Japanese moon lander SLIM survives 2nd lunar night

Last night, we received a response from #SLIM, confirming that the spacecraft made it through the lunar night for the second time! Since the sun was still high and the equipment was still hot, we only took some shots of the usual scenery with the navigation camera. #GoodAfterMoon pic.twitter.com/5BjIr7vxMG

— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) March 28, 2024

• Japanese moon lander SLIM set down on the moon’s surface on January 20. The landing was less than ideal (SLIM is upside-down on the lunar surface), but it was alive and communicating. Japan thus became the 5th earthly nation to reach the moon.
• SLIM wasn’t designed to withstand the freezing cold of lunar night. But, as the moon rotated, carrying the craft into night for two weeks, then back to day again, SLIM did withstand its first lunar night, JAXA said on February 26.
• Now SLIM has emerged again, from its 2nd lunar night, JAXA said on March 27.

Join us keeping these daily updates on the night sky going. Donate now! We need you.

Japanese moon lander wakes up … again

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a tweet on March 27, 2024, that its lunar lander SLIM has survived a second two-week-long lunar night. Night on the moon is harsh, with temperatures falling to -202 degrees F (-130 degrees C). And SLIM is not in an ideal position on the moon. Its landing on January appeared flawed from the first, and it was realized some days after landing that the craft had ended up upside-down on the moon’s surface. But, SLIM did survive its first lunar night as announced by JAXA on February 26, 2024. And now it has survived a second.

That earlier conversation with SLIM was quick, as harsh sunlight drove the probe to another thermal extreme (in full daylight, the temps on the lunar surface can reach a scorching 260 degrees F, or 127 C). We haven’t seen any information about the exact level of communicaiton during this second wake-up period.

On February 26, JAXA officials had written in English:

Last night, I sent a command and got a response from SLIM. SLIM successfully survived the night on the lunar surface while maintaining communication capabilities! Last night, as it was still midday on the moon, the temperature of the communication equipment was extremely high, so communication was terminated after only a short period of time. From now on, preparations will be made so that observations can be resumed once the temperature has cooled sufficiently.

2024 lunar calendars on sale now. Makes a great gift! Check it out here.

The Japanese lunar lander SLIM set down on the moon on January 19, 2024. Five days later, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft passed over the landing site and photographed SLIM. LRO acquired the image at an altitude of about 50 miles (80 km). Bright streaks on the left side of the image are rocky material ejected from the nearby, relatively young Shioli crater. Japan is the 5th nation to complete a soft landing on the moon. Image via NASA.

Why upside-down?

SpaceNews.com described how the lander came to rest wrong way up:

Shinichiro Sakai, SLIM project manager, reiterated that the landing was hampered by the failure of one of two engines with around 50 meters of descent remaining. This resulted in uncontrolled lateral movement and the lander ending up on its nose, and the main engine pointing upward.

Japan’s SLIM lunar lander set down on the moon in Mare Nectaris, the Sea of Nectar. Specifically, it landed near the small impact crater Shioli.

Japanese moon lander made soft landing on the moon

JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon – aka SLIM – has been on the lunar surface since its awkward landing on January 20. Japan thus became the 5th earthly nation to reach the moon. So, Japan achieved its main objective, landing softly on the lunar surface. But all was not well with the uncrewed craft.

Because the craft did not land in the orientation planned for, its solar panels were not facing the right way. But as the moon moves in its orbit, the solar panels were able to get some energy and carry out some science before the two-week lunar night approached.

Images from the moon

Despite the lander being upside down, it has still been able to take and send back images of the lunar surface. The caption on the post below says:

Believing in Koshiya’s success, the MBC (Multi-Band Camera) team created a new command to image the area inside the red frame, which was not visible last time!
I’m excited about the possibilities for further observations!

?????????MBC??????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????#SLIM #JAXA
???? #?????? pic.twitter.com/1EQbUXstZT

— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) February 26, 2024

JAXA provided a composite video of SLIM’s view of the lunar surface as it descended.

This is an animation made by connecting the images taken by the navigation camera during the Far Moon Descent Maneuver (ADM)!

??????????ADM???????????????????????????????????????#SLIM #JAXA #?????? pic.twitter.com/hojPWUVBpH

— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) January 15, 2024

SLIM’s mission objectives were simple but not easy

SLIM had basically two tasks to accomplish at the moon, and the first one was just making it to the lunar surface. But not just anywhere on the moon. SLIM’s navigation systems were designed to put the craft within 100 meters (330 feet) of its intended target in Mare Nectaris, the Sea of Nectar. Specifically, it landed near the small impact crater Shioli.

Previous landers were considered on target if they touched down within a few kilometers of their landing zone. JAXA’s SLIM aimed to bull’s-eye the moon using “vision-based navigation” and “navigation, guidance and control.” JAXA designed a three-step process:

1. Initiate the landing descent from lunar orbit and perform precise vision-based navigation to accurately estimate its own position. Utilizing navigation, guidance and control, it will approach the target location above the lunar surface.

2. From above the target location, precise measurements of altitude and terrain-relative velocity will be conducted using the landing radar, which will be integrated into the navigation and guidance system.

3. During the final approach, autonomous image-based obstacle detection and avoidance will be employed to ensure a safe landing, avoiding hazardous rocks and other obstacles.

The second objective was more of a proof-of-concept for SLIM’s small, lightweight design. It’s a compact vehicle, only about 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, and weighing just 250 pounds (120 kg). The design is intended to allow more frequent landings on the moon and other planets. So far, the high-performance chemical propulsion system has worked perfectly, nudging SLIM along its way on this shakedown cruise.

Artist’s concept shows the steps of JAXA’s SLIM landing on the surface of the moon. The small craft was meant to land on a slope, intentionally tipping over. Image via JAXA.

JAXA lander planned to tip over

SLIM has a unique approach to landing. It was planned to tip itself onto its side in what JAXA calls a two-step landing. The craft hovered toward the lunar surface, tipping itself to about a 45-degree angle before its main leg touched down. The craft then pitched forward onto its “front” leg, located at what was moments earlier the top of the craft.

But this maneuver did not go exactly as planned.

Bottom line: The Japanese moon lander SLIM – which set down sideways onthe moon on January 20 – has survived its 2nd night of freezing cold and dark on the moon. It has awoken and is transmitting data, JAXA said on March 27.

Via JAXA

Read more: HAKUTO-R – 1st private moon lander – loses contact

Read more: Failed lunar lander hit Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday

The post Japanese moon lander SLIM survives 2nd lunar night first appeared on EarthSky.

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Last night, we received a response from #SLIM, confirming that the spacecraft made it through the lunar night for the second time! Since the sun was still high and the equipment was still hot, we only took some shots of the usual scenery with the navigation camera. #GoodAfterMoon pic.twitter.com/5BjIr7vxMG

— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) March 28, 2024

• Japanese moon lander SLIM set down on the moon’s surface on January 20. The landing was less than ideal (SLIM is upside-down on the lunar surface), but it was alive and communicating. Japan thus became the 5th earthly nation to reach the moon.
• SLIM wasn’t designed to withstand the freezing cold of lunar night. But, as the moon rotated, carrying the craft into night for two weeks, then back to day again, SLIM did withstand its first lunar night, JAXA said on February 26.
• Now SLIM has emerged again, from its 2nd lunar night, JAXA said on March 27.

Join us keeping these daily updates on the night sky going. Donate now! We need you.

Japanese moon lander wakes up … again

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a tweet on March 27, 2024, that its lunar lander SLIM has survived a second two-week-long lunar night. Night on the moon is harsh, with temperatures falling to -202 degrees F (-130 degrees C). And SLIM is not in an ideal position on the moon. Its landing on January appeared flawed from the first, and it was realized some days after landing that the craft had ended up upside-down on the moon’s surface. But, SLIM did survive its first lunar night as announced by JAXA on February 26, 2024. And now it has survived a second.

That earlier conversation with SLIM was quick, as harsh sunlight drove the probe to another thermal extreme (in full daylight, the temps on the lunar surface can reach a scorching 260 degrees F, or 127 C). We haven’t seen any information about the exact level of communicaiton during this second wake-up period.

On February 26, JAXA officials had written in English:

Last night, I sent a command and got a response from SLIM. SLIM successfully survived the night on the lunar surface while maintaining communication capabilities! Last night, as it was still midday on the moon, the temperature of the communication equipment was extremely high, so communication was terminated after only a short period of time. From now on, preparations will be made so that observations can be resumed once the temperature has cooled sufficiently.

2024 lunar calendars on sale now. Makes a great gift! Check it out here.

The Japanese lunar lander SLIM set down on the moon on January 19, 2024. Five days later, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft passed over the landing site and photographed SLIM. LRO acquired the image at an altitude of about 50 miles (80 km). Bright streaks on the left side of the image are rocky material ejected from the nearby, relatively young Shioli crater. Japan is the 5th nation to complete a soft landing on the moon. Image via NASA.

Why upside-down?

SpaceNews.com described how the lander came to rest wrong way up:

Shinichiro Sakai, SLIM project manager, reiterated that the landing was hampered by the failure of one of two engines with around 50 meters of descent remaining. This resulted in uncontrolled lateral movement and the lander ending up on its nose, and the main engine pointing upward.

Japan’s SLIM lunar lander set down on the moon in Mare Nectaris, the Sea of Nectar. Specifically, it landed near the small impact crater Shioli.

Japanese moon lander made soft landing on the moon

JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon – aka SLIM – has been on the lunar surface since its awkward landing on January 20. Japan thus became the 5th earthly nation to reach the moon. So, Japan achieved its main objective, landing softly on the lunar surface. But all was not well with the uncrewed craft.

