July 15 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 July 15

Lubovna Full Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava

Explanation: On July 13 this well-planned telephoto view recorded a Full Moon rising over Lubovna Castle in eastern Slovakia. The photographer was about 3 kilometers from the castle walls and about 357,000 kilometers from this Full Moon near perigee, the closest point in its elliptical orbit. Known to some as supermoons, full moons near perigee are a little brighter and larger in planet Earth’s sky when compared to full moons that occur near the average lunar distance of around 384,000 kilometers. Of course any Full Moon near the horizon can show the effects of refraction over a long sight-line through dense clear atmosphere. In this image, atmospheric refraction creates the slight green flash framed by thin clouds near the top, with a ragged red rim along the bottom edge of July’s perigee Full Moon.

July 14 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 July 14

Webb’s Southern Ring Nebula

Image Credit: NASAESACSASTScINIRCam

Explanation: Cataloged as NGC 3132 the Southern Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula, the death shroud of a dying sun-like star some 2,500 light-years from Earth. Composed of gas and dust the stunning cosmic landscape is nearly half a light-year in diameter, explored in unprecedented detail by the James Webb Space Telescope. In this NIRCam image the bright star near center is a companion of the dying star. In mutual orbit, the star whose transformation has ejected the nebula’s gas and dust shells over thousands of years is the fainter stellar partner. Evolving to become a white dwarf, the faint star appears along the diffraction spike extending toward the 8 o’clock position. This stellar pair’s orbital motion has resulted the complex structures within the Southern Ring Nebula.

July 13 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 July 13

Webb’s First Deep Field

Image Credit: NASAESACSASTScINIRCam

Explanation: This is the deepest, sharpest infrared image of the cosmos so far. The view of the early Universe toward the southern constellation Volans was achieved in 12.5 hours of exposure with the NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. Of course the stars with six visible spikes are well within our own Milky Way. Their diffraction pattern is characteristic of Webb’s 18 hexagonal mirror segments operating together as a single 6.5 meter diameter primary mirror. The thousands of galaxies flooding the field of view are members of the distant galaxy cluster SMACS0723-73, some 4.6 billion light-years away. Luminous arcs that seem to infest the deep field are even more distant galaxies though. Their images are distorted and magnified by the dark matter dominated mass of the galaxy cluster, an effect known as gravitational lensing. Analyzing light from two separate arcs below the bright spiky star, Webb’s NIRISS instrument indicates the arcs are both images of the same background galaxy. And that galaxy’s light took about 9.5 billion years to reach the James Webb Space Telescope.

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!

A Laugh for Today

14 July 2022 Southern Hemisphere’s Planetary Positions Digest

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 these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

14 July 2022
03:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:22 Cancer 10
Moon:04 Aquarius 18
Mercury:19 Cancer 33
Venus:25 Gemini 51
Mars:06 Taurus 30
Jupiter:08 Aries 23
Saturn:24 Aquarius 03 Rx
Uranus:18 Taurus 15
Neptune:25 Pisces 22 Rx
Pluto:27 Capricorn 29 Rx

True Lunar Node:20 Taurus 34 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:19 Taurus 14 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):10 Cancer 06

Chiron:16 Aries 25
Ceres:25 Cancer 57
Pallas:04 Gemini 30
Juno:21 Pisces 08
Vesta:06 Pisces 43 Rx

Eris:25 Aries 01

Fire:3
Earth:5
Air:4
Water:7
Cardinal:8
Fixed:6
Mutable:5

Southern Hemisphere

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

14 July 2022
10:00 am GMT 12:00 PM SAST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:21 Cancer 58
Moon:01 Aquarius 08
Mercury:19 Cancer 06
Venus:25 Gemini 36
Mars:06 Taurus 21
Jupiter:08 Aries 23
Saturn:24 Aquarius 03 Rx
Uranus:18 Taurus 14
Neptune:25 Pisces 22 Rx
Pluto:27 Capricorn 29 Rx

True Lunar Node:20 Taurus 36 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:19 Taurus 14 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):10 Cancer 05

Chiron:16 Aries 25
Ceres:25 Cancer 51
Pallas:04 Gemini 24
Juno:21 Pisces 07
Vesta:06 Pisces 44 Rx

