Tag: Astronomy

Your Weekend Lunar Lovescope for Oct. 28 – 30

Weekend Love: Lunar Love

by Jeff Jawer

Pushing the Limits

October 28 – 30

Unlimited enthusiasm and an irrepressible taste for adventure can take you on some wild and crazy rides on Friday and Saturday. The Moon is in fiery Sagittarius whose Archer is aiming his arrows at faraway places and far-flung experiences. The desire to broaden your horizons is amplified by the Sun’s opposition to Sagittarius’ expansive ruling planet Jupiter on Friday night. Even the most cautious individuals may be ripe for risk-taking in this bold but perhaps dangerous environment. Pushing the limits of what you’re willing to feel or do can certainly open social doors, but a lack of discrimination and common sense could allow people in who you won’t want to see the next day. It’s wise to reach a little further in search of love but to avoid losing balance by losing your head.

Sunday’s story is very different with the Moon in orderly and responsible Capricorn. But even this disciplined sign may find you in a less than sober mood, since the Moon forms a stressful square with explosive Uranus early in the day and joins transformative Pluto in the evening. The former spurs spontaneous reactions that can rattle relationships. The needs for freedom and freshness are powerful enough to stretch the strongest bonds, but exacting Pluto can punish excessive or inappropriate behavior, making self-restraint a must.

Hooray It’s Friday Finally!

Days Of The Week Comments

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Venus/Friday

  • Element:  Earth
  • Colors:  Green, pink
  • Crystals:  Amethyst, emerald, jade, moss agate, rose quartz
  • Incense;  Geranium, rose, strawberry, vervain
  • Trees:  Almond, apple, birch
  • Herbs and oils:  Feverfew, mugwort, pennyroyal, verbena, yarrow
  • Metal:  Copper
  • Astrological Rulership:  Taurus, Libra

Friday, the day of Venus, i associated with love and all forms of love magick (especially to attract love. Venus is also invoked for beauty, the arts, crafts, relationships, friendships, blossoming sexuality, the acquisition of beautiful possessions, and the slow but growth of prosperity (Venus rules all matters of growth).  Like the moon, she can be invoked for horticulture, the environment, fertility and women’s health matters. Since she can be associated with excessive nd unwise love affairs, her spells can paradoxically be used to reduce the influence of destructive lovers and possessiveness. 
Magickal Graphics

Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 27th

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.

2011 October 27
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Young Suns of NGC 7129
Image Credit & Copyright: Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)Explanation: Young suns still lie within dusty NGC 7129, some 3,000 light-years away toward the royal constellation Cepheus. While these stars are at a relatively tender age, only a few million years old, it is likely that our own Sun formed in a similar stellar nursery some five billion years ago. Most noticeable in the sharp image are the lovely bluish dust clouds that reflect the youthful starlight. But the compact, deep red crescent shapes are also markers of energetic, young stellar objects. Known as Herbig-Haro objects, their shape and color is characteristic of glowing hydrogen gas shocked by jets streaming away from newborn stars. Paler, extended filaments of redish emission mingling with the bluish clouds are caused by dust grains effectively converting the invisible ultraviolet starlight to visible red light through photoluminesence. Ultimately the natal gas and dust in the region will be dispersed, the stars drifting apart as the loose cluster orbits the center of the Galaxy. At the estimated distance of NGC 7129, this telescopic view spans about 40 light-years.

New Moon Report for October 26th – New Moon in Scorpio

New Moon in Scorpio

Wednesday, October 26, 12:56 pm PDT, 3:56 pm EDT

The New Moon in passionate Scorpio arouses deep emotions. We may become hungry with desire, riddled with doubt or embittered with discontent that could seem like more than we can handle. Trying to bury these feelings is tempting, yet they provide the fuel required to make positive changes. Eliminating unhealthy beliefs, behavior and individuals that stand in the way of fulfillment is sometimes a painful task. However, the secret of tapping into Scorpio’s deep well of resources is to understand that we sometimes have to let go to in order to grow.