Because the craft did not land in the orientation planned for, its solar panels were not facing the right way. But as the moon moves in its orbit, the solar panels were able to get some energy and carry out some science before the two-week lunar night approached.

Images from the moon

Despite the lander being upside down, it has still been able to take and send back images of the lunar surface. The caption on the post below says:

Believing in Koshiya’s success, the MBC (Multi-Band Camera) team created a new command to image the area inside the red frame, which was not visible last time!
I’m excited about the possibilities for further observations!

?????????MBC??????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????#SLIM #JAXA
???? #?????? pic.twitter.com/1EQbUXstZT

— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) February 26, 2024

JAXA provided a composite video of SLIM’s view of the lunar surface as it descended.

This is an animation made by connecting the images taken by the navigation camera during the Far Moon Descent Maneuver (ADM)!

??????????ADM???????????????????????????????????????#SLIM #JAXA #?????? pic.twitter.com/hojPWUVBpH

— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) January 15, 2024

SLIM’s mission objectives were simple but not easy

SLIM had basically two tasks to accomplish at the moon, and the first one was just making it to the lunar surface. But not just anywhere on the moon. SLIM’s navigation systems were designed to put the craft within 100 meters (330 feet) of its intended target in Mare Nectaris, the Sea of Nectar. Specifically, it landed near the small impact crater Shioli.

Previous landers were considered on target if they touched down within a few kilometers of their landing zone. JAXA’s SLIM aimed to bull’s-eye the moon using “vision-based navigation” and “navigation, guidance and control.” JAXA designed a three-step process:

1. Initiate the landing descent from lunar orbit and perform precise vision-based navigation to accurately estimate its own position. Utilizing navigation, guidance and control, it will approach the target location above the lunar surface.

2. From above the target location, precise measurements of altitude and terrain-relative velocity will be conducted using the landing radar, which will be integrated into the navigation and guidance system.

3. During the final approach, autonomous image-based obstacle detection and avoidance will be employed to ensure a safe landing, avoiding hazardous rocks and other obstacles.

The second objective was more of a proof-of-concept for SLIM’s small, lightweight design. It’s a compact vehicle, only about 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, and weighing just 250 pounds (120 kg). The design is intended to allow more frequent landings on the moon and other planets. So far, the high-performance chemical propulsion system has worked perfectly, nudging SLIM along its way on this shakedown cruise.

Artist’s concept shows the steps of JAXA’s SLIM landing on the surface of the moon. The small craft was meant to land on a slope, intentionally tipping over. Image via JAXA.

JAXA lander planned to tip over

SLIM has a unique approach to landing. It was planned to tip itself onto its side in what JAXA calls a two-step landing. The craft hovered toward the lunar surface, tipping itself to about a 45-degree angle before its main leg touched down. The craft then pitched forward onto its “front” leg, located at what was moments earlier the top of the craft.

But this maneuver did not go exactly as planned.

Bottom line: The Japanese moon lander SLIM – which set down sideways onthe moon on January 20 – has survived its 2nd night of freezing cold and dark on the moon. It has awoken and is transmitting data, JAXA said on March 27.

Via JAXA

Read more: HAKUTO-R – 1st private moon lander – loses contact

Read more: Failed lunar lander hit Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday

The post Japanese moon lander SLIM survives 2nd lunar night first appeared on EarthSky.

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A solar eclipse: Top 5 tips for photographers

People watch a partial solar eclipse in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 20, 2015. Image via NASA/ Robin Cordiner.

Via Mara Johnson-Groh, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

The total solar eclipse crossing America on April 8, 2024, will be the last visible total solar eclipse visible to cross the contiguous U.S. until the year 2045. This astronomical event is a unique opportunity for scientists studying the shadow of the moon, but it’s also a perfect opportunity to capture unforgettable images. Whether you’re an amateur photographer or a selfie master, try out these tips for photographing the eclipse.

Total solar eclipse: April 8, 2024: All you need to know

Join us in our mission to educate and inspire people about the universe. Your donation can make a difference in astronomy and contribute to our growth and sustainability.

1. Safety first

To take images as the sun is being eclipsed, you’ll need to use a special solar filter to protect your camera, just as you’ll need a pair of eclipse glasses to protect your own eyes. However, at totality, when the moon completely blocks the sun, make sure to remove the filter so you can see the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona.

How to watch a solar eclipse safely

Having a few other pieces of equipment can also come in handy during the eclipse. Using a tripod can help you stabilize the camera and avoid taking blurry images during the low lighting. Additionally, using a delayed shutter release timer will allow you to snap shots without jiggling the camera.

2. Any camera is a good camera

Taking a stunning photo has more to do with the photographer than the camera. Whether you have a high-end DLSR, or a camera phone, you can take great photos during the eclipse; after all, the best piece of equipment you can have is a good eye and a vision for the image you want to create.

If you don’t have a telephoto zoom lens, focus on taking landscape shots, which capture the changing environment.

During totality, when the moon completely covers the sun, if you do have a telephoto lens with a solar filter, you’ll be able to see and photograph the structures in the sun’s corona.

View larger. | Shaun Tarpley from Shawnee National Forest, Illinois, wrote: “I created this using a 9-image bracket series I took during the 2017 total solar eclipse and overlaid frames indicating the relative field-of-view of common focal lengths to help photographers planning to photograph the 2024 eclipse to visualize what focal length is optimum for their imaging goals. It is a quick way to visualize the differences.” Thank you, Shaun!

Learn more about the eclipse, including the state-by-state path of totality, in our YouTube series

3. Look up, down, all around

While the sun is the most commanding element of an eclipse, remember to look around you. As the moon slips in front of the sun, the landscape will be bathed in long shadows, creating eerie lighting across the landscape. Light filtering through the overlapping leaves of trees, creating natural pinholes, which will also create mini eclipse replicas on the ground. Everywhere you can point your camera can yield exceptional imagery, so be sure to compose some wide-angle photos that can capture your eclipse experience.

NASA photographer Bill Ingalls recommends focusing on the human experience of watching the eclipse. He said:

The real pictures are going to be of the people around you pointing, gawking and watching it. Those are going to be some great moments to capture to show the emotion of the whole thing.

4. Practice

Be sure you know the capabilities of your camera before eclipse day. Most cameras, and even many camera phones, have adjustable exposures, which can help you darken or lighten your image during the tricky eclipse lighting. Make sure you know how to manually focus the camera for crisp shots.

For DSLR cameras, the best way to determine the correct exposure is to test settings on the uneclipsed sun beforehand. Using a fixed aperture of f/8 to f/16, try shutter speeds between 1/1000 to 1/4 second to find the optimal setting, which you can then use to take images during the partial stages of the eclipse. During totality, the corona has a wide range of brightness so it’s best to use a fixed aperture and a range of exposures from approximately 1/1000 to 1 second.

5. Share!

Share your eclipse experience with friends and family afterwards. Use the hashtag #Eclipse2024 on your favorite social media sites.

Share your pics with us at EarthSky here and see more images at our social media: Facebook, Instagram, X, or Threads.

While you’re out perfecting your perfect eclipse shot, don’t forget to stop and look at the eclipse with your own eyes. Just remember to wear your eclipse glasses for all stages of the eclipse before and after totality!

Bottom line: Five tips for photographing the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse.

Read more: Eclipse photos here! Annular solar eclipse October 14, 2023

More solar eclipse photos

The post A solar eclipse: Top 5 tips for photographers first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/KOCeoQS

People watch a partial solar eclipse in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 20, 2015. Image via NASA/ Robin Cordiner.

Via Mara Johnson-Groh, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

The total solar eclipse crossing America on April 8, 2024, will be the last visible total solar eclipse visible to cross the contiguous U.S. until the year 2045. This astronomical event is a unique opportunity for scientists studying the shadow of the moon, but it’s also a perfect opportunity to capture unforgettable images. Whether you’re an amateur photographer or a selfie master, try out these tips for photographing the eclipse.

Total solar eclipse: April 8, 2024: All you need to know

Join us in our mission to educate and inspire people about the universe. Your donation can make a difference in astronomy and contribute to our growth and sustainability.

1. Safety first

To take images as the sun is being eclipsed, you’ll need to use a special solar filter to protect your camera, just as you’ll need a pair of eclipse glasses to protect your own eyes. However, at totality, when the moon completely blocks the sun, make sure to remove the filter so you can see the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona.

How to watch a solar eclipse safely

Having a few other pieces of equipment can also come in handy during the eclipse. Using a tripod can help you stabilize the camera and avoid taking blurry images during the low lighting. Additionally, using a delayed shutter release timer will allow you to snap shots without jiggling the camera.

2. Any camera is a good camera

Taking a stunning photo has more to do with the photographer than the camera. Whether you have a high-end DLSR, or a camera phone, you can take great photos during the eclipse; after all, the best piece of equipment you can have is a good eye and a vision for the image you want to create.

If you don’t have a telephoto zoom lens, focus on taking landscape shots, which capture the changing environment.

During totality, when the moon completely covers the sun, if you do have a telephoto lens with a solar filter, you’ll be able to see and photograph the structures in the sun’s corona.

View larger. | Shaun Tarpley from Shawnee National Forest, Illinois, wrote: “I created this using a 9-image bracket series I took during the 2017 total solar eclipse and overlaid frames indicating the relative field-of-view of common focal lengths to help photographers planning to photograph the 2024 eclipse to visualize what focal length is optimum for their imaging goals. It is a quick way to visualize the differences.” Thank you, Shaun!

