Tag: Open Online Pagan Chatroom

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.

2021 November 30

In Motion: Uranus and Moons

Video Credit: David Campbell (U. Hertfordshire), Bayfordbury ObservatoryExplanation: What’s that moving across the sky? A planet just a bit too faint to see with the unaided eye: Uranus. The gas giant out past Saturn was tracked earlier this month near opposition — when it was closest to Earth and at its brightest. The featured video captured by the Bayfordbury Observatory in Hertfordshire, UK is a four-hour time-lapse showing Uranus with its four largest moons in tow: Titania, Oberon, Umbriel and Ariel. Uranus’ apparent motion past background stars is really dominated by Earth’s own orbital motion around our Sun. The cross seen centered on Uranus is called a diffraction spike and is caused by light diffracting around the four arms that hold one of the telescope‘s mirrors in place. The rotation of the diffraction spikes is not caused by the rotation of Uranus but, essentially, by the rotation of the Earth. During the next few months Uranus itself will be visible with binoculars, but, as always, to see its moons will require a telescope.

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.

2021 November 29

The Extraordinary Spiral in LL Pegasi

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing & Copyright: Jonathan LodgeDodge

Explanation: What created the strange spiral structure on the upper left? No one is sure, although it is likely related to a star in a binary star system entering the planetary nebula phase, when its outer atmosphere is ejected. The huge spiral spans about a third of a light year across and, winding four or five complete turns, has a regularity that is without precedent. Given the expansion rate of the spiral gas, a new layer must appear about every 800 years, a close match to the time it takes for the two stars to orbit each other. The star system that created it is most commonly known as LL Pegasi, but also AFGL 3068 and IRAS 23166+1655. The featured image was taken in near-infrared light by the Hubble Space Telescope. Why the spiral glows is itself a mystery, with a leading hypothesis being illumination by light reflected from nearby stars.

Plant portraits

The illustrations in medieval herbals are beautiful and mysterious. But if you know how to read them, they also convey a wealth of knowledge about the plants they portray.

From WelcomeCollection.com

The illustrated herbal has an almost unbroken line of descent from the ancient Greeks to the Middle Ages. The tradition owes much to a work by the Greek physician Dioscorides called ‘De Materia Medica’ (50–70 CE), which describes around 1,000 medicines, largely derived from plants, along with some animals and mineral substances.

‘De Materia Medica’ was circulated throughout the European and Islamic worlds. During that time it was translated, embellished and added to in commentaries and copies for local use. In Europe, this tradition developed into the medieval herbal, created in monasteries, usually by …

 

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.

2021 November 25

At the Shadow’s Edge

Image Credit & Copyright: Jean-Francois Gout

Explanation: Shaped like a cone tapering into space, the Earth’s dark central shadow or umbra has a circular cross-section. It’s wider than the Moon at the distance of the Moon’s orbit though. But during the lunar eclipse of November 18/19, part of the Moon remained just outside the umbral shadow. The successive pictures in this composite of 5 images from that almost total lunar eclipse were taken over a period of about 1.5 hours. The series is aligned to trace part of the cross-section’s circular arc, with the central image at maximum eclipse. It shows a bright, thin sliver of the lunar disk still beyond the shadow’s curved edge. Of course, even within the shadow the Moon’s surface is not completely dark, reflecting the reddish hues of filtered sunlight scattered into the shadow by Earth’s atmosphere.

 

Notable APOD Submissions: Lunar Eclipse of 2021 November 19

When Isis Was Queen

Ancient Egyptian Goddess Isis and God Osiris

At the ancient Egyptian temples of Philae, Nubians gave new life to a vanishing religious tradition.

Hathor.When the Romans conquered Egypt in 30 B.C., the country’s system of temples, which had sustained religious traditions dating back more than 3,000 years, began to slowly wither away. Starved of the funds that pharaohs traditionally supplied to religious institutions, priests lost their vocation and temples fell into disuse throughout the country. The introduction of Christianity in the first century a.d. only hastened this process. But there was one exception to this trend: In the temples on the island of Philae in the Nile River, rites dedicated to the goddess Isis and the god Osiris continued to be celebrated in high style for some 500 years after the Roman conquest. This final flowering of ancient Egyptian religion was only possible because of the piety and support of Egypt’s neighbors to the south, the Nubians.

