Tag Archives: NationalGeographic.com

Dueling eclipses, and more top sky-watching events in January

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PUBLISHED 

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Early January will bring a partial solar eclipse for some lucky sky-watchers in Asia, like this one seen over China in August 2018.
Early January will bring a partial solar eclipse for some lucky sky-watchers in Asia, like this one seen over China in August 2018.

Ring in the new year with a sparkling meteor shower, a pair of eclipses, and a planet parade.

THE NEW YEAR starts off with a bang thanks to 2019’s best celestial fireworks show, followed by eye-catching planetary encounters and an eerie wolf moon eclipse.

So, if your holiday haul included new binoculars or telescopes, mark your January calendar and get ready to try out your stargazing gear!

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Earth at perihelion—January 3

If you ever thought Earth’s orbital distance from the sun controlled the temperature, this day should convince you otherwise. Earth’s path around the sun is not a perfect circle, and the planet gets nearer and farther from the star over the course of a year.

At 12:20 a.m. ET on the 3rd, our planet will reach its closest point to the sun for all of 2019. At this so-called perihelion, the two bodies will be just over 91 million miles apart—three percent closer than they will be at their farthest point, or aphelion, in July.

New Year meteor shower—January 3-4

In the predawn hours of January 4, the first meteor shower of the year, the Quadrantids, will reach its peak. Rates this morning will range from 60 to 120 shooting stars an hour when seen from a dark location. This year, a waning crescent moon should provide ideal conditions for seeing even faint meteors under clear skies.

The meteors will appear to radiate from the northeast sky, just off the handle of the Big Dipper. This is the site of Quadrans Muralis, a constellation that’s no longer recognized by astronomers but which gave the Quadrantids their name.
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Partial solar eclipse—January 5-6

For some lucky sky-watchers, the year’s first new moon will seem to take a bite out of the sun. The partial solar eclipse will begin at sunrise in Asia, starting in China at 7:34 a.m. local time (23:34 UT on January 5) and moving across Japan, Korea, and Russia. Four-and-a-half hours later, it will cross Alaska’s Aleutian Islands at local sunset (3:48 UT on January 6). People in the Americas, Africa, and Europe will unfortunately miss the sky show.

Read More at NationalGeographic.com/

For Memorial Day, 15 Pictures That Honor U.S. Soldiers

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Military service comes in many forms: Storming a beach in Europe, cradling a child after a hurricane, sealing seams on barrage balloons.
Military service comes in many forms: Storming a beach in Europe, cradling a child after a hurricane, sealing seams on barrage balloons.

From nationalgeographic.com
By Becky Little
Photo gallery by Sherry L. Brukbacher
PUBLISHED MAY 23, 2015

Military service comes in many forms: Storming a beach in Europe, cradling a child after a hurricane, sealing seams on barrage balloons.

After the Civil War, many Americans began to honor soldiers killed in the line of service with ceremonies in the spring, when flowers could be picked and laid on their graves. In 1868, a group of Union veterans established Decoration Day, the predecessor of Memorial Day, declared a Federal holiday by Congress in 1971.

Although Memorial Day has its roots in the Civil War, it now honors deceased veterans of all U.S. wars. This Memorial Day, we’ve compiled photos from 1863 to the present in recognition of the men and women who have served their country. Visit Gallery

Friday’s Trifecta: Supermoon, Solar Eclipse, Spring Equinox

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Solar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse

Story from NationalGeographic.com
By Andrew Fazekas, National Geographic
PUBLISHED MARCH 18, 2015

This week sees a rare combo of total solar eclipse, perigee moon, and the first day of spring.

A total eclipse occurs when the moon comes between Earth and the sun, casting a lunar shadow onto the Earth’s surface along a narrow, 62-mile-wide (100-kilometer) path. Because this “black hole” effect lasts for only a couple of minutes, totality ends up being a truly rare event for any single spot on Earth—occurring about once every three centuries for each geographical location.

Friday’s eclipse will race across remote regions of the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, so only a relatively few lucky souls will be able to see it. But people in large parts of Europe and in northern areas of Africa and Asia will get to enjoy at least a partial solar disappearing act.

Adding to the uniqueness of the total eclipse, it falls on the vernal equinox, which officially occurs at 22:45 GMT (6:45 p.m. EDT) and marks the beginning of spring. While the occurrence of an eclipse on the equinox is considered a cyclical event and is not that rare, this celestial combination won’t occur again until 2034 read more…

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