Learn more about the eclipse, including the state-by-state path of totality, in our YouTube series

3. Look up, down, all around

While the sun is the most commanding element of an eclipse, remember to look around you. As the moon slips in front of the sun, the landscape will be bathed in long shadows, creating eerie lighting across the landscape. Light filtering through the overlapping leaves of trees, creating natural pinholes, which will also create mini eclipse replicas on the ground. Everywhere you can point your camera can yield exceptional imagery, so be sure to compose some wide-angle photos that can capture your eclipse experience.

NASA photographer Bill Ingalls recommends focusing on the human experience of watching the eclipse. He said:

The real pictures are going to be of the people around you pointing, gawking and watching it. Those are going to be some great moments to capture to show the emotion of the whole thing.

4. Practice

Be sure you know the capabilities of your camera before eclipse day. Most cameras, and even many camera phones, have adjustable exposures, which can help you darken or lighten your image during the tricky eclipse lighting. Make sure you know how to manually focus the camera for crisp shots.

For DSLR cameras, the best way to determine the correct exposure is to test settings on the uneclipsed sun beforehand. Using a fixed aperture of f/8 to f/16, try shutter speeds between 1/1000 to 1/4 second to find the optimal setting, which you can then use to take images during the partial stages of the eclipse. During totality, the corona has a wide range of brightness so it’s best to use a fixed aperture and a range of exposures from approximately 1/1000 to 1 second.

5. Share!

Share your eclipse experience with friends and family afterwards. Use the hashtag #Eclipse2024 on your favorite social media sites.

Share your pics with us at EarthSky here and see more images at our social media: Facebook, Instagram, X, or Threads.

While you’re out perfecting your perfect eclipse shot, don’t forget to stop and look at the eclipse with your own eyes. Just remember to wear your eclipse glasses for all stages of the eclipse before and after totality!

Bottom line: Five tips for photographing the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse.

Read more: Eclipse photos here! Annular solar eclipse October 14, 2023

More solar eclipse photos

The post A solar eclipse: Top 5 tips for photographers first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/KOCeoQS

How 2 billion craters on Mars were created by 1 asteroid

This is the Corinto crater in Elysium Planitia on Mars. A new study using data from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows the single asteroid impact that created Corinto also created about 2 billion much smaller secondary craters on Mars, up to 1,200 miles (2,000 km) away. Image via NASA/ JPL/ M. Golombek et al.

• About 2 million years ago, an asteroid hit Mars and created Corinto crater. A massive amount of smaller debris from the impact formed nearly 2 billion other, smaller craters on Mars.
• The debris created new, small craters as far as 1,200 miles (2,000 km) from the original asteroid impact site.
• Scientists determined the number of craters using imaging data from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

1 asteroid = 2 billion craters

Some 2.3 million years ago – relatively recent in geologic time – a space rock careened toward Mars. It smashed into the Red Planet, hurling massive amounts of ejecta out of its newly formed crater. With no plate tectonics and little weathering, Mars still bears the scars of that impact today. Researchers counted the secondary craters formed from flying Martian rocks and dirt. Did they find hundreds? Thousands? Nope, the researchers found nearly two billion smaller craters! These craters are a minimum of 32 feet (10 meters) in size, lying up to 1,200 miles (2,000 km) from the main crater. The researchers presented their findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC 2024) in The Woodlands, Texas, in March.

You can read the new paper on the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) website.

Help spread the wonders of astronomy! Please donate now to EarthSky.org and ensure that people around the world can learn about the night sky and our universe.

A large impact crater and many smaller ones

The international team of researchers focused on a crater called Corinto, just north of the Martian equator in Elysium Planitia. Corinto is fairly large, about nine miles (14 km) across and 0.6 miles (one km) deep. So, when its parent asteroid hit Mars, it produced a lot of debris called ejecta. Secondary impacts created smaller craters both inside and outside the main crater.

The researchers used imaging data from the HiRISE and Context Camera (CTX) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to study Corinto. The paper stated:

Orbital thermal and visible imaging datasets are used to describe the crater, ejecta blanket, four facies of rays and secondary craters, and to estimate the age of the impact and the total number of secondary craters.

The researchers examined five different kinds of craters around Corinto. Those five groups are what’s known as facies. Each group is distinct in appearance, largely due to how far away they are from Corinto crater. The craters closest to Corinto are semi-circular and have no ejecta of their own. They also have distinct rims. But some of the craters farther away are long and narrow looking.

Studies of the main crater also showed the ground was likely saturated with water ice. As a result, the superheated ice degassed during the impact.

View larger. | This image from the HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), taken January 13, 2018, shows a field of small craters just outside of Corinto crater (out of view). They are just some of the 2 billion small craters created by secondary impacts. The crater with the colorful ejecta is actually a much more recent one. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ UArizona/ HiRISE.

Craters on Mars

Scientists calculated the angle of impact was about 30-45 degrees, with the asteroid coming from the north. Coming in from that northerly angle, most of the debris fell back to the surface to the south of the crater.

Consider the great distance from the main impact to the furthest craters, an incredible 1,200 miles (2,000 km) apart. It would be like an asteroid hitting Los Angeles and the debris reaching halfway across the United States to Dallas. What might it have been like to witness that impact and massive debris shower?

Bottom line: An asteroid created a large Martian crater called Corinto, about 2 million years ago. Debris from the impact also created 2 billion smaller craters on Mars.

Source: Corinto: A Young, Extensively Rayed Crater that Produced a Billion Secondaries on Mars

Via Universe Today

Read more: Giant volcano on Mars hiding in plain sight

Read more: Ancient volcanoes on Mars were diverse

The post How 2 billion craters on Mars were created by 1 asteroid first appeared on EarthSky.

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This is the Corinto crater in Elysium Planitia on Mars. A new study using data from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows the single asteroid impact that created Corinto also created about 2 billion much smaller secondary craters on Mars, up to 1,200 miles (2,000 km) away. Image via NASA/ JPL/ M. Golombek et al.

• About 2 million years ago, an asteroid hit Mars and created Corinto crater. A massive amount of smaller debris from the impact formed nearly 2 billion other, smaller craters on Mars.
• The debris created new, small craters as far as 1,200 miles (2,000 km) from the original asteroid impact site.
• Scientists determined the number of craters using imaging data from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

1 asteroid = 2 billion craters

Some 2.3 million years ago – relatively recent in geologic time – a space rock careened toward Mars. It smashed into the Red Planet, hurling massive amounts of ejecta out of its newly formed crater. With no plate tectonics and little weathering, Mars still bears the scars of that impact today. Researchers counted the secondary craters formed from flying Martian rocks and dirt. Did they find hundreds? Thousands? Nope, the researchers found nearly two billion smaller craters! These craters are a minimum of 32 feet (10 meters) in size, lying up to 1,200 miles (2,000 km) from the main crater. The researchers presented their findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC 2024) in The Woodlands, Texas, in March.

You can read the new paper on the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) website.

Help spread the wonders of astronomy! Please donate now to EarthSky.org and ensure that people around the world can learn about the night sky and our universe.

A large impact crater and many smaller ones

The international team of researchers focused on a crater called Corinto, just north of the Martian equator in Elysium Planitia. Corinto is fairly large, about nine miles (14 km) across and 0.6 miles (one km) deep. So, when its parent asteroid hit Mars, it produced a lot of debris called ejecta. Secondary impacts created smaller craters both inside and outside the main crater.

The researchers used imaging data from the HiRISE and Context Camera (CTX) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to study Corinto. The paper stated:

Orbital thermal and visible imaging datasets are used to describe the crater, ejecta blanket, four facies of rays and secondary craters, and to estimate the age of the impact and the total number of secondary craters.

The researchers examined five different kinds of craters around Corinto. Those five groups are what’s known as facies. Each group is distinct in appearance, largely due to how far away they are from Corinto crater. The craters closest to Corinto are semi-circular and have no ejecta of their own. They also have distinct rims. But some of the craters farther away are long and narrow looking.

Studies of the main crater also showed the ground was likely saturated with water ice. As a result, the superheated ice degassed during the impact.

View larger. | This image from the HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), taken January 13, 2018, shows a field of small craters just outside of Corinto crater (out of view). They are just some of the 2 billion small craters created by secondary impacts. The crater with the colorful ejecta is actually a much more recent one. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ UArizona/ HiRISE.

Craters on Mars

Scientists calculated the angle of impact was about 30-45 degrees, with the asteroid coming from the north. Coming in from that northerly angle, most of the debris fell back to the surface to the south of the crater.

Consider the great distance from the main impact to the furthest craters, an incredible 1,200 miles (2,000 km) apart. It would be like an asteroid hitting Los Angeles and the debris reaching halfway across the United States to Dallas. What might it have been like to witness that impact and massive debris shower?

Bottom line: An asteroid created a large Martian crater called Corinto, about 2 million years ago. Debris from the impact also created 2 billion smaller craters on Mars.

Source: Corinto: A Young, Extensively Rayed Crater that Produced a Billion Secondaries on Mars

Via Universe Today

Read more: Giant volcano on Mars hiding in plain sight

Read more: Ancient volcanoes on Mars were diverse

The post How 2 billion craters on Mars were created by 1 asteroid first appeared on EarthSky.

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See the zodiacal light now, before it’s gone

Marcy Curran created this zodiacal light video for you. We hope you enjoy it!

