This is the Classical Astronomy Update, an email newsletter especially for Christian homeschool families (though everyone is welcome!)
Please feel free to share this with any interested friends.
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness
thereof, thou hast founded them. - Psalm 89:11
IN THIS UPDATE The
Awesome 2017 American Total Solar Eclipse!
A Season of Saturn and Mars
Hello Friends,
Hope you're all enjoying the spring. This is the first newsletter since New Year's. As mentioned in the two previous newsletters, I've been devoting a large portion of time to the upcoming 2017 USA Total Solar Eclipse. There is a LOT of news to report about that. I probably won't be doing many more newsletters in 2016,
though I intend to write another one in the summer, when all five of the the visible planets will be clustered up in the evening sky. You will NOT want to miss that!
I spent the early months of 2016 creating a website for the upcoming 2017 American eclipse. This site is called American Eclipse USA. The goal of American Eclipse USA is to be the most fun and user-friendly eclipse site on the web. Please explore this site, and learn all about
this upcoming phenomenon, which has not graced the United States since the 1970s.
As with all my work, American Eclipse USA is heavily illustrated, to use visual media to present visual explanations of the visual subject of astronomy. I'd be grateful if everyone would take some
time to please review this site. If anything is unclear, let me know and I'll try to clarify it.
We have also created an American Eclipse USA Facebook page,
and Twitter account, to communicate eclipse news through social media. Everyone please like and follow those accounts.
We have also created a YouTube channel to cover the
eclipse. So far, only one video is posted, a Star Wars parody video explaining the eclipse situation. Please also check out that two-minute video. Thanks friends!
On a related note, I've been invited to give a presentation at the upcoming conference for the 2017 Eclipse
Task Force of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), June 10 and 11, 2016 in Carbondale, Illinois. The title is Illustrating the Eclipse and is scheduled for 10:15 AM on Friday, June 10. This is a great honor to be invited to present, as this is the conference for all the "big names" in eclipse astronomy. Apparently, I'm remembered in "official" astronomy circles from my days as a Contributing Editor to Sky & Telescope magazine.
My presentation will feature a heavily illustrated slideshow, explaining my illustration technique and how it can be used to educate and promote the eclipse. This conference is open to the public, so if you would like to attend my presentation, I'd be thrilled to meet any newsletter readers and have your
support! The program indicates that the event will be webcast, which might also include my presentation. Any forthcoming info about that will be posted on the Classical Astronomy Facebook page. Please drop me an email if you would like to be contacted directly with more info about the webcast.
Signs & Seasons Curriculum
We get a fair number of emails asking when we will be offering a sale on our Signs & Seasons homeschool astronomy curriculum. We have not done such a sale in several years. However, I'd like to point out that we have not raised the price of either the curriculum itself or the shipping and handling ever since we introduced this product in 2007. Meanwhile, our costs have increased but we've kept the price the
same. We realize that homeschool families are frugal (just like ours) and we are already committed to providing homeschool families with the best value that we can offer, but that does not leave a lot of extra margin for special sales.
Other homeschool sellers are always promoting sales and freebies and
all manner of marketing gimmicks intended to lure in customers. In order to do that, we would have to raise our prices (as other sellers have done) and then artificially lower them again to offer a bogus "discount" in order to create the perception of a sale price. Instead of playing games, we'd rather just continue to make our curriculum available to families for the same price as long as there remains interest in our traditional, historical approach to learning the cycles of the
Sun, Moon, stars and planets. If you do want to save a few bucks over our list price, you can order S&S
from Christianbook.com or any of the other fine resellers. Thanks to all the families who have already used S&S to discover the LORD's sky!
For more information about topics from Classical Astronomy discussed in this newsletter,please check out a homeschool astronomy curriculum (but popular with adult readers too!)
Visit our archive of previous editions of the Classical Astronomy Update newsletters, going back to 2007.
Visit this page to subscribe to the Classical
Astronomy Update and the Northeast Ohio Astronomy (NEOastro) newsletters.
*****
The Awesome 2017 American Total Solar Eclipse!
As explained in the last newsletter, on Monday, August 21, 2017, there will be a TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN passing over the United States, from coast to coast. This is the first such eclipse in nearly a century, since 1918. Apparently this has been too long a time, since most people that I speak to have no clue of the significance of this event, or that this is a REALLY BIG
DEAL.