Eris:25 Aries 01

Fire:3
Earth:5
Air:4
Water:7
Cardinal:8
Fixed:6
Mutable:5

Southwestern Hemisphere

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

14 July 2022
02:00 am GMT 12:00 PM AEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:21 Cancer 39
Moon:26 Capricorn 03
Mercury:18 Cancer 23
Venus:25 Gemini 12
Mars:06 Taurus 07
Jupiter:08 Aries 22
Saturn:24 Aquarius 04 Rx
Uranus:18 Taurus 13
Neptune:25 Pisces 23 Rx
Pluto:27 Capricorn 30 Rx

True Lunar Node:20 Taurus 38 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:19 Taurus 15 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):10 Cancer 02

Chiron:16 Aries 25
Ceres:25 Cancer 42
Pallas:04 Gemini 15
Juno:21 Pisces 06
Vesta:06 Pisces 45 Rx

Eris:25 Aries 01

Fire:3
Earth:6
Air:3
Water:7
Cardinal:9
Fixed:5
Mutable:5

13 July 2022 Southern Hemisphere’s Planetary Positions Digest

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 these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

July 13, 2022
03:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:21 Cancer 13
Moon:19 Capricorn 03
Mercury:17 Cancer 23
Venus:24 Gemini 39
Mars:05 Taurus 48
Jupiter:08 Aries 20
Saturn:24 Aquarius 06 Rx
Uranus:18 Taurus 13
Neptune:25 Pisces 23 Rx
Pluto:27 Capricorn 31 Rx

True Lunar Node:20 Taurus 42 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:19 Taurus 17 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):09 Cancer 59

Chiron:16 Aries 25
Ceres:25 Cancer 30
Pallas:04 Gemini 02
Juno:21 Pisces 04
Vesta:06 Pisces 46 Rx

Eris:25 Aries 01

Fire:3
Earth:6
Air:3
Water:7
Cardinal:9
Fixed:5
Mutable:5

Southern Hemisphere

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

13 July 2022
10:00 am GMT 12:00 PM SAST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:21 Cancer 01
Moon:15 Capricorn 52
Mercury:16 Cancer 57
Venus:24 Gemini 24
Mars:05 Taurus 40
Jupiter:08 Aries 20
Saturn:24 Aquarius 07 Rx
Uranus:18 Taurus 12
Neptune:25 Pisces 23 Rx
Pluto:27 Capricorn 31 Rx

True Lunar Node:20 Taurus 44 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:19 Taurus 17 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):09 Cancer 58

Chiron:16 Aries 25
Ceres:25 Cancer 25
Pallas:03 Gemini 56
Juno:21 Pisces 03
Vesta:06 Pisces 47 Rx

Eris:25 Aries 01

Fire:3
Earth:6
Air:3
Water:7
Cardinal:9
Fixed:5
Mutable:5

Southwestern Hemisphere

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

13 July 2022
02:00 am GMT 12:00 PM AEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:20 Cancer 42
Moon:10 Capricorn 46
Mercury:16 Cancer 13
Venus:24 Gemini 00
Mars:05 Taurus 26
Jupiter:08 Aries 19
Saturn:24 Aquarius 08 Rx
Uranus:18 Taurus 12
Neptune:25 Pisces 23 Rx
Pluto:27 Capricorn 31 Rx

True Lunar Node:20 Taurus 46 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:19 Taurus 18 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):09 Cancer 56

Chiron:16 Aries 25
Ceres:25 Cancer 16
Pallas:03 Gemini 46
Juno:21 Pisces 01
Vesta:06 Pisces 48 Rx

Eris:25 Aries 01

Fire:3
Earth:6
Air:3
Water:7
Cardinal:9
Fixed:5
Mutable:5

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest Thursday

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

Incense: Cinnamon, Must, Nutmeg and Sage

Planet: Jupiter

Sign: Sagittarius and Pisces

Angel: Sachiel

Colors: Purple, Royal Blue and Indigo

Herbs/Plants: Cinnamon, Beech, Buttercup, Coltsfoot, Oak

Stones: Sugilite, Amethyst, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire

Oil: (Jupiter) Clove, Lemon Balm, Oakmoss, Star Anise

Jupiter presides over Thursday. The vibrations of this day attune well to all matters involving material gain. Use them for working rituals that entail general success, accomplishment, honors and awards, or legal issues. These energies are also helpful in matters of luck, gambling, and prosperity.