Zodiacal light around March equinox

The moon is waning now, leaving the evening sky dark for seeing the zodiacal light! It’s a cone of eerie light in the sky just after evening twilight ends … or, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, before twilight begins at dawn. We on the northern half of the globe have our best chance to see it in a moon-free sky now. The light is easiest to see (for all of Earth) around the March equinox. So watch for it now, through about mid-April.

The zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light, extending up from your horizon.

We in the north call it the false dusk. In the Southern Hemisphere now, it goes by the name false dawn.

Please help EarthSky continue its mission of bringing you the best in night sky information and science news! Donate today in our annual fund-raising campaign.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Flynn captured this image on February 19, 2023, near Pine Mountain Club, California. He wrote: “The zodiacal light over the Pacific … at the top of the image is the Pleiades star cluster. At the bottom of the image are the planets Jupiter and Venus setting into the light pollution and marine layer.” Thank you, Michael!

Once you spot them, you’ll know what it is

Maybe you’ve seen the zodiacal light in the sky and not realized it. Maybe you glimpsed it while driving on a highway or country road at this time of year. Suppose you’re driving toward the west in springtime around 90 minutes after sunset. You notice what you think is the lingering evening twilight, or the light of a nearby town, over the horizon. Instead, you might be seeing the zodiacal light.

Note for Southern Hemisphere: Around late February through March, and into early May – for you – the zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light. It extends up from your eastern horizon before morning twilight begins.

If you see it, let us know! If you capture a shot of the zodiacal light, you can submit it here at EarthSky Community Photos.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christoph Stopka in Westcliffe, Colorado, took this gorgeous image of the zodiacal light on March 1, 2022, over the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, part of the Colorado Rockies. It looks like a pyramid of light on the horizon, and appears when all traces of twilight have left the evening sky. Thank you, Cristoph! Read more about this photo.

What is this eerie light?

People used to think zodiacal light originated somehow from phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere. But today we understand it as sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains were once thought to be left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. In recent years, though, there’s been discussion about their possible origin in dust storms on the planet Mars. Read more: Do Mars dust storms cause the zodiacal light?

Whatever their origin, these dust grains in space spread out from the sun in the same flat disk of space inhabited by Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. This flat space around the sun – the plane of our solar system – translates on our sky to a narrow pathway called the ecliptic. This is the same pathway traveled by the sun and moon as they journey across our sky.

Ancient civilizations called the pathway of the sun and moon the zodiac or pathway of animals. They did this in honor of the constellations seen beyond it. Hence the name zodiacal light.

The grains of dust are thought to range from about millimeter-sized to micron-sized. They are densest around the immediate vicinity of the sun and extending outward beyond the orbit of Mars. Sunlight shines on these dust grains to create the light we see.

Springtime? Autumn? What’s best?

The answer to that varies. For both hemispheres, springtime is the best time to see the zodiacal light in the evening. Autumn is the best time to see it before dawn. Look for the zodiacal light in the east around the time of the autumn equinox. Look for it in the west after sunset around the time of the spring equinox.

But, of course, spring and autumn fall in different months for Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres. So if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere look for the zodiacal light before dawn from about late August through early November. In those same months, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the evening.

Likewise, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, look for the evening zodiacal light from late February through early May. During those months, from the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the morning.

How to see the light

The zodiacal light can be extremely bright and easy to see from latitudes like those in the southern U.S.

Meanwhile, skywatchers in the northern U.S. or Canada sometimes say, wistfully, that they’ve never seen it.

You’ll need a dark sky location to see the zodiacal light, someplace where city lights aren’t obscuring the natural lights in the sky. The zodiacal light is even milkier in appearance than the summer Milky Way. It’s most visible after dusk in spring because, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the ecliptic – or path of the sun and moon – stands nearly straight up in spring with respect to the western horizon after dusk. Likewise, the zodiacal light is easiest to see before dawn in autumn, because then the ecliptic is most perpendicular to the eastern horizon in the morning.

In spring, the zodiacal light can be seen for up to an hour after dusk ends. Or, in autumn, it can be seen for up to an hour before dawn. Unlike true dusk, though, there’s no rosy color to the zodiacal light. The reddish skies at dawn and dusk are caused by Earth’s atmosphere, while the zodiacal light originates far outside our atmosphere.

The darker your sky, the better your chances of seeing it. Your best bet is to pick a night when the moon is out of the sky, although it’s definitely possible, and very lovely, to see a slim crescent moon in the midst of this strange milky pyramid of light. In the springtime, the best time to look for the zodiacal light – and avoid moonlight – is a few days after the full moon through a few days after a new moon.

Zodiacal light photos from our community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeff Andrew captured this image in Summit County, Colorado, on March 13, 2023, and wrote: “A nice display of zodiacal light that appears to emanate from the setting planet Venus, but in reality is a glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. The light extends towards and past the Pleiades open star cluster and the Taurus constellation ending near the planet Mars. Also visible in this image is the Orion constellation, the Andromeda galaxy, the Perseus constellation, the Double Star Cluster in Perseus, and the Aries constellation. In the foreground is the snow-covered Gore Mountain Range of central Colorado.” Thank you, Jeff!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Flynn in Pine Mountain Club, California, took this image on September 26, 2022. Thank you, Michael!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Caroline Haldeman captured this image from Flagstaff, Arizona, on January 11, 2021. On the left you see the hazy pyramid of the zodiacal light. On the right is the starry band of the Milky Way. The image is part of a video she made, which you can see here. Thanks, Caroline!

Bottom line: If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see the zodiacal light from late February to early May as a hazy pyramid of light extending up from the western horizon, beginning about an hour after sunset. Southern Hemisphere? Look east before dawn.

Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post See the zodiacal light now, before it’s gone first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/OzywPtW

Marcy Curran created this zodiacal light video for you. We hope you enjoy it!

Zodiacal light around March equinox

The moon is waning now, leaving the evening sky dark for seeing the zodiacal light! It’s a cone of eerie light in the sky just after evening twilight ends … or, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, before twilight begins at dawn. We on the northern half of the globe have our best chance to see it in a moon-free sky now. The light is easiest to see (for all of Earth) around the March equinox. So watch for it now, through about mid-April.

The zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light, extending up from your horizon.

We in the north call it the false dusk. In the Southern Hemisphere now, it goes by the name false dawn.

Please help EarthSky continue its mission of bringing you the best in night sky information and science news! Donate today in our annual fund-raising campaign.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Flynn captured this image on February 19, 2023, near Pine Mountain Club, California. He wrote: “The zodiacal light over the Pacific … at the top of the image is the Pleiades star cluster. At the bottom of the image are the planets Jupiter and Venus setting into the light pollution and marine layer.” Thank you, Michael!

Once you spot them, you’ll know what it is

Maybe you’ve seen the zodiacal light in the sky and not realized it. Maybe you glimpsed it while driving on a highway or country road at this time of year. Suppose you’re driving toward the west in springtime around 90 minutes after sunset. You notice what you think is the lingering evening twilight, or the light of a nearby town, over the horizon. Instead, you might be seeing the zodiacal light.

Note for Southern Hemisphere: Around late February through March, and into early May – for you – the zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light. It extends up from your eastern horizon before morning twilight begins.

If you see it, let us know! If you capture a shot of the zodiacal light, you can submit it here at EarthSky Community Photos.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christoph Stopka in Westcliffe, Colorado, took this gorgeous image of the zodiacal light on March 1, 2022, over the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, part of the Colorado Rockies. It looks like a pyramid of light on the horizon, and appears when all traces of twilight have left the evening sky. Thank you, Cristoph! Read more about this photo.

What is this eerie light?

People used to think zodiacal light originated somehow from phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere. But today we understand it as sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains were once thought to be left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. In recent years, though, there’s been discussion about their possible origin in dust storms on the planet Mars. Read more: Do Mars dust storms cause the zodiacal light?

Whatever their origin, these dust grains in space spread out from the sun in the same flat disk of space inhabited by Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. This flat space around the sun – the plane of our solar system – translates on our sky to a narrow pathway called the ecliptic. This is the same pathway traveled by the sun and moon as they journey across our sky.

Ancient civilizations called the pathway of the sun and moon the zodiac or pathway of animals. They did this in honor of the constellations seen beyond it. Hence the name zodiacal light.

The grains of dust are thought to range from about millimeter-sized to micron-sized. They are densest around the immediate vicinity of the sun and extending outward beyond the orbit of Mars. Sunlight shines on these dust grains to create the light we see.

Springtime? Autumn? What’s best?

The answer to that varies. For both hemispheres, springtime is the best time to see the zodiacal light in the evening. Autumn is the best time to see it before dawn. Look for the zodiacal light in the east around the time of the autumn equinox. Look for it in the west after sunset around the time of the spring equinox.

But, of course, spring and autumn fall in different months for Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres. So if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere look for the zodiacal light before dawn from about late August through early November. In those same months, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the evening.

Likewise, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, look for the evening zodiacal light from late February through early May. During those months, from the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the morning.

How to see the light

The zodiacal light can be extremely bright and easy to see from latitudes like those in the southern U.S.

Meanwhile, skywatchers in the northern U.S. or Canada sometimes say, wistfully, that they’ve never seen it.

You’ll need a dark sky location to see the zodiacal light, someplace where city lights aren’t obscuring the natural lights in the sky. The zodiacal light is even milkier in appearance than the summer Milky Way. It’s most visible after dusk in spring because, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the ecliptic – or path of the sun and moon – stands nearly straight up in spring with respect to the western horizon after dusk. Likewise, the zodiacal light is easiest to see before dawn in autumn, because then the ecliptic is most perpendicular to the eastern horizon in the morning.