Philae lies just south of the Nile’s first cataract—one of six rapids along the river—which marked the historical border between ancient Egypt and Nubia, also known as Kush. In this region of Kush, called Lower Nubia, the temple complex at Philae was just one of many that were built on islands in the Nile and along its banks. Throughout the long history of Egypt and Nubia, Lower Nubia was a kind of buffer zone between these two lands and a place…

Weekly HoroscopeSunday, November 14 to Saturday, November 20, 2021

Click here to read Georgia Nicols daily horoscopes

All Signs

Yikes! The energy this week will be like tabloid headlines. “Secret KFC Recipe Revealed!” “Who Killed JFK?” Yes, it will old home week for conspiracy theorists. This is because deep, dark secrets will come to light this week. Not only will a “light” reveal unknown mysteries or classified information – it will also trigger revelations that prompt people to leave stagnant, oppressive relationships. Outmoded structures will be cast aside. People are waking up and they want change! Mid-week, tempers will flare. Friday’s Lunar Eclipse will be the last straw. (No plastic, please.) My only hope is this doesn’t include my family’s secret recipe for chili. After all – some things are sacrosanct.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This could be a momentous week for you with money, earnings, cash flow and especially, your financial involvement with others, especially partners. A dispute about shared ownership might arise. Financial secrets regarding the ownership of something or debt might come out. A secret could involve an authority figure, especially a parent or an older family member. You might feel betrayed or denied important information. As the week goes on, this tough energy will build. (Wednesday could be particularly nasty.) By Friday, the Full Moon brings everything to a head. Things need to be resolved. You want the facts and you want the freedom to govern what you own wholly or in a shared way. Simple.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

When it comes to money, you practically manufacture the stuff in your backyard. This week, you can expect disputes with partners and close friends that might also involve a parent or an authority figure or even the government because it feels like the world is out to get you. This conflict could be triggered by the discovery of information of which you were unaware. (You were either ignorant or deceived.) By Wednesday, you will express your displeasure! After that, the only Full Moon in your sign all year will occur on Friday. Hopefully, it peaks — once again, peace will be in the land and the crops shall be fertile and milk and honey will flow.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Although this is a crunchy week for many, I think it will be lighter for you. (Fingers crossed.) Nevertheless, you might have anxiety or disputes about your health. In fact, health concerns could trigger arguments with someone? Or perhaps these arguments will be related to your job or your work? They could also be related to your involvement with your pet or pets because something will trigger conflict in these areas for you. This conflict might be exacerbated by rules and regulations or the law. Very likely, you will feel a buildup of these problems but hopefully, after the Full Moon on Friday, you will have a sense of resolution. In fact, these problems should diminish and perhaps, even disappear? (One can only hope.)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Patience is the antidote to anger. It does not remove the cause of anger; but it will stop anger from doing more damage. Remember this if you find yourself in conflict with your kids, a romantic partner, or a colleague in sports, the entertainment world or working with youth. You might argue with someone about fundraising or how to use a specific amount of money or a mandate. By Wednesday, you might be full battle. This could get even worse by the Full Noon on Friday! The good news is that fair Venus is opposite your sign and this will assuage difficulties with others. Plus, you’re a sensitive, caring person.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

This might be a challenging week for you. (Yes, we’re talking Bad Day at Black Rock.) Your home and your family will be interrupted in a major way. Family conflicts might be the result. You might also be at odds with your partner. People are very independent, and in the midst of all this, hidden secrets might come out! A family member might rebel against any kind of authority in the family. This could be very touchy on Wednesday; and by the Full Moon on Friday, the tension is palpable. Fortunately, following this, everything might quickly subside. Yay! Things fall into place and there’s even seconds on dessert. (Fingers crossed!)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Please note that there’s a lot of wild energy flying around this week. It could promote an accident-prone situation for your sign. Obviously, nothing has to happen. It’s just a potential – a possibility. Be aware that you might suddenly be arguing with relatives, daily contacts or neighbours, especially about controversial issues in our society. This could impact your job and even your health. Quite likely, you are worked up about something and feeling intellectually aggressive. Is this wise? Anger only clouds your thinking. Wednesday might be a day of confrontation. Frankly, things will not let up until after the Full Moon on Friday. Don’t try to win an argument. Don’t try to be right. Just relax.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

