Category: Daily Posts

The Sky This Week: March 24 – 27

celtic druids

The Sky This Week: March 24 – 27

 

Thursday, March 24
Comet Ikeya-Murakami (P/2010 V1) swings past the Sun every 5.4 years. Tonight you’ll find it in the constellation Leo the Lion near the spectacular spiral galaxy NGC 2903. In fact, tomorrow night the comet will lie only ¼° from the galaxy. Tonight, however, train a telescope on Ikeya-Murakami and you’ll see its tail as a slash of light as it turns edge-on to us.
Friday, March 25
The Moon reaches apogee, its farthest point from Earth in any orbit, at 12 p.m. EDT. At that time, our satellite will lie 252,354 miles (406,125 kilometers) from Earth.

Saturn reaches the point in its orbit where it appears stationary from here on Earth. From this date until August 14, Saturn will be moving westward through the stars as Earth, moving faster in its orbit, passes the ringed planet. Astronomers call this apparent (westward) movement retrograde motion. Saturn will resume its normal eastward motion through the stars in mid-August.

Saturday, March 26
One of the sky’s largest asterisms — a recognizable pattern of stars separate from a constellation’s form — occupies center stage after darkness falls on March 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.

Sunday, March 27
The variable star Algol in the constellation Perseus reaches minimum brightness at 6:26 A.M. EDT, right around the time the Sun is rising in the east. Take a look for it just before dawn starts to brighten the sky. Algol then shines at magnitude 3.4 where it will remain for a couple of hours before starting to brighten again. If you spot it the following night, you will see it at its maximum — magnitude 2.1.

Source

Astronomy Magazine

 

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Thursday, March 24th

*** WOOMAN BEAUTIFUL CELTIC***

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Thursday, March 24th

Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 114.30° ESE
Sun Altitude: 31.12°
Sun Distance: 92.691 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 20, 2016 5:34 PM (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 6:51 AM↑ 87° East
Sunset Today: 7:10 PM↑ 273° West
Length of Day: 12 hours, 19 minutes

 

Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 283.51° WNW
Moon Altitude: -25.00°
Moon Distance: 252143 mi
Next New Moon: Apr 7, 20166:23 AM
Next Full Moon: Apr 22, 201612:23 AM
Next Moonrise: Today8:26 PM
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 98.9%

 

Source

timeanddate.com

A Very Good Thursday Morning To All Our Brothers & Sisters Of The Craft & All Our Visitors As Well! Have A Blessed Day!

IMBOLC CANDLEMASS

Silver Lady

Silver lady of the night
Bathe us in your beams so bright
Spread your wings and fly unseen
Give hope to others, let them dream

Silver lady high above
Goddess of our Earthly love
Blessed are we to have you near
Your light of love we hold so dear

With loving hands you guide us home
On this earth we’re not alone
You’ll be with us for all of time
Silver lady, mother divine

—Alan Faraway, Pagan Ways

 

Astronomy Picture of the Day – The Great Nebula in Carina

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 March 23

The Great Nebula in Carina
Image Credit & Copyright: Damian Peach/SEN

 

Explanation: In one of the brightest parts of Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur. NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina, is home to massive stars and changing nebulas. The Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324), the bright structure just above the image center, houses several of these massive stars and has itself changed its appearance. The entire Carina Nebula spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation of Carina.Eta Carinae, the most energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically. Eta Carinae is the brightest star near the image center, just left of the Keyhole Nebula. While Eta Carinae itself maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion, X-ray images indicate that much of the Great Carina Nebula has been a veritable supernova factory.

Earth Sky News for March 23: First of season’s 4 full moons March 23

First of season’s 4 full moons March 23

Tonight – March 23, 2016 – you might suppose you’re seeing a full moon. The crest of the moon’s full phase is the morning of March 23 at 7:01 a.m. Central Daylight Time (12:01 UTC). In other words, the March full moon – with its penumbral lunar eclipse – will likely have passed by the time that you’re reading this post.

Still, the moon on March 23 will look full to the eye, and your calendar likely says that March 23 is the full moon. And it’s a very special full moon indeed, for a reason besides the eclipse. This March, 2016, full moon is the first of the new season’s four full moons. It’s the Northern Hemisphere’s first full moon of spring and Southern Hemisphere’s first full moon of autumn.

Four full moons in a season? Yes. Normally there are three, and that’s why – soon – we’ll have a Blue Moon (by the seasonal definition of the term): third of four full moons in one season.

What’s a “season,” by the way? In astronomical terms, it’s the time between an equinox and a solstice. The equinox recently took place on March 20, 2016, at 4:30 UTC. It was the spring equinox for the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn equinox south of the equator.

So, tonight, no matter where you live on Earth, look for the moon to look full as it shines from dusk until dawn.

In the Northern Hemisphere, we often call the March full moon the Sap Moon, Crow Moon, Worm Moon or Easter Moon. For the Southern Hemisphere, this March full moon counts as the Harvest Moon – the closest full moon to the autumn equinox.

Looking ahead, the April 22 full moon will feature what is sometimes called a micro-moon – the farthest and smallest full moon of the year.

After that, the May 21 full moon will give us the Blue Moon: third of four full moons in one season.

Then the fourth and final full moon of the season will fall on June 20, less than one-half day before the June solstice:

March 2016 equinox: March 20 at 4:30 Universal Time (UT)

March 2016 full moon: March 23 at 12:01 UT
April 2016 full moon: April 22 at 5:24 UT
May 2016 full moon: May 21 at 21:15 UT
June 2016 full moon: June 20 at 11:02 UT

June 2016 solstice: June 20 at 22:35 UT

Bottom line: This March full moon presents the first of the new season’s four full moons. It’ll be the Northern Hemisphere’s first full moon of spring and the Southern Hemisphere’s first full moon of autumn.

 

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 posted on EarthSky

 

Your Daily Influences for March 23, 2016

Your Daily Influences
March 23, 2016 

 

 

Four of Pentacles
Financial gain, success and worldly power seem assured, but lack any higher meaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ehwaz
Ehwaz represents movement. You may be closing in on reaching your current goals. Your life may be changing for the better. Harmony with others should come easy for you at this time.

 

 

 

The Tau Cross
A journey that your or someone close to you must make will influence this aspect. The reason for the trip nor the outcome will have much bearing on your future, but the trip itself will be journey not soon forgotten. This journey may have a short-term, negative impact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.