In spring, the zodiacal light can be seen for up to an hour after dusk ends. Or, in autumn, it can be seen for up to an hour before dawn. Unlike true dusk, though, there’s no rosy color to the zodiacal light. The reddish skies at dawn and dusk are caused by Earth’s atmosphere, while the zodiacal light originates far outside our atmosphere.

The darker your sky, the better your chances of seeing it. Your best bet is to pick a night when the moon is out of the sky, although it’s definitely possible, and very lovely, to see a slim crescent moon in the midst of this strange milky pyramid of light. In the springtime, the best time to look for the zodiacal light – and avoid moonlight – is a few days after the full moon through a few days after a new moon.

Zodiacal light photos from our community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeff Andrew captured this image in Summit County, Colorado, on March 13, 2023, and wrote: “A nice display of zodiacal light that appears to emanate from the setting planet Venus, but in reality is a glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. The light extends towards and past the Pleiades open star cluster and the Taurus constellation ending near the planet Mars. Also visible in this image is the Orion constellation, the Andromeda galaxy, the Perseus constellation, the Double Star Cluster in Perseus, and the Aries constellation. In the foreground is the snow-covered Gore Mountain Range of central Colorado.” Thank you, Jeff!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Flynn in Pine Mountain Club, California, took this image on September 26, 2022. Thank you, Michael!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Caroline Haldeman captured this image from Flagstaff, Arizona, on January 11, 2021. On the left you see the hazy pyramid of the zodiacal light. On the right is the starry band of the Milky Way. The image is part of a video she made, which you can see here. Thanks, Caroline!

Bottom line: If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see the zodiacal light from late February to early May as a hazy pyramid of light extending up from the western horizon, beginning about an hour after sunset. Southern Hemisphere? Look east before dawn.

Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post See the zodiacal light now, before it’s gone first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/OzywPtW

March full moon is the Worm Moon

Some on Earth will see a penumbral eclipse of the moon on the ight of March 24-25, 2024. Everyone on Earth will see the moon near the bright star Spica on this night. Here’s the view 2 hours after sunset on March 24, as seen from North America. At that time, the full Worm Moon glows brightly in the east above Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Read about the penumbral lunar eclipse.

The March full moon 2024 is the closest full moon to the March equinox. It’s the full moon that sets 2024’s date of Easter Sunday as March 31. All the full moons have popular nicknames. Popular names for the March full moon are Worm Moon, Crow Moon and Sap Moon. The name Worm Moon honors the stirring of earthworms and insect larvae in the slowly warming late winter and early spring soil.

When to watch in 2024: Night of March 24-25

Where to look: Look for the bright round March full moon in the east in the evening, overhead around midnight, and in the west before sunrise. It is visible all night.
Crest of the full moon falls at 7 UTC on March 25, 2024. That’s 2 a.m. CDT in central North America. So if you live in central North America, your fullest moon will come before dawn on March 25, 2024.
There’s a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-24: Look for a penumbral eclipse beginning at 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24 (4:53 UTC on March 25). It reaches mid-eclipse at 2:12 a.m. CDT on March 25 (7:12 UTC). The event ends at 4:33 a.m. CDT (9:33 UTC). At mid-eclipse the moon will be noticeably less bright. There will be a subtle shading on the moon: Earth’s lighter outer penumbral shadow.

At full moon, the sun, Earth and moon are aligned in space, with Earth in the middle. The moon’s day side – its fully lighted hemisphere – directly faces us.

Please help EarthSky keep going! Our annual crowd-funder is going on now. PLEASE DONATE today to continue enjoying updates on your cosmos and world.

March full moon sees a partial penumbral eclipse

Night owls will see the March full moon slide into a partial penumbral eclipse on March 25 beginning at 4:53 UTC. That is 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24. It reaches mid-eclipse at 2:12 a.m. CDT and the event ends at 4:33 a.m. CDT. At mid-eclipse the moon’s brightness will have dimmed, but it will still be easily visible. From the moon’s point of view, Earth does not completely block the sun during a penumbral eclipse as would happen during a total umbral lunar eclipse.

From March 24 at 11:53 p.m. CDT until March 25 4:33 a.m., the full moon passes through Earth’s penumbral shadow. A small section of the lunar surface lies just outside the shadow, making this a partial penumbral lunar eclipse.

March full moons and Easter

The March full moon sometimes sets the date of Easter Sunday, as it does in 2024. In 2024, we have a full moon on March 24-25. Easter comes on the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox. So Easter is on March 31, 2024.

Read: When is Easter? And how is Easter tied to the night sky?

Opposite a Harvest Moon

The March 24 full moon is the closest full moon to 2024’s March equinox, which fell at 3:06 UTC on March 20.

It’s the spring equinox for the Northern Hemisphere. And it’s the autumn equinox for the Southern Hemisphere. So for us in the Northern Hemisphere, the March full moon shows characteristics opposite those of a Harvest Moon. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, this full moon has all the Harvest Moon characteristics.

What are the Harvest Moon’s characteristics?

We in the Northern Hemisphere have a tradition of full moon names. We use the term Harvest Moon for the full moon nearest the autumn equinox, in September or October.

And many of the full moons do have unique, seasonal characteristics. All full moons rise at or around sunset. But – because the moon moves eastward in orbit – the moon typically rises about 50 minutes later with each passing day. And, around the time of the Harvest Moon, there’s only a short lag time between successive moonrises. The lag time between successive moonrises reaches a yearly minimum. For instance, at and around 40 degrees south latitude – around the time of the March full moon – the moon rises only about 30 to 35 minutes later daily.

So for the Southern Hemisphere, the short time between successive moonrises continues for several days. And – around the time of the autumn equinox and March full moon – there’s a bright full-looking moon in the early evening sky for several evenings in a row.

March full moon characteristics

In the Northern Hemisphere, in many years, the March full moon is the closest full moon to our spring equinox. So the lag time between successive moonrises reaches a yearly maximum. In other words, there’s an especially long time between moonrises, from one night to the next, around the time of the March full moon.

For instance, at 40 degrees north latitude, the moon rises some 75 minutes later from one night to the next around the time of the March full moon. The longer-than-usual time between successive moonrises continues for several days. So – around the time of the spring equinox and the March full moon – there’s a longer-than-usual period of darkness (no moon) in early evening, for several days in a row around new moon after the date of the full moon.

Arc of March full moon

And it’s not just moonrise times. It’s also the height of the moon’s arc across our sky that follows a specific pattern from month to month and season to season. Every full moon rises in the east as the sun sets in the west. Every full moon arcs across the sky throughout the night and sets around dawn. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the arc of this March full moon is lower than the paths of the full moons of December, January and February. But it is higher than the paths in April, May, and June.

The arc across the sky of the March full moon lies midway between those of the December and June full moons. Its arc also matches that of the March sun.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the full moon’s arc across the sky is climbing higher with each successive month. It’ll continue to do so until around the June solstice.

March full moon in Virgo

The full moon on the night of March 24, 2024, is located in the direction of the constellation Virgo. It glows far above Virgo’s brightest star, Spica.

The March 2024 full moon occurs on the overnight of March 24 and lies in the constellation Virgo.

Penumbral lunar eclipse photos from our EarthSky community

Submit your photo to EarthSky here.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Here is the penumbral eclipse of July 4-5, 2020. As you can see, it’s not very noticeable. Greg Redfern in central Virginia commented: “Taken at maximum eclipse for the penumbral lunar eclipse. May be some shading in the upper left quadrant.” Thank you, Greg.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Soumyadeep Mukherjee of Kolkata, India, captured these images of the penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5, 2023, and wrote: “Last night, on 5th May 2023, we witnessed a penumbral lunar eclipse from Kolkata, India. Last night’s eclipse was pretty much observable with unaided eyes during its maximum. The eclipse continued for more than 4 hours. The image is a sequence of images captured during the eclipse. All the images are captured with the same exposure settings.” Thank you, Soumyadeep!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Niccole Neely captured this photo on the morning of November 30, 2020. She wrote: “I woke up at 2:30 this morning to catch the Beaver Moon penumbral lunar eclipse in Phoenix, Arizona.” Thank you, Niccole!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Nils Ribi in Sun Valley, Idaho, caught the November 30, 2020, penumbral lunar eclipse. He wrote: “The penumbral eclipse of the full moon, November 30, 2020, at 2:43 a.m., the time of greatest eclipse, in Sun Valley, Idaho. It was nice to see that the eclipse was not that faint here.” Thank you, Nils!

More photos of penumbral lunar eclipses

A full moon during a penumbral lunar eclipse with a slightly shadowed southeast curve. Image via NASA.

A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 20, 2002 in Dunkirk, Maryland. Image via Fred Espenak.

Bottom line: The March full moon on the overnight of March 24-25, 2024, is above the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo. Watch for it from dusk to dawn and see the partial penumbral lunar eclipse beginning at 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24!

The post March full moon is the Worm Moon first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/aijDhTE

Some on Earth will see a penumbral eclipse of the moon on the ight of March 24-25, 2024. Everyone on Earth will see the moon near the bright star Spica on this night. Here’s the view 2 hours after sunset on March 24, as seen from North America. At that time, the full Worm Moon glows brightly in the east above Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Read about the penumbral lunar eclipse.

The March full moon 2024 is the closest full moon to the March equinox. It’s the full moon that sets 2024’s date of Easter Sunday as March 31. All the full moons have popular nicknames. Popular names for the March full moon are Worm Moon, Crow Moon and Sap Moon. The name Worm Moon honors the stirring of earthworms and insect larvae in the slowly warming late winter and early spring soil.