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Word is

Incense

From moonlitpriestess.com

Herbs, oils, or other aromatic items which are burned – usually in the censer – to scent, cleanse, purify, or add intention to the air during ritual and magick.

July 14 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1789 Bastille Day – the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France’s national day)

1798 US Sedition Act prohibits “false, scandalous & malicious” writing against government

1850 1st public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie

1933 All non-Nazi parties are banned in Germany

1941 6,000 Lithuanian Jews are exterminated at Viszalsyan Camp

1992 386BSD is released by Lynne Jolitz and William Jolitz, starting the open source operating system revolution. Linus Torvalds release “Linux” soon afterwards

Today’s Historical Events

982 King Otto II and his Frankish army defeated in pitched battle with Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy

1077 Bayeux Tapestry likely first goes on display to decorate the nave during the consecration of Notre-Dame of Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, Normandy [1]

1223 Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Philip II

1420 Battle at Vitkov Zizka’s hill (Prague): Taboriets beat Bohemia

1535 Emperor Charles V conquers Tunis

1570 Pope Pius V introduces a standardised Roman Missal (text of the Latin mass), a reform of the Council of Trent. Will remain unchanged for 400 years.

1581 English Jesuit priest Edmund Campion arrested for sedition in Anglican England (later hung, drawn and quartered)

1698 The Darien scheme begins with five ships, bearing about 1,200 people, departing Leith for the Isthmus of Panama

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1951 1st color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race)

1968 WSWO TV channel 26 in Springfield, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting

1969 “Easy Rider”, directed by Dennis Hopper, starring himself, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, is released

1969 WMUL (now WPBY) TV channel 33 in Huntington, WV (PBS) 1st broadcast

1987 Steve Miller’s star is unveiled on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame

1989 Film “When Harry Met Sally” is released starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron

1992 Actress Nell Carter undergoes brain surgery

2005 38th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1682 Composer Henry Purcell appointed organist of Chapel Royal, London

1795 The French National Convention decrees “La Marseillaise” by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle France’s national anthem

1951 “Courtin’ Time” closes at National Theater NYC after 37 performances

1951 “Make a Wish” closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 102 performances

1967 The Who begin a US tour opening for Herman’s Hermits

1973 Phil Everly storms off stage at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California and declares an end to “The Everly Brothers”; the show was planned as their last, his exit improvised

1986 Paul McCartney releases single “Press”, from the album “Press To Play”

1989 Jessye Norman sings French national anthem, La Marseillaise at the Place de la Concorde, Paris, to celebrate 200th anniversary of the French Revolution

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1912 Kenneth McArthur runs Olympic record marathon (2:36:54.8)

1914 NL’s Boston Braves start climb from last place to world series sweep

1916 St Louis Brown Ernie Koob pitches all 17 innings for 14 hits in a 0-0 tie vs Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park

1934 NY Times erroneously declares Babe Ruth 700 HR record to stand for all time

1934 Philadelphia Phillies score 11 runs in an inning, beating Cincinnati 18-0

1946 Cleveland’s Lou Boudreau hits 4 doubles & HR, but Red Sox win 11-10 on Ted Williams 3 HR with 8 RBIs

1949 Czech tennis stars Jaroslav Drobný and Vladimir Černík defect while playing in a tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland; Drobny accepts Egyptian citizenship

1951 1st color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race)

Spell for Today – A Bloodstone Protection and Courage Spell

 

Now that you are starting to get into the passionate, courageous, and daring qualities of Tuesday, here are a few more spells for you to experiment with. Don’t be afraid to adapt these spells to suit your needs. Add some tarot cards, herbs, scents, crystals, or essential oils to these Tuesday spells, and crank up the volume on your own witchery! As long as your intentions are honorable, I am sure they will work out beautifully

 

A Bloodstone Protection and Courage Spell

The bloodstone, when worn or carried, brings courage and eliminates fear and anger. The bloodstone was often used as a talisman for athletes and warriors. When you need a little extra courage and bravery to face challenges and stressful, scary situations, give this practical Witch’s spell a whirl.

For this particular crystal spell, you will need a few supplies: a red spicy-scented votive candle, a votive candle cup, three bloodstones (inexpensive tumbled stones are perfect), a photo of yourself or a small snip of your own hair, a small cast-iron cauldron, and matches or a lighter. Set up on a safe, flat surface.

