In case you are wondering why things are a little different. It is because the road leading into the office is currently flooded out. That means I am here and everybody else is on the other side of the pond(more like river right now). With it being just me here, I have things I have to get up and get done. If the others were here, they would do those chores, but since they aren’t, it is up to me. They said the flood waters should go down in about 2 or 3 days. It is rather scary to look out and see water everywhere. Doing this keeps my mind off of what is going on around me right now. They have brought in a boat and we putter back and forth. This Summer has been on hell of an experience to say the least.

 

I thought I would let you know why things are just a tadbit different for now. In a day or two, we will get back to normal, I hope. I am off for now….

Love ya,

Lady A

The Sky This Week for August 16 to August 21

The Perseids may slowly fade, but there’s still plenty to see out there this week, including an important Sirius sighting.

By Richard Talcott

 

Tuesday, August 16

• Mercury reaches greatest elongation today, when it stands 27° east of the Sun. For observers at mid-northern latitudes, however, the innermost planet hangs low in the west after sunset. From 40° north latitude, it stands 5° high 30 minutes after the Sun goes down. You can find the magnitude 0.2 world through binoculars some 4° (about half a binocular field) below Jupiter. Be sure to keep an eye on Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter during the next two weeks as the triangle they form grows tighter.

Wednesday, August 17

• Full Moon officially arrives at 5:27 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning, but it looks completely illuminated throughout the night. It appears low in the east as the Sun sets and reaches its peak in the south around 1 a.m. local daylight time. Luna resides among the dim background stars of northeastern Capricornus. As a curiosity only, the Full Moon crosses the northern edge of Earth’s penumbral shadow. Just 2 percent of our satellite dips into this subtle shadow, however, and observers won’t be able to detect any dimming.

Thursday, August 18

• Although Saturn reached its peak in early June, it remains conspicuous on August evenings. You can find the planet in the south-southwest around 9 p.m. local daylight time, when it forms the vertex of a pretty triangle that includes Mars and Antares. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.4, intermediate in brightness between the Red Planet and the ruddy star. When viewed through a telescope, Saturn measures 17″ across while its dramatic ring system spans 39″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Friday, August 19

• Distant Neptune reaches opposition and peak visibility two weeks from today, but the view now is essentially the same. The ice giant planet rises around 8:30 p.m. local daylight time and climbs nearly halfway to the zenith in the southern sky by 2 a.m. The magnitude 7.8 planet lies in Aquarius, 1° southwest of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.4″.

Saturday, August 20

• Asteroid 2 Pallas reaches opposition and peak visibility today. The second-biggest object orbiting between Mars and Jupiter glows at magnitude 9.2, bright enough to show up through almost any telescope. You can find it on the border between Pegasus and Equuleus, 4° due west of 2nd-magnitude Enif (Epsilon [e] Pegasi), the star that marks the nose of Pegasus the Winged Horse. The lovely globular star cluster M15 lies 2.5° north and a touch east of Pallas. The three objects lie about halfway to the zenith in the southeastern sky after darkness falls.

Sunday, August 21

• Look toward the south-southwest during evening twilight and you can’t miss Mars. The Red Planet shines brightly at magnitude –0.4 and remains visible until it dips below the horizon around midnight local daylight time. Mars resides on the border between Scorpius and Ophiuchus, crossing from the former to the latter constellation today. When viewed through a telescope, Mars’ orange-red disk spans 11″ and shows several subtle dark markings.
• The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, at 9:19 p.m. EDT. It then lies 228,074 miles (367,050 kilometers) away from us.

 

Source

Astronomy Magazine

Your Daily Sun & Moon Info for Tuesday, August 16

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 126.35° SE
Sun Altitude: 55.78°
Sun Distance: 94.113 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:12 AM↑ 72° East
Sunset Today: 7:44 PM↑ 287° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 31 minutes

 

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 347.25° NNW
Moon Altitude: -69.13°
Moon Distance: 237176 mi
Next Full Moon: Aug 18, 20164:26 AM
Next New Moon: Sep 1, 20164:03 AM
Next Moonrise: Today6:33 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 96.4%

 

Source

timeanddate.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.

2016 August 15

Human as Spaceship
Space Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, and J. Maiz- Apellániz (IAA); Acknowledgement: D. De Martin;
Human Image Copyright: Charis Tsevis; Composition: R. J. Nemiroff

 

Explanation: You are a spaceship soaring through the universe. So is your dog. We all carry with us trillions of microorganisms as we go through life. These multitudes of bacteria, fungi, and archaea have different DNA than you. Collectively called your microbiome, your shipmates outnumber your own cells. Your crew members form communities, help digest food, engage in battles against intruders, and sometimes commute on a liquid superhighway from one end of your body to the other. Much of what your microbiome does, however, remains unknown. You are the captain, but being nice to your crew may allow you to explore more of your local cosmos.

See Earth’s shadow and Belt of Venus

The Words of Confucius

To see the right and not to do it is cowardice.

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
This aspect of your life will be strongly influenced by a person who is patient, reliable, warmhearted, loving, persistent, determined, placid and security loving. This is a person you respect.