When to watch in 2024: Night of March 24-25

Where to look: Look for the bright round March full moon in the east in the evening, overhead around midnight, and in the west before sunrise. It is visible all night.
Crest of the full moon falls at 7 UTC on March 25, 2024. That’s 2 a.m. CDT in central North America. So if you live in central North America, your fullest moon will come before dawn on March 25, 2024.
There’s a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-24: Look for a penumbral eclipse beginning at 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24 (4:53 UTC on March 25). It reaches mid-eclipse at 2:12 a.m. CDT on March 25 (7:12 UTC). The event ends at 4:33 a.m. CDT (9:33 UTC). At mid-eclipse the moon will be noticeably less bright. There will be a subtle shading on the moon: Earth’s lighter outer penumbral shadow.

At full moon, the sun, Earth and moon are aligned in space, with Earth in the middle. The moon’s day side – its fully lighted hemisphere – directly faces us.

Please help EarthSky keep going! Our annual crowd-funder is going on now. PLEASE DONATE today to continue enjoying updates on your cosmos and world.

March full moon sees a partial penumbral eclipse

Night owls will see the March full moon slide into a partial penumbral eclipse on March 25 beginning at 4:53 UTC. That is 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24. It reaches mid-eclipse at 2:12 a.m. CDT and the event ends at 4:33 a.m. CDT. At mid-eclipse the moon’s brightness will have dimmed, but it will still be easily visible. From the moon’s point of view, Earth does not completely block the sun during a penumbral eclipse as would happen during a total umbral lunar eclipse.

From March 24 at 11:53 p.m. CDT until March 25 4:33 a.m., the full moon passes through Earth’s penumbral shadow. A small section of the lunar surface lies just outside the shadow, making this a partial penumbral lunar eclipse.

March full moons and Easter

The March full moon sometimes sets the date of Easter Sunday, as it does in 2024. In 2024, we have a full moon on March 24-25. Easter comes on the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox. So Easter is on March 31, 2024.

Read: When is Easter? And how is Easter tied to the night sky?

Opposite a Harvest Moon

The March 24 full moon is the closest full moon to 2024’s March equinox, which fell at 3:06 UTC on March 20.

It’s the spring equinox for the Northern Hemisphere. And it’s the autumn equinox for the Southern Hemisphere. So for us in the Northern Hemisphere, the March full moon shows characteristics opposite those of a Harvest Moon. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, this full moon has all the Harvest Moon characteristics.

What are the Harvest Moon’s characteristics?

We in the Northern Hemisphere have a tradition of full moon names. We use the term Harvest Moon for the full moon nearest the autumn equinox, in September or October.

And many of the full moons do have unique, seasonal characteristics. All full moons rise at or around sunset. But – because the moon moves eastward in orbit – the moon typically rises about 50 minutes later with each passing day. And, around the time of the Harvest Moon, there’s only a short lag time between successive moonrises. The lag time between successive moonrises reaches a yearly minimum. For instance, at and around 40 degrees south latitude – around the time of the March full moon – the moon rises only about 30 to 35 minutes later daily.

So for the Southern Hemisphere, the short time between successive moonrises continues for several days. And – around the time of the autumn equinox and March full moon – there’s a bright full-looking moon in the early evening sky for several evenings in a row.

March full moon characteristics

In the Northern Hemisphere, in many years, the March full moon is the closest full moon to our spring equinox. So the lag time between successive moonrises reaches a yearly maximum. In other words, there’s an especially long time between moonrises, from one night to the next, around the time of the March full moon.

For instance, at 40 degrees north latitude, the moon rises some 75 minutes later from one night to the next around the time of the March full moon. The longer-than-usual time between successive moonrises continues for several days. So – around the time of the spring equinox and the March full moon – there’s a longer-than-usual period of darkness (no moon) in early evening, for several days in a row around new moon after the date of the full moon.

Arc of March full moon

And it’s not just moonrise times. It’s also the height of the moon’s arc across our sky that follows a specific pattern from month to month and season to season. Every full moon rises in the east as the sun sets in the west. Every full moon arcs across the sky throughout the night and sets around dawn. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the arc of this March full moon is lower than the paths of the full moons of December, January and February. But it is higher than the paths in April, May, and June.

The arc across the sky of the March full moon lies midway between those of the December and June full moons. Its arc also matches that of the March sun.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the full moon’s arc across the sky is climbing higher with each successive month. It’ll continue to do so until around the June solstice.

March full moon in Virgo

The full moon on the night of March 24, 2024, is located in the direction of the constellation Virgo. It glows far above Virgo’s brightest star, Spica.

The March 2024 full moon occurs on the overnight of March 24 and lies in the constellation Virgo.

Penumbral lunar eclipse photos from our EarthSky community

Submit your photo to EarthSky here.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Here is the penumbral eclipse of July 4-5, 2020. As you can see, it’s not very noticeable. Greg Redfern in central Virginia commented: “Taken at maximum eclipse for the penumbral lunar eclipse. May be some shading in the upper left quadrant.” Thank you, Greg.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Soumyadeep Mukherjee of Kolkata, India, captured these images of the penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5, 2023, and wrote: “Last night, on 5th May 2023, we witnessed a penumbral lunar eclipse from Kolkata, India. Last night’s eclipse was pretty much observable with unaided eyes during its maximum. The eclipse continued for more than 4 hours. The image is a sequence of images captured during the eclipse. All the images are captured with the same exposure settings.” Thank you, Soumyadeep!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Niccole Neely captured this photo on the morning of November 30, 2020. She wrote: “I woke up at 2:30 this morning to catch the Beaver Moon penumbral lunar eclipse in Phoenix, Arizona.” Thank you, Niccole!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Nils Ribi in Sun Valley, Idaho, caught the November 30, 2020, penumbral lunar eclipse. He wrote: “The penumbral eclipse of the full moon, November 30, 2020, at 2:43 a.m., the time of greatest eclipse, in Sun Valley, Idaho. It was nice to see that the eclipse was not that faint here.” Thank you, Nils!

More photos of penumbral lunar eclipses

A full moon during a penumbral lunar eclipse with a slightly shadowed southeast curve. Image via NASA.

A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 20, 2002 in Dunkirk, Maryland. Image via Fred Espenak.

Bottom line: The March full moon on the overnight of March 24-25, 2024, is above the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo. Watch for it from dusk to dawn and see the partial penumbral lunar eclipse beginning at 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24!

The post March full moon is the Worm Moon first appeared on EarthSky.

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1st eclipse season of 2024 starts March 24-25

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Alan Howell from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took this photo in Mariposa Basin Park during the maximum annularity on October 14, 2023, and wrote: “What an incredible adventure! It took months of planning, gear testing, software and equipment training, booking flights and hotels, car traveling, weather forecast monitoring and location scouting to produce this colorized H-alpha image of the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, showing prominences … This was certainly one of the most challenging and rewarding astrophotography images I’ve taken.” No doubt why … Very well done! We’re in the 1st eclipse season of 2024.

The first eclipse season for 2024 starts March 24. There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024, followed two weeks later by a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. These are two different kinds of eclipses: lunar and solar. But these two eclipses fall within a single eclipse season.

An eclipse season is an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable for at least two (and possibly three) eclipses to take place.

Then, later this year, the September-October 2024 eclipse season will feature a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

What are eclipse seasons?

What’s an eclipse season? It’s an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable that at least two (and possibly three) eclipses will take place. Typically, there are two eclipses in one eclipse season, and two eclipse seasons in one calendar year. So we typically have at least four eclipses per year. Eclipse seasons repeat in cycles of 173.3 days (somewhat shy of six calendar months).

So, why don’t you see that many eclipses then? To see a lunar eclipse, the moon has to be above your horizon. So it has to be night, or close to night, and that only happens for half of Earth at once. Solar eclipses are even harder to catch. In fact, a total solar eclipse can be seen only from a narrow track along Earth’s surface. The accompanying partial solar eclipse can be seen only in areas adjacent to that track.

Give back to astronomy with a donation to EarthSky.org! Your gift will support educational resources that teach people of all ages about space exploration and the fascinating facts about our universe.

2024 has 2 eclipse seasons

The March-April 2024 eclipse season features a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024. And a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

The September-October eclipse season features a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

By the way, in 2024, the middle of the eclipse seasons falls on April 5 and September 29. At the middle of an eclipse season, which recurs in periods of about 173 days, the lunar nodes are in exact alignment with the Earth and sun.

What causes an eclipse season?

There are many cycles in the heavens. In fact, an eclipse season is just one of these many celestial cycles.

Consider a scenario where the moon orbited Earth on the same plane as the Earth orbits the sun. Then we’d have a solar eclipse at every new moon, and a lunar eclipse at every full moon.

But, in reality, the moon’s orbit is inclined by five degrees to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane). Most of the time the new moon or full moon swings too far north, or south, of the ecliptic for an eclipse to take place.

For instance, in the year 2024, we will have 13 new moons and 12 full moons, but only two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses.

In the year 2024, there are 13 new moons and 12 full moons. Moon phases table via Fred Espenak/ AstroPixels.com. Used with permission.

Why we have eclipses

Eclipses are all about alignments. In a solar eclipse, the sun, moon and Earth line up, with the moon in the middle. Image via NASA.

In a lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth in the middle. Image via NASA.