The New Moon in passionate Scorpio takes us to the heart of desire, often arousing thoughts and feelings that can be frightening or inappropriate. But this is the season to face the demons of our fears and accept the truth of what we’re really hungry for. The rawness of these feelings releases emotional power that can be applied intelligently to overcome obstacles and begin fulfilling our deepest needs.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 24th

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.

2011 October 24
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

HH-222: The Waterfall Nebula
Image Credit: Z. Levay (STScI/AURA/NASA), T.A. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage) & H. Schweiker (NOAO/AURA/NSF), KPNO, NOAO  

 

Explanation: What created the Waterfall Nebula? No one knows. The structure seen in the region of NGC 1999 in the Great Orion Molecular Cloud complex is one of the more mysterious structures yet found on the sky. Designated HH-222, the elongated gaseous stream stretches about ten light years and emits an unusual array of colors. One hypothesis is that the gas filament results from the wind from a young star impacting a nearby molecular cloud. That would not explain, however, why the Waterfall and fainter streams all appear to converge on a bright but unusual non thermal radio source located toward the upper left of the curving structure. Another hypothesis is that the unusual radio source originates from a binary system containing a hot white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole, and that the Waterfall is just a jet from this energetic system. Such systems, though, are typically strong X-rays emitters, and no X-rays have been detected. For now, this case remains unsolved. Perhaps well-chosen future observations and clever deductive reasoning will unlock the true origin of this enigmatic wisp in the future.

Astronomy Pic of the Day for Oct. 20th

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.

 

The Big Dipper
Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo 

 

Explanation: The best known asterism in northern skies, The Big Dipper is easy to recognize, though some might see The Plough. Either way, the star names and the familiar outlines will appear in this thoughtfully composed 24 frame mosaic when you slide your cursor over the image. Dubhe, alpha star of the dipper’s parent constellation Ursa Major is at the upper right. Together with beta star Merak below, the two form a line pointing the way to Polaris and the North Celestial Pole off the top edge of the field. Notable too in skygazing lore Mizar, second star from the left in the dipper’s handle, forms a vision-testing visual double star with apparently close Alcor. Also identified in the famous star field are Messier catalog objects. Download the higher resolution image to hunt for exquisite views of some of Messier’s distant spiral galaxies and a more local owl.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 16th

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.

2011 October 16
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

A Picturesque Venus Transit
Image Credit & Copyright: David Cortner 

Explanation: The rare transit of Venus across the face of the Sun in 2004 was one of the better-photographed events in sky history. Both scientific and artistic images flooded in from the areas that could see the transit: Europe and much of Asia, Africa, and North America. Scientifically, solar photographers confirmed that the black drop effect is really better related to the viewing clarity of the camera or telescope than the atmosphere of Venus. Artistically, images might be divided into several categories. One type captures the transit in front of a highly detailed Sun. Another category captures a double coincidence such as both Venus and an airplane simultaneously silhouetted, or Venus and the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. A third image type involves a fortuitous arrangement of interesting looking clouds, as shown by example in the above image taken from North Carolina, USA. The next transit of Venus across the Sun will be in 2012 June.

Saucer Meditation (Blood/Harvest Moon)

Saucer Meditation

(Blood/Harvest Moon)

Before you go to sleep, turn on some soft meditative music. Lie back and begin breathing rhythmically by inhaling and counting to three and exhaling and counting to three. Each time you take a deep breath, imagine your lungs filling with the energizing white light of the stars and moon. As you exhale, sense all of the stress and tension in your body being cast out with your breath. A wave of tranquil bliss envelopes you being, sending it into a state of relaxed awareness. At the same time that you are becoming more relaxed, you are becoming more aware of your senses. Your mind is aware of all things at all times.

In your mind’s eye, imagine traveling on a saucer-shaped ship. Before you there is a giant portal and through it you view the many approaching stars. Sirius, Orion’s Belt, and the stars of Big Dipper fly across the portal as you watch with relaxed awareness. A large bluish-green planet comes into view. Its image grows lager on the screen as your flying saucer gets closer, and closer, and closer to it.