General Description:
Second sign of the Zodiac, April 21st to May 22nd. Ruling planet Venus; correct metal Copper. Those born under Taurus were thought to be endowed with mental and physical strength, strong minded, clever, fearless and emotional. The correct Taurus gem is the Sapphire. The sapphire is of a deep blue color, and the darker the blue the greater its value. The ancients wore Sapphire charms for protection from poison, plague, fever, diseases of the skin, and to bring peace and happiness upon its wearer. The eyes were rubbed by a Sapphire to preserve them from injury by smallpox. King Solomon’s seal is said to have been a Sapphire.

Past, Present & Future Reading for Today

 

 

That Which is Behind You

Six/Six

The Double Six is the grandest of Dominos. It denotes success, fulfillment and happiness on a grand scale. New paths will open for you, and you are spiritually and intellectually ready to take them.

 

 

Your Current Place

Two/Four

You are surrounded by opportunities to grow at the moment. Take advantage of this time by exploring every avenue available to you to grow both spiritually and materially.

 

 

 

That Which is before You

Three/Six

Allow your feelings and passions to steer you toward the proper path for you. Do not allow your emotions to take a back seat to your intellect. Explore your deepest feelings about every aspect of your life and act to ease any negative feelings you have.

Your Balance Number for the Upcoming Week

Your Balance Number is 6

As long as your life is on an even or uplifting keel balance numbers are relatively dormant. However, in those times when your life is out of order your Balance Number can become central to resolving the turmoil you are experiencing. Your Balance Number reflects the traits you need to bring to the forefront in order the get through difficult periods with the least amount of damage or time wasted on negative influences.

A 6 Balance Number suggests you are a key part of the problem and must take responsibility for your role. Do not allow yourself to be overly comforted by others. To do so will give you a false sense of justice and a stage on which to wallow. You need to not just act, but act responsibly and fairly.

Your Past, Present & Future Reading for Today

 

Past Influence whose impact on your life is waning.

Justice

Justice represents the expression of fairness without bias. Simply put, Justice embodies the notion that what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. Justice denotes the need to remedy situations lacking equality for all. Depending on the circumstances, Justice may be asking us to curb our partiality, or conversely, Justice may indicate a time for you to demand fair treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

Present Influence whose impact on your life is very strong.

The Western Dragon

Unlike the beneficent Easter Dragon, The Western Dragon is a symbol of totally unleashed destructive power that is set upon anyone who crosses the Dragon’s path. The Western Dragon also hordes treasures that should rightfully be ours, and whose absence deprives us from being complete. The challenges set before us by the Western Dragon are truly prodigious, because they denote a force whose sole intent is not simply to keep us from moving forward in our lives, but to usurp all that we have previously gained as well. What is even more disturbing about the force behind the Western Dragon is that it may well indicate primal forces in ourselves so powerful that they do in fact turn us into our own worst enemy.

 

 

 

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

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.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

The Crystal

The Crystal glows with the power of mystical truths transformed into material realities. The Crystal denotes a self with a powerful connection to the spiritual world that allows them to literally soak up cosmic wisdom and apply it favorably to their everyday life. It suggest a tremendous growth of one’s spiritual self that will greatly impact the querant’s secular life.

As a daily card, The Crystal indicates a time when you are likely to be well served by allowing your spiritual self to guide your day to day behavior.

Today’s Witches Rune

The Star

Meaning: In many cultures, the Star is a symbol of hope, dreams and destiny, and in the Witches Runes this symbol has a similar connotation. When the Star rune appears, it’s green light for you to go after what you want.

Note that the Star does not say you’ll get everything you want without any work. No. This symbol is a not about easy success, but about having faith in what you are doing – and doing it. In fact, the goals suggested by the Star are usually the highest and most significant ones – the ones that are hardest to get. It does not matter what the dream is, but its significance in your life. This symbol also represents ideals, and they can be both individual and collective ones.

In a more down-to-earth way, the Star is related to revolutions, changes, risks, speculation and all things motivated by faith and ideals. It can represent a sudden spark on inspiration, a windfall, a sudden rise to fame or a promotion. Though the sudden changes brought by the Star are usually positive, they are also fast: you can get back to point zero as quickly as you rose. So don’t be afraid to jump forward when the opportunity arises.

The Star urges you to take the risk, to have hope and to trust. After the staleness of Crossroads, the Universe finally begins to move again. If you believe in Higher Powers, this symbol shows that They are guiding you in this moment. The Star is a very positive rune, but in a more negative context it can represent revolution for revolution’s sake and the constant idealization of people and situations. It can also stand for excessive individualism when going after a dream.

In relationship readings, this rune represents hope and an idealistic kind of love. Usually the people involved in the relationship have high expectations about the other. They easily put their partner on a pedestal, only to feel frustrated when reality strikes. The Star can also represent unrequited love, or the love for someone who is unattainable. On the other hand, this rune tells you to not give up love entirely – keep looking, because someone is coming.

 

Additional Information About Today’s Witches Rune courtesy of Your Spiritual Journey Australia