We are all dealing with confrontational issues this week, and for you, it could relate to money, possessions and your kids. You might quarrel about cash flow, earnings or who is responsible for what. Perhaps your values are different from those of someone else? (It’s particularly challenging when you encounter this in your kids.) Keep an open mind to hear the other person’s point of view because this is helpful. Also keep in mind that we are all receiving different inputs of information from different media sources. Contradictory information simply promotes confrontations. Practice patience on Wednesday, and wait until the Full Moon is over on Friday for things to settle down. You’ve got this.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

There’s no question that this is a challenging week. The tough aspects that are taking place involve the Sun, Mercury and fiery Mars — all in your sign. They are sitting at odds with Uranus and stern Saturn. As if that weren’t enough, at the end of the week, the only Full Moon opposite your sign all year will take place. What to do? Slow down! Take it easy. Minimize what you want to do. Be patient with everyone. Be kind to yourself. Have a coffee with Baileys. (Canned whipped cream is fine.) Sit this one out in a gentle, easy-going way for your own good. Quite literally, you need to wait for the storm to pass. Pamper yourself with good food and drink. Feet up. Fun TV.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Resist the urge to get involved with philosophical concepts that lead to confrontations with others this week because the odds are that this will happen. But will it be fun? No way. You like to get along with others. You love exploring ideas and enjoying lofty, profound discussions. But who needs confrontations and arguments? Avoid these, if possible, especially related to your work, your health or your pet. Don’t make a big deal about anything. Be as easy going and forgiving as you can because in the end – you will be the one who benefits. Who wants to have their belly in a rash? Not you! (“I want to get off eBay and get on an E-bike.”)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You like to minimize collateral damage and keep up appearances because life runs more smoothly that way. You’re right. Very smart. You know that appearances are everything. Therefore, consider this week an opportunity for you to demonstrate grace under pressure, because there’s a strong likelihood that you will find yourself at odds with a friend, or perhaps your kids, or you might be at odds with a group. Things could get nasty. By Wednesday, people might be at each other’s throats! Not good. Financial responsibilities might be in the picture as well. All this will come to a head and hopefully, become resolved after the Full Moon on Friday. (Would that it were that simple – and it just might be.)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

This week will have some challenges. Quite likely, you will find yourself at odds with an authority figure – boss, parent, even the police. For starters, deep, dark secrets might be revealed either to others or just to you. If it’s just to you, it might be a profound revelation about something that you can no longer ignore. It’s as if long-hidden information has suddenly come to light! Things will be volatile on Wednesday. The slightest provocation might provoke an argument. And by Friday, the only Full Moon that occurs all year in your House of Home and Family will take place. Do what you can to keep the peace, but of course, you also have to maintain your integrity as a human being.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Be aware that this week is an accident-prone time for you. Of course, an accident doesn’t have to happen but it might happen if you’re angry, flustered or distracted. Therefore, pay attention to everything you say and do, especially when jogging, walking and driving. It’s important to guard against knee-jerk reactions where you suddenly blurt something out and then you can’t take it back. This could be regrettable. (It’s definitely something you want to avoid.) Think about what is best for everyone. Generally speaking, what’s good for the bee is good for the hive. Next year will be a much easier year for you because lucky Jupiter will be in your sign. This is reassuring.

For Your Listening and Viewing Pleasure

I am posting this live feed at 10:44 AM CDT. You can use the link later to view it if you miss saving it on youtube.com while it is live. I have been listening to it while doing today’s posts and it is a very painful fibromyalgia and spinal day for me it has allowed me to relax enough to bring you most of the regular daily posts. I hope you enjoy this.

Until tomorrow dear Sisters, Brothers and, Honored Guests blessed be

Living Tree of Life

Trees reflected in water in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Named for the region’s Maasai people, this wildlife refuge in southwest Kenya shares a border with the vast Serengeti National Park in neighboring Tanzania. Together, the contiguous reserves cover over 6,000 square miles of East Africa, protecting some of the continent’s most iconic, and endangered, wildlife. Much of the time, the grasslands here in Maasai Mara are dry, but during the rainy season the rivers run high, seasonal ponds attract great numbers of animals, and—as seen in our image— pools of water reflect majestic acacia trees. It’s a picture of sublime stillness, but it’s certainly not always this peaceful in the reserve: The annual great migration sees millions of animals pass through the grasslands of this protected park in search of good grazing.