You watch as an alien world fills the screen with images that seem foreign but familiar. Alien beings with aqua-colored skin and right golden hair float lightly on emerald-green waves. They smile at you with smiles that send a warm glow through your entire being. You sense a Oneness with them that moves beyond physical barriers and mental limitations. They are your alien friends who you can visit anytime you want in meditation and dream. As you drift to sleep, imagine exploring the universe and all the magickal beings within it.

Affirmation of the Day for October 14th

I am this organism, this life. I am the trees, the flowers, the water and the creatures that need it. I am the air we breathe, the food we eat, the love we make, the moon that sings to us, the sun that warms us. I am all of these, and they are me. I am life, I am Earth, for She is me, and I am beautiful.
~ from MaryDawnChild

NASA Image of the Day for October 14th

Carina Nebula: 14,000+ Stars

The Carina Nebula is a star-forming region in the Sagittarius-Carina arm of the Milky Way that is 7,500 light years from Earth and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory has detected more than 14,000 stars in the region.

Chandra’s X-ray vision provides strong evidence that massive stars have self-destructed in this nearby star-forming region. Firstly, there is an observed deficit of bright X-ray sources in the area known as Trumpler 15, suggesting that some of the massive stars in this cluster were already destroyed in supernova explosions. Trumpler 15 is located in the northern part of the image and is one of ten star clusters in the Carina complex.

The detection of six possible neutron stars, the dense cores often left behind after stars explode in supernovas, provides additional evidence that supernova activity is increasing up in Carina. Previous observations had only detected one neutron star in Carina.

Image Credit: NASA/CXC/Penn State/L. Townsley et al.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 14th

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.

2011 October 14

MAGIC Star Trails
Image Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN) 

 

Explanation: Colorful star trails arc across the night in this surreal timelapse skyscape from the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Canary island of La Palma. A reflection of the Earth’s daily rotation on its axis, the star trails are also reflected in one of a pair of 17 meter diameter, multi-mirrored MAGIC telescopes. The MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) telescope itself is intended to detect gamma rays – photons with over 100 billion times the energy of visible light. As the high energy gamma rays impact the upper atmosphere they produce air showers of high-energy particles. A fast camera monitoring the multi-mirrored surface records in detail brief flashes of optical light, called Cherenkov light, created by the air shower particles Astronomers can then ultimately relate the optical flashes to cosmic sources of extreme gamma-rays.

Your Daily Number for October 12th: 3

You may feel as if an important change is taking place within, but are not yet clear about its true nature. You are going through a transforming growth spurt, and may not have much patience with yourself. Don’t try to analyze what’s going on; just roll with it. Romance is highly favored today.

Fast Facts

About the Number 3

Theme: Expansive, Sociable, Dramatic, Diversified, Creative
Astro Association: Venus
Tarot Association: Empress
 
 

Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 11th

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.

2011 October 11

NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Larry Van Vleet 

 

Explanation: It’s the bubble versus the cloud. NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula, is being pushed out by the stellar wind of massive central star BD+602522. Next door, though, lives a giant molecular cloud, visible to the right. At this place in space, an irresistible force meets an immovable object in an interesting way. The cloud is able to contain the expansion of the bubble gas, but gets blasted by the hot radiation from the bubble’s central star. The radiation heats up dense regions of the molecular cloud causing it to glow. The Bubble Nebula, pictured above in scientifically mapped colors to bring up contrast, is about 10 light-years across and part of a much larger complex of stars and shells. The Bubble Nebula can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Queen of Aethiopia (Cassiopeia).

Astronomy Picture of the Day For October 10th

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.

The Milky Way in Infrared
Credit: E. L. Wright (UCLA), The COBE Project, DIRBE, NASA 

Explanation: At night, from a dark location, part of the clear sky looks milky. This unusual swath of dim light is generally visible during any month and from any location. Until the invention of the telescope, nobody really knew what the “Milky Way” was. About 300 years ago telescopes caused a startling revelation: the Milky Way was made of stars. Only 70 years ago, more powerful telescopes brought the further revelation that the Milky Way is only one galaxy among many. Now telescopes in space allow yet deeper understanding. The above picture was taken by the COBE satellite and shows the plane of our Galaxy in infrared light. The thin disk of our home spiral galaxy is clearly apparent, with stars appearing white and interstellar dust appearing red.

