The Earthrise photo. Taken 53 years ago today, 12/24/1968

Smile, you're being photographed (53 years ago). Two of my strongest non-family related Christmas time memories:

Apollo 8, we all monitored that mission (all space missions at that time) - we later saw the Earthrise photo taken  53 years ago this date, 12/24/1968.  This photo provides perspective; that we live on a small self-contained outpost.

The other, and certainly less important memory was back in 1971, when the Miami Dolphins were relevant, and played in the Christmas Day playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The double-overtime game remains the longest game ever played in NFL history.

The Dolphins were led by coach Don Shula, and six players – Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, and Paul Warfield. 

I prefer the space memories, looking up as if I could actually see something with my own eyes, if I could only focus on the exact spot near the moon. 

One of the many gifts that space exploration/NASA has provided to us.

Read the article (it remains available online), Miami Herald: The stunning photo on Christmas Eve that changed how we see our planet, by Christian Davenport The Washington Post

Break out your telescopes (or binoculars) if you got ‘em – Saturn will be a spectacle. Evenings of Aug 1 & 2.

Photo credit: NASA.gov

Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, but the details visible from a telescope or even binoculars will be spectacular. 

Saturn will be at opposition, on August 1 and 2. This means the Earth will be located between the ringed planet and the sun. Saturn will be at its most luminous, making for a brilliant night sky view.

For more, see EarthSky Saturn At Opposition August 1-2, Near Jupiter, posted by Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd

Saturn continues to provide local viewing pleasure - see a prior related post of December 22, 2020, POD - Photos from the #GreatConjunction. This occurred on Monday evening, December 21, 2020. This apparent event occurred on December 21, 2020, when Jupiter and Saturn aligned to appear as one single bright point. 

This is a recommended family time event, sponsored by Mother Nature. Enjoy.

POD - Mars Rover Perseverance's First Full-Color Look at Mars

Photo of the day - Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

February 19, 2021

This is the first high-resolution, color image to be sent back by the Hazard Cameras (Hazcams) on the underside of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on Feb. 18, 2021.

Awe struck. NASA's Perseverance rover prevails - lands safely on Mars! Great teamwork!

Wow! Is there life on Mars?

Just minutes after landing on Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover beamed back this image to Earth. It is the first of many the rover will while it's on its mission on the planet (photo credit NASA-JPL/Caltech)

And NASA's Perseverance rover is on Twitter!:

This is exciting!

Today is the day! Exciting Mars mission - here is the official NASA Landing Toolkit: Perseverance Rover Event show starts at 2:15 p.m. EST

Another exciting NASA exploration event. Plan on taking some time today to view (beginning 2:15 PM local - links provided). OK, not a manned mission, but robotic exploration is the way its done now, and is part of the scout missions preceding a 'manned' mission.  See the NASA Landing Toolkit: Perseverance Rover: One-stop shopping for everything you need to know about the upcoming landing of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

See mars.nasa.gov

Toolkit Resources

Landing:

Feb. 18, 2021
(Show starts at  2:15 p.m. EST)Landing Site:Jezero Crater, MarsMission Duration:At least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days)

Ways to Use this Toolkit

On Feb. 18, 2021, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover makes its final descent to the Red Planet. Here are some of the ways you can take part in this landing.

Now Through Landing

• Watch Online
  Tune in to landing on Feb. 18 and get our guide to the TV programs coming up you can watch online.

***   ***   *** 

After Landing:

• Latest News on Mission Website
  As the rover begins its mission at Jezero Crater, visit the mission website for the latest news and images every day.

• Where is the Rover?
  This interactive map will let you see where the rover is on Mars. Once the rover starts driving, the traverse path and latest odometry will display automatically.

• Raw Images
  Once the rover lands, see the latest images the rover sends back here. Vote for your favorite to become “Image of the Week.”  

• Sounds of Mars 
  Try this audio experience to hear what you might sound like on Mars. Once the rover sends back recordings from its two microphones, you’ll be able to hear those audio files too. 

• Stay Connected
  Get regular updates about landing, news, science, images, TV programming and some of our new web experiences. Sign up here.

POD - Photos from the #GreatConjunction.

The photo of the day will be multiple photos of the day. I have received some photos from the #GreatConjunction that occurred on Monday evening, December 21, 2020. This apparent event occurred when Jupiter and Saturn aligned to appear as one single bright point. 

The event is not over, but the planets were best aligned on 12/21. They will still be in close proximity.  I set up one of my telescopes. The half moon and Mars were also visible. Monday was a great evening to view the heavens. 