Earth (shown as a white dot in the center of each blue disk) at each date when it’s aligned with the sun and moon. The moon is shown on the outer edge of the blue disk, it’s either sunward from it (new moon) or outward from it (full moon). The blue disk is the plane of the moon’s orbit around Earth, darker blue for the half north of the ecliptic. This plane gradually rotates backward. There is an eclipse if the moon is new or full when near ascending or descending node through the ecliptic plane. Small arrows show the moon’s course over 7 days. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Nodal precession of the lunar nodes as the Earth revolves around the sun causes an eclipse season approximately every six months. Image via Nela/ Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lunar nodes point at the sun

Twice every month, as the moon circles Earth in its orbit, the moon crosses the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane) at points called nodes. If the moon is going from south to north, it’s called the moon’s ascending node. If the moon is moving from north to south, it’s called the moon’s descending node.

Read more: Node passages of the moon: 2001 to 2100

Whenever the lunar nodes point directly at the sun, that momentous event marks the middle of the eclipse season. The alignment of the moon, sun and Earth is most exact when an eclipse happens at the middle of an eclipse season. And the least so when an eclipse occurs at the start, or the end, of an eclipse season. Any lunar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season presents a penumbral lunar eclipse, whereas any solar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season features a skimpy partial eclipse of the sun.

The plane of the moon’s orbit is inclined at 5 degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun (the ecliptic). The moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic at two points called nodes (labeled here as N1 and N2). It’s the middle of the eclipse season whenever this line of nodes points directly at the sun. In the above diagram, the line of nodes does not point at the sun. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

2 or 3 eclipses in one eclipse season?

An eclipse season most often presents only two eclipses. However, if the first eclipse falls early in the eclipse season, then it’s possible for a third eclipse to occur before the eclipse season ends.

For example, the last time three eclipses happened in one eclipse season was June-July 2020:

June 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse
June 21, 2020: Annular solar eclipse
July 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse

Likewise, the next time three eclipses will occur in one eclipse season will be June-July 2029:

June 12, 2029: Partial solar eclipse
June 26, 2029: Total lunar eclipse
July 11, 2029: Partial solar eclipse

Read more: How often are there three eclipses in a month?

Eclipse season terminology

With this in mind, here are some words you need to know to understand eclipse seasons: lunar nodes and ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. A lunar node is the point where, in its monthly orbit of Earth, the moon’s orbit intersects that plane. An eclipse season is when – from Earth’s perspective – the sun is close enough to a lunar node to allow an eclipse to take place. If the sun is close to a lunar node at full moon, we see a lunar eclipse. If the sun is close to a lunar node at new moon, we see a solar eclipse.

To put it another way, if the moon turns new or full in close concert with the moon’s crossing of one of its nodes, then an eclipse is not only possible, but inevitable.

The moon’s orbit around Earth is inclined 5 degrees to Earth’s orbit around the sun, so the moon crosses the Earth’s orbital plane twice a month at points called nodes. Every 173.3 days, the line of nodes points at the sun, and this is the middle of the approximate 5-week eclipse season (highlighted in gray). During any eclipse season, there is always at least one solar eclipse and one lunar eclipse, occurring within one fortnight of the other. If the 1st eclipse arrives early enough in the eclipse season, 3 eclipses can fit within a lunar month, and up to 7 eclipses occur in one year’s time. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Minimum of 4 eclipses in one year

A lunar month (period of time between successive new moons or successive full moons) is about 29.5 days long. So a minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar or solar/lunar/solar), though the first eclipse of the eclipse season has to come quite early to allow for a third eclipse near the end.

So a minimum of two lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses occur in one calendar year. Yet, depending on how the eclipse seasons and lunar phases align, it’s possible to also have five, six or seven eclipses in one year.

For the maximum of seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, the first eclipse must come in early January. That leaves enough room for the seventh eclipse in late December. In one scenario, an eclipse season sporting two eclipses comes early in the year and late in the year. The middle eclipse season stages three eclipses.

It’s quite rare for seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, however. Seven eclipses last happened in the year 1982, and will next occur in the year 2038.

Maximum of 7 eclipses in one year

Also, it’s remotely possible for a calendar year to sport two eclipse seasons with three eclipses each, and one eclipse from an eclipse season that straddles into the previous or following year. By way of example, we present the years 1935 and 1879-80.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman at 39,000 feet (12,000 meters) over Ontario captured this photo of the ring of fire on June 10, 2021. He wrote: “I was on the Sky and Telescope annular eclipse flight over Ontario, Canada. Viewing prospects for the eclipse on the ground were not promising given weather and virus closures. We had a great view from the air with the sun in eclipse well above the clouds. The flight was great fun for the eclipse chasers.” Thanks, Eliot!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Shaun Tarpley in League City, Texas, captured an incredibly vibrant shot of the lunar eclipse of May 15, 2022, and wrote: “This image was taken from my backyard. The iOptron Skyguider Pro allowed me to take this 13 second image at roughly 700mm to bring out the detail in the moon and sky.” Thank you, Shaun!

Bottom line: Eclipse seasons are periods during which eclipses not only can take place, but must take place. A minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar, or solar/lunar/solar). In 2024, the eclipse seasons are in March-April, and then again in September-October.

Read more: Total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024

The post 1st eclipse season of 2024 starts March 24-25 first appeared on EarthSky.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Alan Howell from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took this photo in Mariposa Basin Park during the maximum annularity on October 14, 2023, and wrote: “What an incredible adventure! It took months of planning, gear testing, software and equipment training, booking flights and hotels, car traveling, weather forecast monitoring and location scouting to produce this colorized H-alpha image of the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, showing prominences … This was certainly one of the most challenging and rewarding astrophotography images I’ve taken.” No doubt why … Very well done! We’re in the 1st eclipse season of 2024.

The first eclipse season for 2024 starts March 24. There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024, followed two weeks later by a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. These are two different kinds of eclipses: lunar and solar. But these two eclipses fall within a single eclipse season.

An eclipse season is an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable for at least two (and possibly three) eclipses to take place.

Then, later this year, the September-October 2024 eclipse season will feature a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

What are eclipse seasons?

What’s an eclipse season? It’s an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable that at least two (and possibly three) eclipses will take place. Typically, there are two eclipses in one eclipse season, and two eclipse seasons in one calendar year. So we typically have at least four eclipses per year. Eclipse seasons repeat in cycles of 173.3 days (somewhat shy of six calendar months).

So, why don’t you see that many eclipses then? To see a lunar eclipse, the moon has to be above your horizon. So it has to be night, or close to night, and that only happens for half of Earth at once. Solar eclipses are even harder to catch. In fact, a total solar eclipse can be seen only from a narrow track along Earth’s surface. The accompanying partial solar eclipse can be seen only in areas adjacent to that track.

Give back to astronomy with a donation to EarthSky.org! Your gift will support educational resources that teach people of all ages about space exploration and the fascinating facts about our universe.

2024 has 2 eclipse seasons

The March-April 2024 eclipse season features a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024. And a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

The September-October eclipse season features a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

By the way, in 2024, the middle of the eclipse seasons falls on April 5 and September 29. At the middle of an eclipse season, which recurs in periods of about 173 days, the lunar nodes are in exact alignment with the Earth and sun.

What causes an eclipse season?

There are many cycles in the heavens. In fact, an eclipse season is just one of these many celestial cycles.

Consider a scenario where the moon orbited Earth on the same plane as the Earth orbits the sun. Then we’d have a solar eclipse at every new moon, and a lunar eclipse at every full moon.

But, in reality, the moon’s orbit is inclined by five degrees to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane). Most of the time the new moon or full moon swings too far north, or south, of the ecliptic for an eclipse to take place.

For instance, in the year 2024, we will have 13 new moons and 12 full moons, but only two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses.

In the year 2024, there are 13 new moons and 12 full moons. Moon phases table via Fred Espenak/ AstroPixels.com. Used with permission.

Why we have eclipses

Eclipses are all about alignments. In a solar eclipse, the sun, moon and Earth line up, with the moon in the middle. Image via NASA.

In a lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth in the middle. Image via NASA.

Earth (shown as a white dot in the center of each blue disk) at each date when it’s aligned with the sun and moon. The moon is shown on the outer edge of the blue disk, it’s either sunward from it (new moon) or outward from it (full moon). The blue disk is the plane of the moon’s orbit around Earth, darker blue for the half north of the ecliptic. This plane gradually rotates backward. There is an eclipse if the moon is new or full when near ascending or descending node through the ecliptic plane. Small arrows show the moon’s course over 7 days. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Nodal precession of the lunar nodes as the Earth revolves around the sun causes an eclipse season approximately every six months. Image via Nela/ Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lunar nodes point at the sun

Twice every month, as the moon circles Earth in its orbit, the moon crosses the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane) at points called nodes. If the moon is going from south to north, it’s called the moon’s ascending node. If the moon is moving from north to south, it’s called the moon’s descending node.

Read more: Node passages of the moon: 2001 to 2100

Whenever the lunar nodes point directly at the sun, that momentous event marks the middle of the eclipse season. The alignment of the moon, sun and Earth is most exact when an eclipse happens at the middle of an eclipse season. And the least so when an eclipse occurs at the start, or the end, of an eclipse season. Any lunar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season presents a penumbral lunar eclipse, whereas any solar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season features a skimpy partial eclipse of the sun.

The plane of the moon’s orbit is inclined at 5 degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun (the ecliptic). The moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic at two points called nodes (labeled here as N1 and N2). It’s the middle of the eclipse season whenever this line of nodes points directly at the sun. In the above diagram, the line of nodes does not point at the sun. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

2 or 3 eclipses in one eclipse season?

An eclipse season most often presents only two eclipses. However, if the first eclipse falls early in the eclipse season, then it’s possible for a third eclipse to occur before the eclipse season ends.