Place the photo or snip of hair in the bottom of the cauldron. Now place the candle inside of the cup. Set this in the center of the small cauldron, on top of the photo or the hair. (If you are worried about the heat damaging the photo, then set the photo beneath the cauldron.) Next, arrange the three bloodstones around the candle cup. Ground and center yourself. Then, when you are ready, light the candle and repeat the following spell three times:

On this Mars day, there is fiery energy to spare

I call for courage and passion to know, to will, to dare

Three green bloodstones and a burning candle of red

I call for bravery and banish fear and dread.

Focus on the flame for a few moments. Believe in your ability to handle the situation, whatever it may be.

Close the spell by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none

By Mar’s energy, this spell is done.

Let the candle burn until it is consumed. If this is an ongoing problem or conflict, then repeat the spell every day for one week (in other words, from a Tuesday until the following Tuesday). Clean out the votive cup and light a new red votive candle for each day of the spell. When you are finished working this, clean up your setup, and put away all of the spell components. If you like, you can carry those tumbled bloodstones with you to help reinforce your convictions.

 

 

—Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week

Ellen Dugan

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Tuesday

 

From GypsyWolf.weebly.com

Tuesday is the third day of the week.  The name is derived from the Nordic sky god in charge of law, order, justice, and war, Tiw (Saxons), also known as Tyr (Scandinavians), Ziu (S. Germans), Tiuz or Tiwaz (N. Germans).  In the Roman calendar the corresponding day was Dies Martis, the day of Mars, god of war and agriculture, originally known as Ares in Greek mythology.  The sacred symbol of all of these deities is the spear.
Latin: Dies Martis, the day of Mars
French: mardi
Italian: martedi
Spanish: martes
German: Dienstag, “Assembly Day”
Netherlands-  dinsdag
Denmark-  tirsdag
Sweden-  tisdagRules: Sexual energy, courage, aggression, war, politics, healing after surgery, physical strength, exorcism, protection and defensive magic
Colors: Red and Autumn Shades
Planet: Mars
Metal: Iron, for Mars’ spear and shield; Steel
Stones: Asbestos, Bloodstone, Flint, Garnet, Jasper (red), Lava, Onyx, Pipestone, Rhodocrosite, Rhodonite, Ruby, Sard, Sardonyx, Tourmaline (red), Tourmaline (watermelon)
Herbs: Allspice, Asafoetida, Basil, Broom, Coriander, Cumin, Deerstongue, Dragon’s Blood, Galangal, Ginger, Nettle, Peppermint, Pine, Tobacco, Woodruff, Wormwood
Zodiac: Aries & Scorpio

 

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Words are

Archetype

From moonlitpriestess.com

Universal pattern, symbol, or figure believed to be of primordial origins; typically used as a form of language between the conscious and subconscious minds. The most famous theories and discussions of the role and importance of archetypes were first proposed by psychologist Carl Jung.

July 13 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1772 Captain James Cook begins 2nd voyage aboard the Resolution to the South Seas to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent)

1832 Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft

1943 Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia’s defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 lost by Germany

1966 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founds the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) in New York City

Today’s Historical Events

574 John III ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1174 William I of Scotland, key rebel in Revolt of 1173-1174, captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England

1522 Hunger appeal by women of Utrecht

1558 Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul des Thermes at Gravelines

1568 Dean of St. Paul’s London, Alexander Nowell perfects a way to bottle beer

1573 Haarlem surrenders after 7 months to Spanish army

1643 Battle at Roundway Down: Royalists beat parliamentary armies

1645 Aleksei Romanov succeeds his father Michael as Tsar of Russia

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1923 The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads “Hollywoodland” but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949

1939 Frank Sinatra makes his recording debut, with The Harry James Orchestra, singing “From the Bottom of My Heart” and “Melancholy Mood”

1956 WCBI TV channel 4 in Columbus, MS (CBS) begins broadcasting

1978 BBC bans Sex Pistols “No One is Innocent”

1987 Federal judge throws out Bette Midler‘s $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound alike voice for their TV commercials

