Category: Articles

The Sky This Week for July 5 to July 10

Goth

The Sky This Week for July 5 to July 10

Jupiter shines bright like a firework, Saturn dazzles, and Mars enters its autumn season.
By Richard Talcott

Tuesday, July 5

• Today marks the first full day of autumn in Mars’ northern hemisphere. The Red Planet’s autumnal equinox arrived around noon EDT yesterday, so the Sun is setting over the north pole for the first time in half a martian year (nearly one of Earth’s years). The timing is great for earthbound observers because Mars remains a stunning sight this week. It shines at magnitude –1.3 and dominates the sky toward the south-southwest as darkness falls. When viewed through a telescope, Mars’ orange-red disk spans 16″. The planet’s north polar cap should appear near its minimum extent now that summer is finally over. Look for a patch of white — the permanent cap of water ice — near Mars’ northern limb.

Wednesday, July 6

• Neptune rises shortly before 11:30 p.m. local daylight time this week and climbs some 40° above the southern horizon by the start of morning twilight. The magnitude 7.9 planet lies in Aquarius, some 0.5° southeast of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.3″.

• Mercury passes behind the Sun from Earth’s perspective at 11 p.m. EDT. This means the innermost planet lies on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and remains hidden in our star’s glare. It will return to view in the evening sky by the end of the month.

Thursday, July 7

• Today marks the peak of Pluto’s 2016 appearance. The distant world reaches opposition, which means it lies opposite the Sun in our sky and remains visible all night. It glows dimly at magnitude 14.1, however, so you’ll need an 8-inch or larger telescope with good optics to spot it visually. Pluto currently lies in northeastern Sagittarius, some 0.3° west-southwest of the 3rd-magnitude star Pi (p) Sagittarii. See “The quest for distant Pluto” in the July Astronomy for complete details on finding this world.

Friday, July 8

• The Moon passes 1° south of Jupiter tomorrow morning, unfortunately after the two objects have dipped below the western horizon. But the view this evening is nearly as nice. The waxing crescent Moon stands 3° to 5° (depending on where in North America you live) to the planet’s lower right. Tomorrow evening, a slightly fatter crescent Moon will appear about twice as far to Jupiter’s upper left.

Saturday, July 9

• The Big Dipper’s familiar shape lies high in the northwest as darkness falls these July evenings. One of the summer sky’s finest binocular double stars marks the bend of the Dipper’s handle. Mizar shines at 2nd magnitude, some six times brighter than its 4th-magnitude companion, Alcor. Even though these two are not physically related, they make a fine sight through binoculars. (People with good eyesight often can split the pair without optical aid.) A small telescope reveals Mizar itself as double — and these components do orbit each other.

Sunday, July 10

• This should be a good night to hunt down asteroid 7 Iris through a small telescope. The 10th-magnitude object lies nearly due south and at its highest position in the sky as darkness falls. Even better, there’s a reasonably bright guide star to point you in the right direction. This evening, look for Iris 0.5° due south of the magnitude 5.0 star Lambda (l) Libr

 

Source

Astronomy Magazine

 

 

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, July 5th

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Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, July 5th

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 84.30° E
Sun Altitude: 31.93°
Sun Distance: 94.513 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 5:40 AM↑ 60° Northeast
Sunset Today: 8:17 PM↑ 300° Northwest
Current Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 37 minutes

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 81.79° E
Moon Altitude: 16.70°
Moon Distance: 233926 mi
Next Full Moon: Jul 19, 20165:56 PM
Next New Moon: Aug 2, 20163:44 PM
Next Moonset: Today9:13 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 1.7%

 

Source

timeanddate.com

 

What A Beautiful & Glorious Tuesday The Goddess Has Blessed Us With!

Wiccan Magic

Blessed are the ones who remember the poor;
in time of trouble they will be remembered.
The Goddess will hold them in her hand and keep them from harm.
When they are weak, strength will flow in the sunlight
and in the falling of the evening dew will health come to their bones.

For the mouth of derision will be closed and lies and
slander will be shown false.

Mercy flows like spring streams, without destination.
Nature holds no one accountable, nor is blame her way.
Favor pours from her in the sun, in the rain,
in the breathe of the trees.
So we can pour ourselves out without thought.
We are vessels, as is the river, holding life for all
we pass.

Blessed are the ones who know the fullness in life
and with open hands
Release it to all.
The season of want will come but the blessings of
love will fill it.
Blessed Be.

 

—Earth Psalms
Angela Magara

 

Astronomy Picture of the Day – The Prawn Nebula

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 July 4

IC 4628: The Prawn Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sidonio

 

Explanation: South of Antares, in the tail of the nebula-rich constellation Scorpius, lies emission nebula IC 4628. Nearby hot, massive stars, millions of years young, radiate the nebula with invisible ultraviolet light, stripping electrons from atoms. The electrons eventually recombine with the atoms to produce the visible nebular glow, dominated by the red emission of hydrogen. At an estimated distance of 6,000 light-years, the region shown is about 250 light-years across, spanningan area equivalent to four full moons on the sky. The nebula is also cataloged as Gum 56 for Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum, but seafood-loving astronomers might know this cosmic cloud as the Prawn Nebula.

Earth Sky News for July 4: Earth farthest from sun on July 4

Earth farthest from sun on July 4

By

Planet Earth reaches an independence day of its own today, its aphelion, or most distant point from the sun. We reach this point on July 4, 2016 at 16:24 UTC. That’s 11:24 a.m. Central Daylight Time in the U.S. Translate to your time zone.