Having just dedicated months to creating a complete website from scratch, I'm saddened by the widespread indifference to this incredible event on the part of average Americans. Even my closest friends and family members are utterly apathetic. Of all the astronomy topics about which I communicate, the 2017 eclipse has been by far the least popular. Ironically,
people get more excited about these silly "supermoon" reports than stories about the 2017 American Total Solar Eclipse. With a "supermoon," there is literally nothing to see, just an ordinary Full Moon that might appear a bit larger and brighter, which is hyped to death in the media. But in contrast, a Total Eclipse of the Sun is widely regarded as the most spectacular sight that can be seen with human eyes from Planet Earth.
During a Total Solar Eclipse (TSE),the Moon BLOCKS OUT the Sun, so that night falls at midday, and the the Sun appears as a black hole in the sky. A total solar eclipse is considered the GREATEST, most SPECTACULAR natural wonder in the world. It’s widely known to be a jaw-dropping, gut-level, visceral experience to see the Sun extinguished by the Moon in the middle of the day. People have been known to weep and scream at the
sight. And it’s coming to the USA, for the first time in a generation.
The most amazing part of the eclipse experience is seeing the Sun's corona, which is invisible at all other times. This is a fiery halo of the solar atmosphere,
thin, wispy tendrils that surround the blackened disc. No camera can capture all the detail that is visible to the human eye. The corona MUST be seen in person. One cannot watch it on their phone or view some live webcast and understand the experience. A TSE must be seen directly, with eyes alone looking at the eclipsed Sun in the sky.
Many secular scientists are
moved to religious metaphors by the sight of the Sun's corona. One solar scientist calls the eclipsed Sun "the Eye of God." Another wrote in his observing journal, "the heavens declare the glory of God. I am unaccustomed to making such statements." Still another mainstream astronomer called a TSE "a sacred experience." The following quotations are from others who have witnessed the sight of the solar corona during a Total Eclipse of the
Sun:
I have passed a varied and eventful life, that it has been my fortune to see earth, heavens, ocean, and man in most of their aspects; but never have I beheld any spectacle which so plainly manifested the majesty of the Creator, or so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to man as a total eclipse of the Sun. - James Fenimore Cooper, 19th century American author
of Last of the Mohicans, reporting his observation of the American eclipse of 1806.
There are few events that will change your life forever, and one of them is a
total solar eclipse. What you will see is beyond human experience. Totality is a holy experience. - Bob Berman, The Old Farmer's Almanac
I've only seen one total eclipse in my life, and it is the most incredible experience you'll ever see. On the top 10 list of astronomical events, this is No. 1 and No. 2 is way down the list. It's not even close. - Dean Regas,
host of the "Star Gazers" on PBS
We cannot stress this enough - if you're in the path, you see what is perhaps one of the most phenomenal sights that human eyes can convey to a brain! - Dan McGlaun, veteran "eclipse chaser"
No one should pass through life without seeing
a total solar eclipse. - Leif Robinson, long-time editor of Sky & Telescope magazine
If you don't experience the splendour of an eclipse at least once, you can't claim you've lived a full life. - Jack Zirker, solar astronomer
Friends, I've been
providing homeschool families and others with astronomy information since 2002. I've been helping parents and kids to identify planets in the evening and morning sky, and have explained the celestial cycles that govern the passage of time. For years I have received emails from readers thanking me for calling their attention to these celestial sights. In all these years, I hope to have earned your trust as a reliable source for astronomy information.
Based on that, I'm asking you to believe me when I tell you that the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 over the USA will be the most mind-blowing sight that your family can ever hope to see. It will be an epiphany for everyone who sees it, especially our children. I'm praying that it will be a defining moment in American history, that the LORD will reveal His power in the heavens and that it will inspire and motivate a young generation of Americans as nothing other can do.
The
last major American TSE was in 1970, when I was 8 years old. Most everyone at the time understood that this was a really big deal. But that view does not prevail today. For my own part, I've literally been waiting all my life for the 2017 eclipse, and it's very hard for me to understand why most others today are so apathetic and indifferent. Maybe it's just been too long?
Hardly no Americans today under the age of 50 are old enough to remember that event, so it's understandable that a TSE is outside of the experience of the average American adult. Since the 1970s, all TSEs have occurred outside the USA, and Americans have had to travel abroad to see a Total Eclipse of the Sun. It's been estimated that perhaps only 0.001% of Americans have seen a Total Solar Eclipse since that time, traveling the world in search of
totality.
They say that "seeing is believing" and it's widely understood in eclipse circles that those who are "pre-eclipse" don't understand the significance of an eclipse sighting, until they finally see it for themselves. But we Christians can appreciate that our own unconverted friends and family don't understand our own experiences with coming to faith in the LORD.