1988 Sting performs his 1st Rain Forest benefit at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

1994 Former NFL running back, broadcaster and actor O.J. Simpson (charged with murder) gives hair samples for testing

2005 TV police procedural “The Closer” debuts on TNT starring Kyra Sedgwick

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1668 Van Marco Cesti’s opera “Il Pomo d’Oro” (the Golden Apple or Tomato) premieres in Vienna

1935 Richard Strauss resigns as chairman of Reichskulturkammer

1946 Musical revue “Tidbits of 1946” closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC. after 8 performances

1979 George Harrison releases single “Faster”

1984 Eddie Van Halen makes a guest appearance, performing “Beat It”, in a Jacksons concert, in Dallas, Texas

1984 Jeff Beck quits Rod Stewart’s tour after 7 shows

1985 “Live Aid” concerts held at both Wembley Stadium (London) and John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia) raises over $70 million for African famine relief

1987 Kylie Minogue releases her debut single “Locomotion”

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1881 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: William Renshaw beats defending champion John Hartley 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 for first of his 7 Wimbledon singles titles

1885 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: 5 straight Wimbledon titles for William Renshaw; for second consecutive year he beats Herbert Lawford 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

1886 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: William Renshaw beats Herbert Lawford for the 3rd straight year 6-0, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 for his 6th consecutive Wimbledon championship

1895 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Wilfred Baddeley beats Wilberforce Eaves 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 6-2, 6-3 for his third Wimbledon singles title

1896 Philadelphia outfielder Ed Delahanty becomes second major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in a game as Phillies lose 9-8 to Chicago Colts at the West Side Grounds, Chicago

1900 Phillies beat Pittsburgh 23-8

1919 Boston Red Sox pitcher Carl Mays walks off mound blaming teammates for lack of support in field

1924 Albin Stenroos wins Olympic marathon (2:41:22.6)

Mysterious ‘Lord of the Universe’ Deity from Ancient Palmyra Finally Identified

The identity of an unknown god described in inscriptions from the ancient city of Palmyra, located in modern-day Syria, has long baffled scientists. But now, a researcher declares that she has cracked the case.

Palmyra existed for millennia and the city flourished around 2,000 years ago as a center of trade that connected the Roman Empire with trade routes in Asia, such as the Silk Road.

The anonymous deity is mentioned in numerous Aramaic inscriptions at Palmyra and is referred to as “he whose name is blessed forever,” “lord of the universe” and…

Click here to read the rest of this article

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!

Spell for Today – Shield Spell Printable

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Tuesday

From LearnReligions.com

Named for the Norse god Tyr, who was a deity of heroism and combat, Tuesday is a very martial sort of day—color associations include bright red and oranges, as well as warrior-like metals such as iron and steel.

The ancient Romans called this day Martis, after the warrior god Mars—other deities associated with Tuesday include Ares, the Morrighan, and other gods of battle and glory. Red gemstones like rubies and garnets come into play on Tuesdays, as do herbs and plants such as thistles, holly, coneflowers, and cacti—you’ll notice these are all sharp, prickly plants!

One of the interesting—and more than a little amusing—aspects of Tuesday magic is that in addition to war and conflict against your enemies, this is a day also associated with marriage. You can also use this day of the week for magical workings connected to protection and initiation. Use Tuesday to assert yourself, make a mark and stake your claims.

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Words are

Yang

Yin

Yin-Yang

From moonlitpriestess.com

Male, day, light, hot, spirals outward, God, summer; equal and opposite of Yin.

Female, night, dark, cold, spirals inward, Goddess, winter; equal and opposite of Yang.

A symbol often used to express polarity and equality; reinforces the idea that one cannot exist without the other (Yin contains Yang; Yang contains Yin).

July 12 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 July 12

Noctilucent Clouds over Paris

Credit & Copyright: Bertrand Kulik

Explanation: It’s northern noctilucent cloud season. Composed of small ice crystals forming only during specific conditions in the upper atmosphere, noctilucent clouds may become visible at sunset during late summer when illuminated by sunlight from below. Noctilucent clouds are the highest clouds known and now established to be polar mesospheric clouds observed from the ground. Although observed with NASA’s AIM satellite since 2007, much about noctilucent clouds remains unknown and so a topic of active research. The featured image shows expansive and rippled noctilucent clouds wafting over ParisFrance. This year, several northern locations are already reporting especially vivid displays of noctilucent clouds.