Space, the Final Frontier 2021
– or what’s that in the night sky?
The Planets:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, (Moon), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (and Pluto)
Astronomy = the science of celestial objects, space, and the physical Universe.
And the study of the Universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere: the Sun, the Moon, galaxies, planets, stars, other objects that exist naturally in space, and other cosmic phenomena.
There are two main types of Astronomy: observational and theoretical.
Astronomy has been used to measure time, mark the seasons, and navigate the oceans.
Eclipses, meteor showers and other astronomical events in 2021:
JANUARY 2021
Quandrantids Meteor Shower peaks on January 2 and 3 (only runs January 1-5)
Conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on January 9
Conjunction of Mercury and Saturn and Jupiter on January 10 and 11
New Moon on January 13 (not visible)
Full “Wolf” Moon on January 28 (aka the “Old” Moon, the “Ice” Moon, the “Moon after Yule”)
FEBRUARY
Chinese Start of Spring is February 3
New Moon on February 11 (not visible)
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on February 11
Chinese Lunar New Year begins on February 12 – Year of the Yin White Metal Ox
February 18 is Pluto Day! Celebrate the discovery of the NINTH PLANET!
Clyde Tombaugh, an American astronomer, discovered Pluto on today’s date in 1930.
Pluto is named for the Roman G-d of the Underworld and has five known moons.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) changed Pluto classification to a Dwarf Planet.
IAU claimed Pluto failed qualify as a full-sized planet. A full-sized planet must orbit Sol, the sun; have a sufficient mass to “assume hydrostatic equilibrium”, and “clear the neighborhood around its orbit.” Pluto has the first two, but not the third.
One day on Pluto is equal to 6.4 days on Earth. (6 days, 9 hrs, 36 mins)
Hundreds of dwarf planets exist, but the IAU only officially recognizes five:
Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.
Full “Snow” Moon on February 27 (aka the “Hunger” Moon)
MARCH
New Moon on March 13 (not visible)
Vernal “Spring” Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20
The Sun shines directly on the equator, there is an equal amount of day and night
Full “Worm” Moon on March 28 (aka the “Crow” Moon, the “Crust” Moon, the “Sap” Moon, the “Lenten” Moon)
APRIL
New Moon on April 12 (not visible)
Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks on April 22, 23 and 24 (runs April 14-25)
Earth Day is April 22 – LOVE YOUR MOTHER EARTH!
“A peaceful place, or so it looks from space,
a closer look reveals the human race.”
Our Earth is ~4.6 Billion Years Old in the Sol system and Milky Way Galaxy.
Earth (aka “the World” or “the Globe”) is the third planet from the Sun
and is the birthplace of humanity and the cradle of human civilization.
Earth is the fifth largest planet in our solar system.
Earth is the only known planet that has a single moon.
The moon is (an average distance of) 238,855 miles away from Earth.
Earth Day = anniversary of the birth of the modern Environmental Movement in 1970.
“We have not inherited the earth from our fathers,
we are borrowing it from our children.” ~ Native American saying
NOTE: CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL!
Super Pink Moon on April 27 (aka the “Sprouting Grass” Moon, the “Growing” Moon, the “Egg” Moon, the “Fish” Moon)
MAY
Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks on May 6 and 7 (runs from April 19 – May 28)
New Moon on May 11 (not visible)
International Astronomy Day is Saturday, May 15, 2021
Super “Flower” Moon on May 26 (aka the “Corn Planting” Moon, the “Milk” Moon)
The Total Lunar Eclipse on May 26 will be visible in western North America and the Pacific Northwest, across the Pacific Ocean and in parts of eastern Asia, Japan, and Australia
JUNE
New Moon on June 10 (not visible)
“Ring of Fire” Annular Solar Eclipse on June 10
(visible in the northeast US and parts of the Midwest)
Annular Solar Eclipse = when the Moon is too far away to completely block out the Sun from Earth and a ring of light around the Moon is created,
Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere on June 21
Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere on June 21
Summer Solstice = the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere
when the North Pole is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
Full “Strawberry” Moon on June 24 (aka the “Rose” Moon, the “Honey” Moon)
JULY
New Moon on July 10 (not visible)
Close conjunction of Venus and Mars on July 12 and 13
Full “Thunder” Moon on July 24 (aka the “Buck” Moon, the “Hay” Moon)
Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower (runs July 12 to August 23)
and Alpha Capricornid Meteor Shower
both peak on July 28 and 29
AUGUST
Saturn at Opposition on August 2
Saturn at Opposition = when the planet Saturn is at its brightest
and closest point to Earth, fully illuminated by the Sun, and visible all night long.