For example, the last time three eclipses happened in one eclipse season was June-July 2020:

June 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse
June 21, 2020: Annular solar eclipse
July 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse

Likewise, the next time three eclipses will occur in one eclipse season will be June-July 2029:

June 12, 2029: Partial solar eclipse
June 26, 2029: Total lunar eclipse
July 11, 2029: Partial solar eclipse

Read more: How often are there three eclipses in a month?

Eclipse season terminology

With this in mind, here are some words you need to know to understand eclipse seasons: lunar nodes and ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. A lunar node is the point where, in its monthly orbit of Earth, the moon’s orbit intersects that plane. An eclipse season is when – from Earth’s perspective – the sun is close enough to a lunar node to allow an eclipse to take place. If the sun is close to a lunar node at full moon, we see a lunar eclipse. If the sun is close to a lunar node at new moon, we see a solar eclipse.

To put it another way, if the moon turns new or full in close concert with the moon’s crossing of one of its nodes, then an eclipse is not only possible, but inevitable.

The moon’s orbit around Earth is inclined 5 degrees to Earth’s orbit around the sun, so the moon crosses the Earth’s orbital plane twice a month at points called nodes. Every 173.3 days, the line of nodes points at the sun, and this is the middle of the approximate 5-week eclipse season (highlighted in gray). During any eclipse season, there is always at least one solar eclipse and one lunar eclipse, occurring within one fortnight of the other. If the 1st eclipse arrives early enough in the eclipse season, 3 eclipses can fit within a lunar month, and up to 7 eclipses occur in one year’s time. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Minimum of 4 eclipses in one year

A lunar month (period of time between successive new moons or successive full moons) is about 29.5 days long. So a minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar or solar/lunar/solar), though the first eclipse of the eclipse season has to come quite early to allow for a third eclipse near the end.

So a minimum of two lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses occur in one calendar year. Yet, depending on how the eclipse seasons and lunar phases align, it’s possible to also have five, six or seven eclipses in one year.

For the maximum of seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, the first eclipse must come in early January. That leaves enough room for the seventh eclipse in late December. In one scenario, an eclipse season sporting two eclipses comes early in the year and late in the year. The middle eclipse season stages three eclipses.

It’s quite rare for seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, however. Seven eclipses last happened in the year 1982, and will next occur in the year 2038.

Maximum of 7 eclipses in one year

Also, it’s remotely possible for a calendar year to sport two eclipse seasons with three eclipses each, and one eclipse from an eclipse season that straddles into the previous or following year. By way of example, we present the years 1935 and 1879-80.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman at 39,000 feet (12,000 meters) over Ontario captured this photo of the ring of fire on June 10, 2021. He wrote: “I was on the Sky and Telescope annular eclipse flight over Ontario, Canada. Viewing prospects for the eclipse on the ground were not promising given weather and virus closures. We had a great view from the air with the sun in eclipse well above the clouds. The flight was great fun for the eclipse chasers.” Thanks, Eliot!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Shaun Tarpley in League City, Texas, captured an incredibly vibrant shot of the lunar eclipse of May 15, 2022, and wrote: “This image was taken from my backyard. The iOptron Skyguider Pro allowed me to take this 13 second image at roughly 700mm to bring out the detail in the moon and sky.” Thank you, Shaun!

Bottom line: Eclipse seasons are periods during which eclipses not only can take place, but must take place. A minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar, or solar/lunar/solar). In 2024, the eclipse seasons are in March-April, and then again in September-October.

Read more: Total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024

The post 1st eclipse season of 2024 starts March 24-25 first appeared on EarthSky.

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Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star

An imaginary line drawn from the 2 outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper always points to Polaris.

People are always asking how to find Polaris, the North Star. It’s easy! If you can find the Big Dipper in the northern sky, you can find Polaris.

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris

A well-known trick for finding Polaris – the legendary North Star – is that the two outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper point to it. Hence, they’re well known among amateur astronomers by the nickname The Pointers. They call those stars Dubhe and Merak.

At one time, sailors’ livelihoods and survival depended on these pointer stars of the Big Dipper. In fact, many considered them their lucky stars. Scouts also learn to use the Big Dipper and Polaris to find the direction north.

Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, as is commonly believed. Instead, it’s a moderately bright 2nd-magnitude star. But it’s bright enough to be easily seen in a dark sky. Unlike the other stars – which either rise in the east and set in the west, or else wheel in a circle around Polaris – the North Star appears fixed in the northern sky.

The Big Dipper and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia circle around Polaris, the North Star, in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The Dipper is circumpolar at 41 degrees north latitude, and all latitudes farther north. Image via Mjchael/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.5).

March is excellent for the Dipper

By the way, for evening skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is the best time of year to see the Big Dipper. Also, just remember during the evening hours, it’s best viewed in the spring, and worst in autumn. Every March, at nightfall and early evening, the seven stars of the Big Dipper climb into your sky, ascending above the northeastern horizon.

From the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere, the Big and Little Dippers are in the sky continuously. In fact, they are always above your horizon, circling endlessly around Polaris. So, given an unobstructed horizon, latitudes north of the 35th parallel (the approximate location of the Mediterranean Sea and Tennessee’s southern border) can expect to see the Big Dipper at any hour of the night every day of the year.

Likewise, for the the Southern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper is visible from about 26 degrees south latitude and all latitudes farther north.

The Big Dipper is an asterism

Also, the Big Dipper itself isn’t a constellation. It’s an asterism, a recognizable pattern of stars on the sky’s dome.

It is part of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear. Indeed, it really does look like a dipper, and it’s pretty bright. Some sources say the Dipper makes up the Bear’s (rather unusual) tail and hindquarters.

You can see the Bear, too, if you watch for the Dipper in March under a very dark sky.

Use Polaris to find directions

If you stand facing Polaris, then, you’re facing the direction north. So, if you place Polaris to your back, you’re facing south. You can use Polaris to find directions only in the Northern Hemisphere, however. South of the equator, Polaris drops below the northern horizon.

Images from our community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy in Depoe Bay, Oregon, caught the Big Dipper and Little Dipper on June 9, 2021. She wrote: “The 2 stars that form the side of the Big Dipper, opposite the handle, point to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper.” Thank you, Cecille!

View larger. | South of the equator, Polaris can’t be seen. Otherwise, if you can see the Big Dipper, you can find Polaris. Tom Wildoner of the Dark Side Observatory shared this shot with us. He captured it around 3:30 a.m. in the month of July. Thanks, Tom! Used with permission.

Bottom line: Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

The post Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star first appeared on EarthSky.

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An imaginary line drawn from the 2 outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper always points to Polaris.

People are always asking how to find Polaris, the North Star. It’s easy! If you can find the Big Dipper in the northern sky, you can find Polaris.

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris

A well-known trick for finding Polaris – the legendary North Star – is that the two outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper point to it. Hence, they’re well known among amateur astronomers by the nickname The Pointers. They call those stars Dubhe and Merak.

At one time, sailors’ livelihoods and survival depended on these pointer stars of the Big Dipper. In fact, many considered them their lucky stars. Scouts also learn to use the Big Dipper and Polaris to find the direction north.

Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, as is commonly believed. Instead, it’s a moderately bright 2nd-magnitude star. But it’s bright enough to be easily seen in a dark sky. Unlike the other stars – which either rise in the east and set in the west, or else wheel in a circle around Polaris – the North Star appears fixed in the northern sky.

The Big Dipper and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia circle around Polaris, the North Star, in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The Dipper is circumpolar at 41 degrees north latitude, and all latitudes farther north. Image via Mjchael/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.5).

March is excellent for the Dipper

By the way, for evening skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is the best time of year to see the Big Dipper. Also, just remember during the evening hours, it’s best viewed in the spring, and worst in autumn. Every March, at nightfall and early evening, the seven stars of the Big Dipper climb into your sky, ascending above the northeastern horizon.

From the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere, the Big and Little Dippers are in the sky continuously. In fact, they are always above your horizon, circling endlessly around Polaris. So, given an unobstructed horizon, latitudes north of the 35th parallel (the approximate location of the Mediterranean Sea and Tennessee’s southern border) can expect to see the Big Dipper at any hour of the night every day of the year.

Likewise, for the the Southern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper is visible from about 26 degrees south latitude and all latitudes farther north.

The Big Dipper is an asterism

Also, the Big Dipper itself isn’t a constellation. It’s an asterism, a recognizable pattern of stars on the sky’s dome.

It is part of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear. Indeed, it really does look like a dipper, and it’s pretty bright. Some sources say the Dipper makes up the Bear’s (rather unusual) tail and hindquarters.

You can see the Bear, too, if you watch for the Dipper in March under a very dark sky.

Use Polaris to find directions

If you stand facing Polaris, then, you’re facing the direction north. So, if you place Polaris to your back, you’re facing south. You can use Polaris to find directions only in the Northern Hemisphere, however. South of the equator, Polaris drops below the northern horizon.

Images from our community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy in Depoe Bay, Oregon, caught the Big Dipper and Little Dipper on June 9, 2021. She wrote: “The 2 stars that form the side of the Big Dipper, opposite the handle, point to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper.” Thank you, Cecille!

View larger. | South of the equator, Polaris can’t be seen. Otherwise, if you can see the Big Dipper, you can find Polaris. Tom Wildoner of the Dark Side Observatory shared this shot with us. He captured it around 3:30 a.m. in the month of July. Thanks, Tom! Used with permission.

Bottom line: Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

The post Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3aksnuE