mall Manager

Suspect Infidelity? Hera’s Private Eye Business Can Help

Book a Trip at the Atlas Traveling Agency

Find Variety at Apollo’s Flea Market

The Eros Lounge for Lonely Hearts

There’s Even a Wine-Tasting Event

Stay Away From the Security Booth

Rejuvenate With Sleep Therapy to Continue Your Shopping

There’s a Shuttle Service for Tired Shoppers

Ares Runs the Army Surplus Shop

There’s a Creepy Dude on a Boat

Pan’s Pet and Sacrifice Shop

This Family’s Failing Business Sells Air Fresheners

There’s Free Counseling for Disturbed Mortals

This Hardware Shop Has All the Mist You Need

This Paramedic Will Fix Your Bones After Kratos Jumps You

The Mall Has a Mini-Jail Called Tartarus

The Cinema Shows Back-To-Back 3D Horror Movies

The Helios Car Dealership Sells Golden Bowls

The Ghost Tour Has Real Ghosts

Poseidon Runs the Black Market

Please Claim Your Kids at the Lost and Found Tent

Aphrodite’s Kissing Booth

Learn How to Chop Necks at Athena’s Karate Club

Hyperion’s Laser Tag Arena

You Can Buy Bottled Air From Aether

Alastor’s Restaurant Serves All the Revenge You Can Eat

There’s an Old Guy That Sells Answers (But You Probably Won’t Get Them)

Pick a Tour Package at the Extreme Adventure Club

There’s a God in the Mini-Jail

There’s a Celebrity Signing Photos of Himself

Enjoy Free Muffins at the Bingo Hall

You’ll Win Every Race With Nike’s Sports Equipment

The Hypno-Therapist Makes Your Problems Worse

The Water-Girl Might Knock You Out

Hecate’s Hex & Herb Shop 

The Mall’s Casino Doubles as a Human Resources Office

The Archery Range Is Fun (But Deadly If You Upset Artemis) 

The Art Gallery Is Full of Living Things and Violence

Mania Is Too Mad to Have a Business

Get Your Face Peeled by Persephone

Get Your Napalm at the Fire-Starter’s Shop

Thank You for Shopping at the Mount Olympus Mall!

Click here to more of this article from historycooperative.org

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.

2022 January 6

The Last Days of Venus as the Evening Star

Image Credit & Copyright: Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN)

Explanation: That’s not a young crescent Moon posing behind cathedral towers after sunset. It’s Venus in a crescent phase. About 40 million kilometers away and about 2 percent illuminated by sunlight, it was captured with camera and telephoto lens in this series of exposures as it set in western skies on January 1 from Veszprem, Hungary. The bright celestial beacon was languishing in the evening twilight, its days as the Evening Star coming to a close as 2022 began. But it was also growing larger in apparent size and becoming an ever thinner crescent in telescopic views. Heading toward a (non-judgemental) inferior conjunction, the inner planet will be positioned between Earth and Sun on January 9 and generally lost from view in the solar glare. A crescent Venus will soon reappear though. Rising in the east by mid-month just before the Sun as the brilliant Morning Star.

 

Status Updates: Deploying the James Webb Space Telescope

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.

2022 January 5

A Year of Sunrises

Image Credit & Copyright: Luca Vanzella

Explanation: Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2021 as seen from the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The camera in the image is always facing due east, with north toward the left and south toward the right. As shown in an accompanying video, the top image was taken in 2020 December, while the bottom image was captured in 2021 December, making 13 images in total. Although the Sun always rises in the east in general, it rises furthest to the south of east on the December solstice, and furthest north of east on the June solstice. In many countries, the December Solstice is considered an official change in season: for example the first day of winter in the North. Solar heating and stored energy in the Earth’s surface and atmosphere are near their lowest during winter, making the winter season the coldest of the year.

 

Status Updates: Deploying the James Webb Space Telescope