A Laugh for Today

Until tomorrow I leave you with this to give you a laugh I hope, dear Sisters, Brothers, and Honored Guests…

Old English nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child” which is a poem based on the days of the week

For a Childs Listening Pleasure – Paganism for kids. What is Paganism?

There are mixed reviews about this video. I suggest you watch it with your children or grandchildren.

Paganism for kids. What is Paganism?

 

A Thought for Today

Until tomorrow, after I finish the monthly information posts,

My wish for you dear Sisters, Brothers, and Honored Guest…

November 2021 Horoscopes for All Signs

November brings individuals with the transformation of nature and the shortening days also less energy. No wonder, even position of the planets shows that. Mood changes are depending on how the colors of the nature around you turns gray. It’s perfectly natural. These instincts are encoded in us, whether we like it or not.

Even though nature is grim, not everyone will accept it. Under the Sun and Mercury’s influence, Scorpios and Sagittariuses will effectively focus on their loved ones. Whether it’s helping the relatives or supporting friends, they will always be at hand.This month is also an ideal time for pre-Christmas shopping, which will save you time and energy. This activity could help especially to the water signs to find balance again. Additionally, keep in mind that even winter is a time of joy and well-being that will give you some strength for the upcoming year.

Horoscope for November 2021 advises individuals to compensate their tiredness with joyous events. This way you will be able to recharge lost energy. You have so much ahead of you, even though it might not seem so. Take time also to relax. Especially your body will be very busy this month.

Click here for more information from SKYHOROSCOPE.COM about each Astrological Sign November Horoscope

November 1 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase.

Tomorrow the Moon will be in a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the November 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on November 1 has an illumination of 15%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On November 1 the Moon is 25.76 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

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

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

1 November 2021
03:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CET
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:09 Scorpio 24
Moon:25 Virgo 14
Mercury:23 Libra 19
Venus:26 Sagittarius 19
Mars:01 Scorpio 22
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 40
Saturn:07 Aquarius 16
Uranus:12 Taurus 55 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 39 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 29
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 53 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 44 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 46

Chiron:09 Aries 25 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 20 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 12 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 37
Vesta:21 Scorpio 58
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx

Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Denver, Colorado, USA

November 01, 2021
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM MT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:09 Scorpio 44
Moon:29 Virgo 54
Mercury:23 Libra 49
Venus:26 Sagittarius 38
Mars:01 Scorpio 35
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 41
Saturn:07 Aquarius 17
Uranus:12 Taurus 55 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 39 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 29
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 52 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 43 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 48
Chiron:09 Aries 24 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 17 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 11 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 43
Vesta:22 Scorpio 08
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

The Vedic Moon (Astrological Sign)

Vedic Astrology is a moon-based system of astrology. It is a very ancient system dating back 5,000-10,000 years BC. During that period as in keeping with many tribal people today, the moon with its rhythms and cycles is a reliable natural clock. People who live close to nature and depend totally on the fertility of the soil, weather patterns and cosmic forces for survival often use the cycle of the moon in a very productive way. They are acutely aware of the miracle of nature and its ability to rejuvenate in terms of seasons, crops and the production of animal offspring, at regular intervals. The moon is a strong symbol of fertility as it represents the monthly cycle in women and therefore is an omen for abundant creativity.

Moon – A Personal Planet

Generally, the moon represents the mind and the emotions in a person, so has a very personal significance to each individual, whereas the sun represents the soul. Of course the sun is very important to us too as it our main source of light, but its light is reflected on the moon (as the moon has no light source of its own), so the moon is the bearer of the soul’s energy. Therefore the Moon indicates our emotional and psychological patterns and tendencies.

The combination of planets over our place of birth at the time of birth becomes an individual’s birth chart. The position and condition of the moon in the chart is a crucial point of interest to a Vedic astrologer, as it will show a lot about the character of the person and the tenor of their life.

The position of the moon in the chart will also indicate your passion and your main areas of interest in life.