It was great to see so many people watching the same event, socially distanced. For just a moment, it felt as if we were all in Brooklyn Heights, and we were all observing Cosmo’s Moon (sorry, inside movie reference). 

Above and below, great views of the Miami City Skyline. Fellow residents traveled to some unique places to take photos from farm fields near Krome Avenue, to Tamiami Trail and even to Downtown Miami. [Photo credit (above and below) - Mark Merwitzer]

Posted below are some great close ups. I don't know where or how far she had to travel to obtain these close ups:

Photo credit (above and below) - Jennifer Finger

A great time was had by many. Feel free to send any additional photos for me to post. Just let me know if you would like or would decline photo credit. My personal "best" photo is posted below (you can see the 'Christmas Star' just to the left of the palm tree in my neighbor's yard):

Tonight, Dec 21, 2020 is the night! Christmas Star to light up our sky for the first time in 800 years

Go out and enjoy the anticipated #GreatConjunction that will be happening. This is when Jupiter and Saturn will be so close to one another that they will appear as one single bright point. Don't miss it. "Yule love it!"

Dec. 21st 2020, marks several events:

1. It marks the winter solstice and is therefore:

2. The shortest day of 2020 – but it is even more special this year, as:

3. It is the official day that marked as the advent of the “Christmas Star”.

We are lucky to see this Christmas Star event as it hasn’t been seen to this degree since Genghis Khan was alive. That, my friends, is a very long time.

The Christmas Star event can be seen with the naked eye, but this is a good night to break out your binoculars and telescopes. 

The Best Meteor Showers in 2020 - Sky & Telescope

Things are, ahem, 'looking up' for 2020, see online article Sky & Telepscope. The Best Meteor Showers in 2020 - Sky & Telescope: Sky & Telescope predicts that the three best meteor showers — the Quadrantids, Perseids and Geminids — will all have strong showings this year.

Credit:Getty Images

This article provides outstanding information as to what is a meteor as well as how best to enjoy a meteor shower.

Amazing Photos of the Super Blood Wolf Moon of 2019! Follow the link and enjoy

Amazing Photos of the Super Blood Wolf Moon of 2019!  49 outstanding photos posted.

Yes, I am a science nerd. Nature is a wonder. I love amateur astronomy and watching events like the Super Blood Wolf Moon as it unfolded over this weekend. I did not make it out to Sadowski Park in Palmetto Bay to see if the Southern Cross Astronomical Society had an event.

I continue to blog about these events, such as 4 years ago, Jan. 27, 2015, Wolf Moon Star Party event in Palmetto Bay Friday, Feb 6, 7-10 PM - Family event hosted by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, when we had the lesser, merely Wolf Moon event, neither a lunar eclipse or super.

Check our Space . com - always interesting.

Enjoy,

Eugene Flinn

Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse did not disappoint in Palmetto Bay. I hope you caught it. It will not occur for us again until 2021. POD

Blood Moon, Wolf Moon, Super Moon.  All of the above.

Late night family time in Palmetto Bay (as well as many other places). Beginning late in the night of of Jan. 20, 2019, the moon passed through Earth's shadow in a total lunar eclipse during the Full Wolf Moon. This is also known as a "supermoon."  I have posted some photos.

My photos were taken with my smart phone and are far from great quality; the photos it took serve merely to document that I saw something in the night sky. I am posting a couple as well as some better photos taken by friends who were better equipped to document this family celestial event. 

Thankfully, the sky was clear. The evening was the coldest in quite some time.

Hopefully you were able to share this evening with family.

Staying up for the no-name flyby - NASA travels 44 AU to photograph an object a mere 20 miles across that is 44 AU from our Sun.

Who will be staying up late tonight (December 31)? The probe's closest approach will be at 12:33 a.m. ET on Jan 1. The report goes further to explain that it takes about six hours for the New Horizons data to get all the way back to Earth, and researchers expect that detailed images from the spacecraft's close flyby will be unveiled to the public on Jan. 2.

See NPR's report: "Way Beyond Pluto, An Icy World Is Ready For Its Close-Up" December 31, 2018.

Wait for it ... wait for it ... wait ...

This is an added gem of the entire mission. NASA has performed extremely well, about to obtain close up photos and data (2,200 miles out of from an object that is a mere 20 miles across in size, and located about a billion miles beyond Pluto. It has taken more than a dozen years to reach this object, and it reached Pluto in 2015, so that provides some perspective on just how traveled this probe has traveled to date. This object is 44 times farther from the Sun than Earth. That's 44 astronomical units, for our local strict math majors like Orestes (Ok, so he is but more a mathematical physicists than astronomer, but he enjoys both). [It's not often you can measure things around here using the AU measurement (9.2956×10⁷ mi)].