New Moon Report for October 8th – Venus in Scorpio

Venus in Scorpio
Saturday, October 8, 10:50 pm PDT, Sunday, October 9, 1:50 am EDT

The love planet is not comfortable in steamy Scorpio according to astrological tradition. This provocative sign is less interested in the sweet and pretty side of relationships and more intrigued with their emotional complexity. Venus is not here to please, but to plunge to the depths of desire and explore the unseen plumbing that shapes our partnerships. Jealousy and mistrust are downsides of this transit, yet a more honest examination of what we need and what we’re willing to give in exchange adds maturity to personal interactions. Reviving failing personal and professional unions or recognizing when it’s time to end them reflects the range of this powerful process.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 7th

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.

A Sun Pillar Over Ontario
Image Credit & Copyright: Rick Stankiewicz (Peterborough Astronomical Association) 

Explanation: What is that on the horizon? No, it’s not an alien starship battling distant Earthlings, but rather a sun pillar. When driving across Ontario, Canada in early June, the photographer was surprised to encounter such an “eerie and beautiful” vista, and immediately took pictures. When the atmosphere is cold, ice sometimes forms flat six-sided crystals as it falls from high-level clouds. Air resistance then causes these crystals to lie nearly flat much of the time as they flutter to the ground. If viewed toward a rising or setting Sun, these flat crystals will reflect sunlight and create an unusual column of light — a sun pillar as seen above. Such columns of light are not uncommon to see, and a retrospective of past APODs that have featured picturesque sun pillars can be found here.

Full Moon Holy Water

Full Moon Holy Water

pink-self love and friendship
red-passionate love
green-money
blue-healing
purple-increase of psychic abilities
.

Fill a glass of water and place a stone in it to charge it with what
you want to bring to you. Ask the blessings of the Earth and Goddess
and then drink a bit to cleanse you inside. The remainder of the
water can be kept tightly corked to use in spells and recipes
anytime you need the extra power of the Full Moon!

October 1 – Astronomy Day

October 1 – Astronomy Day

Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is “Bringing Astronomy to the People,” and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events. You can find out about special local events by contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium. You can also find more about Astronomy Day by checking the Web site for the Astronomical League.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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.

2011 September 29

Cocoon Nebula Wide Field
Image Credit & Copyright: Tony Hallas 

 

Explanation: In this crowded starfield spanning some 3 degrees within the high flying constellation Cygnus, the eye is drawn to the Cocoon Nebula. A compact star forming region, the cosmic Cocoon punctuates a long trail of obscuring interstellar dust clouds. Cataloged as IC 5146, the nebula is nearly 15 light-years wide, located some 4,000 light years away. Like other star forming regions, it stands out in red, glowing, hydrogen gas excited by the young, hot stars and blue, dust-reflected starlight at the edge of an otherwise invisible molecular cloud. In fact, the bright star near the center of this nebula is likely only a few hundred thousand years old, powering the nebular glow as it clears out a cavity in the molecular cloud’s star forming dust and gas. But the long dusty filaments that appear dark in this visible light image are themselves hiding stars in the process of formation, seen at infrared wavelengths.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for Sept. 27th – Not a Comet

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.

M27: Not a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh  

 

Explanation: While hunting for comets in the skies above 18th century France, astronomer Charles Messier diligently kept a list of the things he encountered that were definitely not comets. This is number 27 on his now famous not-a-comet list. In fact, 21st century astronomers would identify it as a planetary nebula, but it’s not a planet either, even though it may appear round and planet-like in a small telescope. Messier 27 (M27) is an excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula created as a sun-like star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core. The nebula forms as the star’s outer layers are expelled into space, with a visible glow generated by atoms excited by the dying star’s intense but invisible ultraviolet light. Known by the popular name of the Dumbbell Nebula, the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud is over 2.5 light-years across and about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. This impressive color composite highlights details within the well-studied central region and fainter, seldom imaged features in the nebula’s outer halo. It incorporates broad and narrowband images recorded using filters sensitive to emission from sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.