Is it hot outside for you on your part of Earth right now? Or cold out? Earth’s aphelion comes in the midst of Northern Hemisphere summer and Southern Hemisphere winter. That should tell you that our distance from the sun doesn’t cause the seasons.

The fact is that Earth’s orbit is almost, but not quite, circular. So our distance from the sun doesn’t change much. Today, we’re about 3 million miles (5 million km) farther from the sun than we will be six months from now. That’s in contrast to our average distance from the sun of about 93 million miles (150 million km).

The word aphelion, by the way, comes from the Greek words apo meaning away, off, apart and helios, for the Greek god of the sun. Apart from the sun. That’s us, today.

Looking for Earth’s exact distance from the sun at aphelion? It’s 94,512,904 miles (152,103,776 km). Last year, on July 6, 2015, the Earth at aphelion was a tiny bit closer, at 94,506,506 miles (152,093,481 km).

Here’s what does cause the seasons. It’s not a distance thing. We’re always farthest from the sun in early July during northern summer and closest in January during northern winter.

It’s a tilt thing. Right now, it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere because the northern part of Earth is tilted most toward the sun.

Meanwhile, it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere because the southern part of Earth is tilted most away from the sun.

Earth’s varying distance from the sun does affect the length of the seasons. That’s because, at our farthest from the sun, like now, Earth is traveling most slowly in its orbit. That makes summer the longest season in the Northern Hemisphere and winter the longest season on the southern half of the globe.

Conversely, winter is the shortest season in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer is the shortest in the S. Hemisphere, in each instance by nearly 5 days.

Happy Earth independence day, y’all!

Bottom line: Planet Earth reaches its most distant point from the sun for 2016 on July 4. Astronomers call this yearly point in Earth’s orbit our aphelion.

 

Author

DEBORAH BYRD

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says.
Article published on EarthSky

Ah, What the Heck, Let’s Check Out the Ancient Symbol Cards to See What they have to say about this week….

Your Ancient Symbol Card Reading for the Upcoming Week

 
Past Influence that will impact your life are waning.

Ancestors

Ancestors represents the ongoing influence and remarkable contributions those who came before us have made to our state of being. Ancestors also reminds us that sometimes old wisdom is the best wisdom–especially when events are moving in ways we do not understand. Ancestors can bring comfort to a shaken spirit. It is a card of warmth in the sense that it reminds us that the spirit of past generations remains with us and can be called upon for guidance at any time.

 

 

 

 

Present Influence that will have an impact on your life are very strong

The Lotus

The Lotus represents the spiritual self in its purest form. It reminds us that for most achieving a well developed spirituality is a journey which can be long and arduous. The spirit of the Lotus is not of our secular world, and the presence of The Lotus suggests that what is needed can be found by exploring your relationship with the Universe not as a physical entity pursuing material gain, but as a divine soul in need of celestial sustenance.

 

 

 

 

Future influence whose impact on your life are growing and will be very strong this week.

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.

Your Ogham Symbol for Monday, July 4th is Beth/Beith

Your Ogham Symbol for Monday, July 4th

Beith, or Beth, corresponds to the letter B in the alphabet, and is associated with the Birch tree. When this symbol is used, it is representative of new beginnings, change, release, and rebirth. In some traditions, it also has connections with purification.

Birch trees are hardy. They’ll grow just about anywhere, including on bare soil. Because they tend to grow in clusters, what may be just one or two seedlings now can be practically an entire forest in a few decades.

In addition to being a sturdy sort of tree, the Birch is useful. In days gone by, it was used for infants’ cradles, and is still harvested today to make cabinets and furniture.

From a magical perspective, there are a number of uses for Birch. The branches are traditionally incorporated into the construction of a besom, and are used for the bristles. Use the white outer bark in ritual in place of paper or parchment — just be sure you only harvest the bark from a fallen Birch tree, not a living one. Ancient herbalists discovered that various parts of this tree can be used for medicinal purposes. Bark was once brewed into a tea to fight fevers, and the leaves were used alternately as a laxative and a diuretic, depending on how they were prepared.

Beith Correspondences

Mundane Aspects: When this symbol appears, it means it’s time to get rid of all those negative influences you’ve been carrying around with you. Figure out what things are bad in your life, which relationships are toxic, and find a way to leave them behind.

Instead of being dragged down by the negative, focus on the positive things you have in your life, the blessings and abundance. Use these things as a focus, rather than the harmful or damaging ones.

Magical Aspects: Consider the property of renewal and rebirth, as demonstrated by the Birch. Use this as a tool for spiritual and emotional regrowth, and developing your own ability to regenerate where there has been emptiness or devastation.

 

, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com

Your Daily Witches Rune for July 4th is The Rings

Daily Witches Rune

July 4th, 2016

The Rings

Keywords: Love, relationships.

Meanings: The Rings is the rune of love and when it is the leading stone, it is a positive answer to your question. It is very much a rune of relationship and can indicate engagement, marriage or a new/renewed relationship. It can also indicate the need for a fresh approach to an existing relationship.

Casting the Stones, Your Rune Reading for the Week of July 4th

Your Rune Reading for the Upcoming Week

 

bw-geboThe Past That Will Once Again Emerge
Gebo

Gebo represents the coming of gifts and favors. While each are usually positive events, they often carry obligations with them. Gebo often represents strong bonds such as deep friendships and marriage

 

 

bw-dagazThe Present Circumstances You Will Find Yourself In
Dagaz

Dagaz represents the fresh light of a new day. You are close to making a breakthrough. You have the will to change whatever you deem necessary. You may see the world with absolute clarity at this time.

 

 

A Glimpse of The Future
Elhaz

Watch for hidden traps. Look for holes in your defenses and fill them.