Saturn’s Rings and some of Saturn’s Moons should also be visible.
New Moon on August 8 (not visible)
Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on August 12 and 13 (runs July 17 to August 24)
Conjunction of Mars and Mercury on August 18
Jupiter at Opposition on August 19
Jupiter at Opposition = when the planet Jupiter is at its brightest
and closest point to Earth, fully illuminated by the Sun, and visible all night long.
Some of Jupiter’s Moons and Cloud Bands should also be visible.
Blue “Sturgeon” Moon on August 22 (aka the “Green Corn” Moon, the “Grain” Moon)
Usually there are only three Full Moons during each season of the year, so the fourth Full Moon is called a Blue Moon. A Blue Moon occurs once every 2.7 years.
“Blue Moon you saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own”
Aurigid Meteor Shower peaks on August 31
SEPTEMBER
New Moon on September 7 (not visible)
Neptune at Opposition on September 14
Neptune at Opposition = when the planet Neptune is at its brightest
and closest point to Earth, fully illuminated by the Sun, and visible all night long.
Full “Harvest” Moon on September 20 (aka the “Corn” Moon)
Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22
The Sun shines directly on the equator, there is an equal amount of day and night
OCTOBER
New Moon on October 6 (not visible)
Draconids Meteor Shower peaks on October 7 and 8 (runs October 6 to 10)
Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on October 20, 21 and 22 (runs October 2 to November 7)
Full “Hunter’s” Moon on October 20 (aka the “Travel” Moon, the “Blood” Moon)
NOVEMBER
New Moon on November 4 (not visible)
Taurids Meteor Shower peaks on November 4 and 5 (runs September 7 to December 10)
Uranus at Opposition on November 5
Uranus at Opposition = when the planet Uranus is at its brightest
and closest point to Earth, fully illuminated by the Sun, and visible all night long.
Leonid Meteor Shower peaks on November 16 and 17 (runs November 6 to 30)
Full “Beaver” Moon on November 19 (aka the “Frosty” Moon, the “Dark” Moon)
Partial Lunar Eclipse (97%) on November 19 (visible in the entire US)
DECEMBER
New Moon on December 4 (not visible)
Total Solar Eclipse on December 4 (only visible from Antarctica, and the extreme south)
Total Solar Eclipse = when the Moon completely blocks out the Sun, revealing the Sun’s outer atmosphere known as the corona
Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on December 13 and 14 (runs December 4 to 20)
Full “Cold” Moon on December 19 (aka the “Long Nights” Moon and the “Moon Before Yule”)
Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21
Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere on December 21
Winter Solstice = the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere
when the South Pole is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.
Ursid Meteor Shower peaks on December 21 and 22 (runs December 17 to 26)
JANUARY 2022 – January 1st is a Saturday
New Moon on January 2, 2022 (not visible)
Giant steps are what you take – Walking on the moon
I hope my leg don’t break – Walking on the moon
We could walk forever – Walking on the moon
We could live together – Walking on, walking on the moon….
Feet they hardly touch the ground – Walking on the moon
My feet don’t hardly make no sound – Walking on, walking on the moon
– The Police “Walking On The Moon”
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“Space, The Final Frontier” Meteor Showers 2017 Schedule & Guide
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Your Moon Sign (the Zodiac):
Your Date Of Birth and the time and location of your birth, determine the location of the Moon and which zodiac sign the Moon was in when you were born.
Your Sun Sign, (aka your Star Sign), is your Zodiac Sign:
where the Sun was positioned in space at the moment of your birth.
The 12 Zodiac Signs in order are:
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio,
Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
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Lunar Eclipse:
Earth’s shadow blocks the Moon – Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, and Earth’s shadow creates a lunar eclipse.
Solar Eclipse:
The Moon blocks the Sun – The Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon’s shadow creates a solar eclipse.
The New Moon = when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction, and the Sun and Earth are on opposite sides of the Moon. The New Moon is not normally visible from Earth because only “The Dark Side of the Moon” faces Earth at the New Moon.
The Full Moon = when the Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of Earth
“Don’t you know that you are a shooting star
And all the world will love you just as long, as long as you are?”
~ Bad Company “Shooting Star”
Is this the end of time and space?
JoshWillTravel 
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