As Jesus said to Thomas,
...because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)
I think there is a
parallel principle with the eclipse experience. Since we Christians have dealt with those who scoff and fail to understand, perhaps this should make us curious and open-minded to the widespread reports of the majesty of a Total Solar Eclipse, even if it is outside of our direct experience.
Friends, please consider that this eclipse will happen right here at home in the USA, easily
accessible to every American. This 2017 event is the "blue collar eclipse" for families on a budget, like yours and mine! American eclipse chasers have traveled the globe, spending thousands of dollars on voyages to obscure locations such as Gambia, Svalbard and Easter Island just to catch an eclipse. What do they know that we don't? Wouldn't it be worth a little effort on our part to find out?
In any event, the present state of eclipse apathy is about to change dramatically on Monday, August 21, 2017. On Eclipse Day 2017, 12.5 million Americans will have totality pass right over their homes! Another 300 million Americans will be within a day's drive of the path of totality.
With so many millions of Americans observing this mind-blowing sight, word will spread! People will be gushing to their friends and family, and
reports will overflow all over social media! There will be an groundswell of enthusiasm for this shared American experience. But this will happen after the fact, when the eclipse is over, too late for the millions of Americans who will have passed up this rare opportunity. On the day after Eclipse Day 2017, I believe America will be divided into three groups:
1) those who saw the eclipse and understand, and are grateful for the experience;
2) those who missed out, but now hear and believe, only too late, and feel regret; and
3) those who remain stiff-necked and apathetic, unwilling to believe.
Those in the first two categories will be ready and eager for the next USA TSE in 2024. The present goal at this time,
before the eclipse, is to help maximize the number of people in group 1).
Anyone living along the indicated path of totality will see a Total Solar Eclipse. Anyone outside that path, even by a couple miles, will be standing in the sunshine! Most of the USA will see a very deep partial eclipse that
day. But we've had many partial eclipses in the USA over the years, and most everyone understands that they are not very impressive events. They are simply an astronomical curiosity, and require viewing the Sun through Eclipse Shades or other solar filters. But meh, so what, right? Take it or leave it is the basic
attitude, and I myself tend to agree.
However, a TSE is totally different! The Sun is only blackened during totality, when the full shadow of the Moon passes overhead, and only those on that path will be the ones who will see the glory of totality and the Sun's
corona.
The 20th century was a “dark age” of solar eclipses over the USA, and this is why the current generation of American adults has a poor understanding of eclipses. But
the 21st century will be a "golden age" of TSEs! Today's kids are Generation Eclipse! Today's youth as an opportunity to see five USA eclipses over the next 35 years, and several more beyond that!
Elementary school-aged children in 2017 will be in college for the next eclipse in 2024. Those same children will be 30- or 40-some parents with their own kids in 2044 and then in 2045 for the REALLY TREMENDOUS total eclipse of the 21st century. There will be other eclipses beyond in 2052, 2071, 2079 and thereafter. Those eclipses beyond won’t do today's parents much good, but Generation Eclipse can hope to enjoy USA total
solar eclipses throughout their lifetimes, with their own grandchildren, up through the year 2099 and beyond.
Friends, I can't urge you enough to take your kids to see the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. If you are a homeschool family who purchases your own curriculum out of pocket, I promise that the expense
of an eclipse road trip will be a worthwhile investment in your children's education.
I believe this eclipse will be a watershed moment, and will inspire American youth to care about something more than just staring at their phones. I believe that, in time to come, TSEs will be famous and anxiously anticipated. In the future, people will ask each other "Where were you on
August 21, 2017?" just as people today similarly discuss 9/11 or the Challenger explosion. Except this will be a positive and transformational American experience, rather than a national tragedy.
Unfortunately, the eclipse is still receiving ZERO advance publicity in the mainstream media. But this has to change at some point! Whenever the media does start
covering the story, it's important that people need to start making their own plans THIS YEAR. I'm still hoping to have 100% awareness of the eclipse among Christian homeschoolers, that our children will have the opportunity to observe this most wondrous glory in God's creation.
If you live along the path of totality, especially in Kansas City, St. Louis,
Nashville, and in Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston, South Carolina, please send me an email. I'd really like to hear from
you. I'd also like to hear from anyone else wishing to communicate directly about the eclipse for any reason at all.