The Earthrise photo. 50 years ago today, 12/24/1968

Smile, you're being photographed (50 years ago). Two of my strongest non-family related Christmas time memories:

Apollo 8, we all monitored that mission (all space missions at that time) - we later saw the Earthrise photo taken  50 years ago today, 12/24/1968. 

The other, and certainly less important, was back in 1971, when the Miami Dolphins were relevant, and played in the Christmas Day playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The double-overtime game remains the longest game ever played in NFL history.

The Dolphins were led by coach Don Shula, and six players – Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, and Paul Warfield. 

I prefer the space memories, looking up as if I ocul actually see something with my own eyes, if I could only focus on the exact spot near the moon. 

One of the many gifts that space exploration/NASA has provided to us.

Read the article, online, Miami Herald: The stunning photo on Christmas Eve that changed how we see our planet, by Christian Davenport The Washington Post

Not the star of Bethlehem, but Comet 46P/Wirtanen is predicted to be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye during the holiday season

Nature is providing some free family time entertainment.  

See Travel + Leisure, A 'Christmas Comet' Will Light Up the Sky This Weekend — and It Won't Shine This Bright Again for 20 Years for the full story on Comet 46P/Wirtanen which is described as already the brightest comet in the night sky and is predicted to be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye during the holiday season. 

Comets rarely get bright enough to see without telescopes, so this is a rare chance to cross comets off your celestial bucket list.

When to see the Christmas Comet -

Although it's been visible to those with telescopes and powerful binoculars for a few weeks, 46P/Wirtanen will be both at its brightest, and most easily found, on and around Dec. 16, 2018. That's because on that date 46P/Wirtanen reaches what astronomers call perihelion, when it’s nearest to the sun, so it has the maximum amount of sunlight reflecting from it. It may reach a visual magnitude +4 or maybe even +3, which means that it will be easily visible to the naked eye.

How to find it. I use Star Walk 2 and SkyView apps to assist in finding objects in the night sky. Look to the constellation of Orion, to the southeast. Follow a line from the lowest to the highest star of the three stars that make up Orion's belt, to a bright red star. Go the same distance again and you'll see the Pleiades star cluster (also called the Seven Sisters), which is so bright you will probably have already noticed it as a bright smudge in the corner of your eye. 46P/Wirtanen will be just below the Pleiades, slightly to the left.

NASA Photo of the day - Comet 46P/Wirtanen, Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney (Terrastro, TWAN)

POD - Saturn photo from Deering Saturn viewing event

Photo of the day (actually, its an evening photo): Saturn, showing its good side.

How many have ever participated in a viewing (solar or evening) event at Deering? Here is a photo from the Wednesday evening Saturn viewing event (held 6/27/2018, 7:30 - 9:30 PM): Saturn Watch, hosted by Deering Estate, 16701 SW 72nd Ave, Miami, Florida 33157

Supermoon - super tide! Info on the last of a four Blood Moon series and Photos of the Day.

Get ready for the unusually large and beautiful moon tonight - the Blood Moon rises - as do the tides it influences!

There will be a supermoon tonight, which will look brighter and larger since it is closer to Earth. There will also be a total lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, tonight and will have a reddish color. A supermoon eclipse will not happen again for another 18 years - Source: Miami-Dade County.

This is the last of a four (4) blood moon series.   The moon takes on this color during the eclipse as it passes through the Earth's shadow, which is the color of a desert sunset.

See my prior post of April 14, 2014: Howling at the 'Blood Moon"! Coming Tues, 4/15. Ask NASA Experts About the Total Lunar Eclipse | NASA

Here are some "Photos of the Day" from the People's Dock at Deering as well as the boat ramp at Black point taken earlier this morning, Sunday, 9/27/15, while Alexandra and I were out bicycling:

 

Happy Spring 2015 - Solar eclipse, supermoon, spring equinox: Friday will see 3 majo - WFLA News Channel 8

Solar eclipse, supermoon, spring equinox: Friday will see 3 majo - WFLA News Channel 8

The spring equinox is the time of year when day and night are of equal duration. It marks the in-between point of the year's shortest and longest days.

Today, March 20, the Earth's axis will be perpendicular to the sun's rays, which only happens twice a year at each of the two equinoxes. After that, earth will continue moving, making for longer days in the northern hemisphere.