The Waxing and Waning Moon

1 November Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase.

Tomorrow the Moon will be in a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the November 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on November 1 has an illumination of 15%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On November 1 the Moon is 25.76 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

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

1 November 2021
06:00 am GMT 5:00 PM AEDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:09 Scorpio 02
Moon:20 Virgo 02
Mercury:22 Libra 46
Venus:25 Sagittarius 56
Mars:01 Scorpio 07
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 39
Saturn:07 Aquarius 15
Uranus:12 Taurus 56 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 39 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 54 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 45 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 44
Chiron:09 Aries 26 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 24 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 13 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 29
Vesta:21 Scorpio 46
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

Southwestern Hemisphere

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

1 November 01, 2021
08:00 pm GMT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:09 Scorpio 37
Moon:28 Virgo 08
Mercury:23 Libra 38
Venus:26 Sagittarius 31
Mars:01 Scorpio 30
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 41
Saturn:07 Aquarius 16
Uranus:12 Taurus 55 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 39 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 29
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 52 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 43 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 48
Chiron:09 Aries 25 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 19 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 11 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 41
Vesta:22 Scorpio 04
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

October 31 Today In History

Important Events

1517 Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to Albrecht von Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating The Protestant Reformation

1541 Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes painting “The Last Judgement” in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

1876 Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 ravages British India (Modern-day Bangladesh), over 200,000 killed

1918 Spanish Flu kills 21,000 people in the US in a single week

2011 The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to the United Nations

Today’s Historical Events

1949 WOC (now KWQC) TV channel 6 in Davenport, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast

1953 TV broadcasting begins in Belgium

1954 KREM TV channel 2 in Spokane, WA (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1887 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral work “Capriccio Espagnol” premieres in St Petersburg

1949 “Regina” opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 86 performances

1957 “Jamaica” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 558 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1888 Scottish vet John Boyd Dunlop patents pneumatic bicycle tyre

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Important Events

  • 1876 Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 ravages British India (Modern-day Bangladesh), over 200,000 killed
  • 1918 Spanish Flu kills 21,000 people in the US in a single week
  • 2011 The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to the United Nations

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe

Illustration Credit & Copyright: Tom Abel & Ralf Kaehler (KIPAC, SLAC), AMNHExplanation: Is our universe haunted? It might look that way on this dark matter map. The gravity of unseen dark matter is the leading explanation for why galaxies rotate so fast, why galaxies orbit clusters so fast, why gravitational lenses so strongly deflect light, and why visible matter is distributed as it is both in the local universe and on the cosmic microwave background. The featured image from the American Museum of Natural History‘s Hayden Planetarium Space Show Dark Universe highlights one example of how pervasive dark matter might haunt our universe. In this frame from a detailed computer simulation, complex filaments of dark matter, shown in black, are strewn about the universe like spider webs, while the relatively rare clumps of familiar baryonic matter are colored orange. These simulations are good statistical matches to astronomical observations. In what is perhaps a scarier turn of events, dark matter — although quite strange and in an unknown form — is no longer thought to be the strangest source of gravity in the universe. That honor now falls to dark energy, a more uniform source of repulsive gravity that seems to now dominate the expansion of the entire universe.

Not only Halloween: Today is Dark Matter Day.

October 31 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the October 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on October 31 has an illumination of 24%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On October 31 the Moon is 24.73 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 24%
Moon Age: 24.73 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 383,592.20 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 148,480,047.96 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

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

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

31 October 2021
01:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CET
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:08 Scorpio 19
Moon:10 Virgo 25
Mercury:21 Libra 43
Venus:25 Sagittarius 15
Mars:00 Scorpio 38
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 38
Saturn:07 Aquarius 14
Uranus:12 Taurus 58 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 40 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 56 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 47 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 39
Chiron:09 Aries 28 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 30 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 15 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 16
Vesta:21 Scorpio 23
Eris:24 Aries 06 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

See the source image

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Denver, Colorado, USA

October 31, 2021
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM MT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:08 Scorpio 44
Moon:16 Virgo 03
Mercury:22 Libra 20
Venus:25 Sagittarius 39
Mars:00 Scorpio 55
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 39
Saturn:07 Aquarius 15
Uranus:12 Taurus 57 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 40 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 55 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 46 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 42
Chiron:09 Aries 27 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 26 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 14 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 24
Vesta:21 Scorpio 36
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9
See the source image