* * * * *
On the subject of Eclipse Shades, the ones we sell have paper frames and are very inexpensive, but are also very flimsy. If you would like to invest in something more high quality and durable, check out the Eclipser HD by American Paper Optics in Nashville. These are regular "sun"glasses, except made for actually viewing the Sun! They are made with hard plastic lenses in hard plastic frames, and a worthwhile expenditure at only $15. These would especially be useful to homeschool families wishing to spend a lot of time following sunspots on any
sunny day, and will probably last for all the many USA eclipses coming up in the 21st century!
BOOK REVIEW
by Michael Zeiler
Of all the eclipse-related products that have come out recently, this item is the most impressive! It's a handy little booklet, beautifully illustrated, and jam-packed with all sorts of useful information about viewing the 2017 USA eclipse. Best part is, it only costs $9.99! And if that's not enough, you also get two pairs of Eclipse Shades! You really can't find a better value, or a more useful investment in
preparing for next year's eclipse.
The author, Michael Zeiler, is an experienced "eclipse chaser," and he packs a wealth of experience into this small volume. He describes all aspects of the eclipse viewing experience, what to look for,
and how to observe the Sun safely before and after totality. Clear, straightforward explanations are given describing the circumstances of which the Sun, Earth and Moon align to produce eclipses.
Detailed maps are given showing the
precise local times across the USA when the various phases of eclipse will be seen on Eclipse Day 2017. He also provides information for choosing an viewing location, based on statistical weather trends for that date. Useful tips are provided for "chasing" the eclipse in the event of unexpected clouds at your eclipse destination, how you can relocate on short notice to a suitable viewing location.
Detailed descriptions of all the prime viewing locations are given, from coast to coast. Much scientific and historical background is provided to help you appreciate the role eclipses have played in modern scientific discoveries. Since Michael's specialty is eclipse maps, a whole series of exquisite maps
are included for each state along the path of totality, describing interesting features along the way.
Friends, I can't recommend this little volume more highly. It's very fun and informative, beautifully combining utility and
aesthetics. And really, for ten bucks plus two pair of Shades, you won't find a better value for any eclipse-related product. While you're visiting his sales page, also explore the rest of Michael's site to learn more about the
eclipse. This is the premier site for the 2017 eclipse, and he's been building it for several years, and it's becoming a larger and more useful resource all the time.
Thumbs up! Four
stars!
A Season of Saturn and Mars
Our last newsletter explained all the beautiful conjunctions of the Moon and planets that would be occurring throughout
2016. Long-time readers of this newsletter and other experienced sky observers understand that the classical planets are among the brightest objects in the sky, and are brighter that the actual fixed stars.
The Moon swings past these planets each month, producing close alignments. In the winter, we saw many such lunar
conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter, the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and Moon. An even more interesting sight is currently unfolding in the night sky.
In 2016, an interesting convergence is currently transpiring between the planets Mars and
Saturn. These two conspicuous planets are currently parked in the constellation Scorpius, where they will remain together in close proximity through the summer.
Most of the time, Mars is a modestly bright object, not very conspicuous, dimmer than the brightest actual stars. The only distinctive feature of Mars is its distinct rusty-red color, more colorful than most regular
stars. But every two years, Mars is at a point in its orbit where it draws close to the Earth, and increases dramatically in brightness.
Mars is at its brightest around the time of opposition, when it is "opposite" the Sun in the sky, rising in the east when the Sun sets in the west. At opposition, Mars blazes to a brightness that rivals
Jupiter, and has the distinct copper color of a shiny, new penny.
In contrast, Saturn is always fairly bright, comparable in brightness to the brightest actual stars. At opposition, Saturn does not increase much in brightness. But Saturn and Mars, both being superior planets, display retrograde motion when they are near opposition.
If you notice the planets over time, you can see that they are constantly moving slowly to the east over the span of months and years. This motion is the result of their movement in their orbits around the Sun, as seen from the Earth. However, as the faster-moving Earth aligns with these more distant outer planets, they appear to move backwards from their
regular motion, towards the west. These are the retrogradations of the outer planets.
The retrogradations of the superior planets are among the many topics explained in detail in our Signs & Seasons curriculum. The interesting thing about 2016 is that both Mars and Saturn are at opposition at about the same time, so you can observe their retrogradations occurring together.
The retrograde motion of Mars is most interesting, since it retrogresses over a larger portion of the sky. Also, these two planets are retrogressing through the constellation Scorpius, which is a distinct scorpion-shaped pattern of stars
in the southern sky.