Because of the symbolism, the equinox has long been celebrated as a new chapter or renewal. It's also linked to Easter and Passover, The Independent reports.

The equinox will happen at the same time as a solar eclipse in 2053 and 2072, though it doesn't always appear as close together as that.

Wolf Moon Star Party event in Palmetto Bay Friday, Feb 6, 7-10 PM - Family event hosted by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society

Recommended family celestial events scheduled by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society. Events are often on Saturday evening, so note that the Wolf Moon Star Party is set for a Friday: don’t be a day late to the party!

WOLF MOON STAR PARTY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6th, 7-10 p.m. It's a Family Fun Night! Southern Cross Astros will show you the blazing winter skies in their hi-tech equipment arranged in the dark outback of the Fruit & Spice Park, 24801 SW 187 Ave., Homestead 33031(GPS) Spectacular views of brilliant Venus, Evening Star in the southwest (sets early) telescopic views of blue-green Uranus, Comet Lovejoy, star clusters overhead and bright Jupiter, surrounded by its four closest satellite moons, rising in the east by mid-evening and the past-full Wolf Moon.

Free admission includes tram rides in the Park, a big white Arctic Wolf to pet, refreshments at low cost, and campfire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. 305-247-5727. 

COMET WATCH

Southern Cross Astros invite you to peaceful Bill Sadowski Park & Nature Center, SW 176 /st./SW 79 Ave. 8-10:30 p.m. Saturdays to view Comet Lovejoy, the Great Orion Nebula, brilliant Venus early evening and bright Jupiter rising in the east mid-evening, star clusters and more in SCAS hi-tech equipment. Bring chairs, binoculars, telescopes. NO lights, alcohol, pets allowed in the Nature Preserve.

Note no parking areas: Parking tickets will be issued to cars parked on private property on SW 79 Ave.

Weather updates on SCAS Hotline: 305-661-1375 by 6:45 p.m. Saturdays.

Southern Cross safe solar viewing Saturdays 10:30 -Noon ticket entrance to Zoo Miami 12400 SW 152 St. See the powerful explosions leap off the solar surface 93 million miles distant.  305-661-1375x3.

Have a happy and safe summer 2014

Just in case you were wondering, the astronomical summer (Northern Hemisphere) begins Saturday, June 21 at 6:51 A.M. and ends Friday, September 22.

View the Old Farmer’s Almanac online for more information: First Day of Summer: The Summer Solstice

Do you have any great plans for Summer 2014?  Look back.  For our kids, the memories are just waiting to happen.

Have a happy Friday the 13th!

Read on to see one writer’s explanation, Why Friday the 13th is known as a day of bad luck, by Jolie Lee, USA Today, posted Friday, June 13, 2014: Everyone knows Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day. But why does it have such a bad reputation?

 
Note that it is also a full moon!

Other recommended reading:

Rare spooky-sweet event: Full ‘Honey Moon’ coincides with Friday the13th, by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, The inside scoop on weather in the D.C. area and beyond

A unique family nature produced event: Meteor shower to light up Memorial Day weekend - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com

Meteor shower to light up Memorial Day weekend - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com
There is no admission fee.  Mother nature is putting on a free family time for you night owls (or very early risers).  As reported in the Miami Herald: there will be a never-before-seen meteor shower will light up the night Friday night/Saturday morning.

Between 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. is the best time to witness the May Camelopardalids meteor shower, according to NASA.

The comet dust shower could outshine the Perseid meteor showers, which peak in August.

More than 200 meteors per hour are expected to shoot from the comet this weekend. But the shower storm could be unpredictable since it will occur for the first time, said Dr. Lester Shalloway, president of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society.

Reports are that we can expect clear nighttime skies.  There is only a 15 percent chance of clouds that night, this according to the National Weather Service.

To get a full view of the shower, Shalloway recommends, getting out of the city.
“You don't need any equipment,” Shalloway said. “Just lie there and look up.”

The Southern Cross Astronomical Society will open its site at 23325 SW 217th Ave. in Homestead to the public Friday night for the shower. 

for additional information, please review the information on the official Southern Cross Astronomical Society website which notes: Possible Meteor Shower, Saturday, May 24, 2014:
Description In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 24, the Earth will pass through the debris field left behind by a small comet known as P/209 LINEAR. Astronomers are predicting that this interaction may result in a brief but intense burst of meteor activity that could range from dozens to hundreds of meteors per hour. Nothing is certain, but many mathematical models are predicting that this could be the most intense meteor shower in more than a decade.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/20/4127534/meteor-shower-to-light-up-memorial.html#storylink=cpy