As Mars moves back and forth over the spring and summer of 2016, it will cross through the "head of the Scorpion," a distinct pattern
of three stars that somewhat resemble a sideways "Orion's Belt." Mars will also be moving close to Antares, a bright first magnitude star in Scorpius. Antares also has a reddish, Mars-like color, which caused the Ancient Greeks to give it this name, literally "Anti-Ares," or "The Rival of Mars." So 2016 offers a rare chance to see Mars in a celestial dance with its rival. Finally, when it's all over, Mars will make its closest approach to Antares on August 21,
2016. We're hoping to have another newsletter out by then, but it's not too early to circle that date on your calendar!
The Season of Saturn and Mars began back on March 25 with the first station of Saturn. This isn't like a "train
station" or anything like that, but rather a term to mark the point in time when Saturn was stationary, stopping its normal eastward motion. After the first station, Saturn begins to move backwards toward the west through the constellations. (In the scene below, Saturn and Mars were at their highest in the southern sky at about 4:30 AM on March 25, not exactly a prime viewing hour for a lot of
people.)
After the first station of Saturn, Mars and Saturn were moving toward each other, drawing closer
with each passing morning. The first station of Mars was on April 17. At this time, the two planets drew closest together, which is called an appulse, at which time Mars and Saturn were separated by about seven degrees, or 14 lunar diameters apart. (The below scene would have been at about 4:00 AM on April 17, when Scorpius is at its highest above the southern horizon, at the meridian.)
Since then, Mars and Saturn have both been retrogressing through Scorpius, and Mars passes back through the head of the
Scorpion. Since Mars is closer and faster-moving, it has appeared to move faster than Saturn, so that these planets are now drawing apart.
Mars reaches opposition on May 22, when it is at its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. At this time, Mars rises at sunset, and is visible throughout
the entire night. After opposition, Mars is visible in the evening sky, and sets before sunrise.
Also, the evening of Mars' opposition coincides with the monthly conjunction of the Moon. It's always a stunning sight when the copper-bright Mars glitters
alongside the Moon, especially when Mars is at its brightest. (The view below will favor night owls, and will be seen around 1:00 AM, when the Moon and Scorpius are at the meridian in the south.)
The opposition of Saturn follows closely after that of Mars, only
12 days later, on June 3. At this time, Saturn now rises at sunset, and thereafter this pair of planets will both be visible in the early evening. A clear, unobstructed southeastern horizon will be needed to see Mars and Saturn rising, but the two will be at their highest around midnight.
Mars reaches its second station on June 30. By now, it will have retrogressed all the way out of Scorpius, back into the
constellation Libra. Saturn has backed up into the space formerly occupied by Mars at its first station. These planets are now presenting themselves at a more sensible hour, riding high before 11:00 PM, maybe an hour or two
after night falls following the late summer sunset.
The retrogradations of Mars and Saturn come to an end on August 13, with the second station of Saturn. After this, both planets follow their regular eastward motion through Scorpius. At this time, the faster-moving Mars will be moving to overtake the slower Saturn, and these two will be in a planetary conjunction on August 25. But that will be a very busy couple days in the summer sky, since
Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will also be clustering up together in the western sky!
During May, keep an eye on the Moon as it draws closer to Mars and Saturn. The Moon enters the scene on Saturday, May 21, and passes among the planets over the next two nights. With the distinctive pattern of Scorpius and bright Antares, this promises to be an interesting and beautiful sight in the night sky. We'll have a timely,
shareable info-graphic on our Facebook page to help you remember to look.
As mentioned, we plan to have another newsletter out sometime in August, to provide details about the clustering of the entire solar system in the evening sky! During the last week of August, there will be The Week of Planetary Conjunctions! As explained above, Mars will finally meet up
with Saturn on August 25, and these two will still be close together on August 27 when Mercury, Venus and Jupiter cluster up, with Venus and Jupiter being closely aligned, only 0.07 degrees apart, less than one-quarter of a Full Moon diameter!
However, as neat as this promises to be, the problem is that these three planets will be very close to the Sun at that time, and will be very low to the horizon
after sunset. This event will be best visible by those having a coastline with a western horizon facing over water, or very flat land in the Great Plains, or even a mountaintop for clear viewing the horizon at sunset.
We'll plan on covering these events in another newsletter in the summer. In the meantime, to keep up with the regular monthly conjunctions, please visit our website and keep an eye on our Facebook page. Til next time, God bless and clear skies,
- jay
The Ryan Family Cleveland, Ohio,
USA
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? - Psalm 8:3-4, a Psalm of David
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