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Tag Archives: Climate

In the Sky This Week – January 7, 2020

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 7, 2020 by Bob TrembleyJanuary 7, 2020
This entry is part 131 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

I am the 2020 outreach officer for the Warren Astronomical Society – this is a position I’ve held several times before; I receive requests from individuals and groups that would like to use our observatory, or have a member come to their location and set up telescopes and/or give presentations about astronomy and space science. I’ve got a great outreach team – several of our members are volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors; we frequently get excellent feedback from the public for our events! One of the things I want to do this year is resurrect a popular Messier observing program that late member Larry Kalinowski ran years before I joined. I’m going to base it off of the Astronomical League’s Messier observing program, and I want to create some “standard” easy-to-use forms for recording and submitting observing logs.   Mars appears above the star Antares in the southeastern horizon before dawn this week The Moon appears near the star Aldebaran on … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Climate, International Space Station, Mars, Moon, Sun, TESS, Venus | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – December 31, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 31, 2019 by Bob TrembleyJanuary 1, 2020
This entry is part 130 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

By mid-February 2020, I will be a grandparent! Thoughts of what the world might be like when my granddaughter is an adult naturally come to mind. What new things will astronomers have discovered in the cosmos? What new inventions will change society forever, again? I also have to give a thought to my granddaughter’s quality of life, and in this I have to admit to no small amount of trepidation… Before I started writing this post, I was collecting notes about what I wanted to discuss – the list of topics grew WAY past my expectations, and needs to be an article all by itself. Many, but not all of the topics relate to pollution in its various forms: microplastics, air pollution, light/electromagnetic pollution, compromised city water systems, PFAS, space junk – the list goes on and on… Let me condense all those notes into one single question: Do you believe humanity is acting as adequate stewards of this Earth, … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Commentary, Outreach | Tagged 2020, Astronaut Christina H. Koch, Climate, Earth, International Space Station, light pollution, Mars, Mars InSight, Moon, Pioneer, Starlink, Sun, Venus, X-ray Burst | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – December 17, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 17, 2019 by Bob TrembleyDecember 17, 2019
This entry is part 128 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

Saturn and Venus move away from each other each evening in the southwestern sky after sunset this week – by early next week, Saturn will be very low on the horizon. Mercury, Mars and the star Spica continue to align above the southeastern horizon before sunrise this week – Mercury is very low, and may be challenging to observe. The waning gibbous Moon appears in the eastern sky around midnight on Dec. 18th, the star Regulus nearby. A waning crescent Moon appears near the star Spica in the eastern sky around 4:00 AM on Dec. 21st. Asteroid Occultations More often than I thought, asteroids and transneptunian objects pass in front of stars, causing them to monetarily wink-out. This observing challenge is a rather more advanced than most, as it is best done with an 8 inch+ telescope, and if you intend on reporting your timings (kinda the point) you’ll need video recording equipment with time-insertion hardware, and the ability to … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged (225088) 2007 OR10, Climate, Juno, Mars, Mars InSight, Mercury, Moon, Occultation, OSIRIS REx, Saturn, Sun, Venus | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – March 19, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 19, 2019 by Bob TrembleyMarch 19, 2019
This entry is part 88 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

Third time’s the charm – under clear skies, I got to set up my telescope and show the Moon to attendees of the Astronomy Night event at my wife’s school… finally! As always, looking through my telescope was a first-time for several viewers, and I got the customary “Oh WOW!” from several people! Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares are in the south-southeastern predawn sky all week. The image below is the same patch of sky above seen in infrared light – the disk and bulge of the Milky Way can clearly be seen! The waxing gibbous Moon can be seen setting in the western predawn sky on Mar. 19th. The full and waning gibbous Moon set a bit later each morning. The Moon will appear near the star Spica in the southwestern predawn sky on Mar. 22nd. The Moon joins Jupiter and Saturn in the south-southeastern predawn sky Mar. 25th. Mars continues to crawl slowly towards the Pleiades, high in … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Climate, Exoplanet, Jupiter, Lunar Gateway, M101, Mars InSight, Moon, OSIRIS REx, Saturn, Sun | 2 Replies

In the Sky This Week – March 12, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 12, 2019 by Bob TrembleyMarch 12, 2019
This entry is part 87 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

Tonight, my wife Connie, who is also a volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, is running a huge Astronomy Night event at her school; she takes two days to transform the first floor into an astronomy wonderland with posters. We have a 100-foot “Walk the Solar System” down one hall with BEAUTIFUL 3-foot square color posters posters we just printed at the Macomb Intermediate School District’s teacher workshop. We were at the MISD for almost three days straight printing those posters… We’re having several lecturers from the Warren Astronomical Society give talks, and we’re opening up the computer lab where I’ll be showing a Virtual Reality fly-over of Saturn’s rings, and allowing attendees to play with space software like NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System and Kerbal Space Program. My wife will be at a table with meteorites, and we’ll hopefully have clear skies so we can set up telescopes outside. I also have a couple posters shamelessly plugging the Vatican Observatory … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged #BeringSeaAirburst, Asteroid 6478 Gault, Climate, Dragon Capsule, Eris, Exoplanet 55 Cancri e, Horsehead nebula, Mars InSight, Moon, Neutrinos, OSIRIS REx, SpaceX, Sun | Leave a reply

California Wildfires: Reports of “Weird Skies” and a Red Gibbous Moon

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on August 20, 2018 by Bob TrembleyAugust 21, 2018

Last Friday evening, the western Michigan sky had a very unsettling hue to it. It had been cloud-covered and raining all day, but instead of typical shades of gray and red-orange of sunset, the sky was a sickly yellow. “That’s not right” I said, staring at it in confusion. Trails of smoke and carbon monoxide from massive wildfires in California have drifted eastward across the U.S., one branch moving toward Texas and the other forking toward upper Michigan and Canada. Carbon monoxide is a pollutant that can persist in the atmosphere for several weeks, and be transported long distances; it plays a role in both air pollution and climate change. There are several photos online showing an orange-red first-quarter Moon – which is just WRONG! A couple friends said they saw this… all I’ve seen for days is clouds and haze. The Blood Red Moon fighting her way through the Forest Fire Smoke and Haze in our Calgary sky last night. … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged California, Climate, Earth, FIres | Leave a reply
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Recent Posts

Specola Guestbook | September 25, 1983: Leo O’Donovan SJ

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 24, 2021 by Robert MackeJanuary 24, 2021
This entry is part 78 of 78 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, Nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Once again, we break the chronological sequence to highlight a name relevant to events of this past … Continue reading…

Posted in History, Popular Culture | Tagged Georgetown, Inauguration, O'Donovan, Specola Guestbook, Vatican Observatory, Weston | Leave a reply

Faith, Science and Astronomy Textbooks

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 23, 2021 by Christopher M. GraneyJanuary 19, 2021

Take a look at a new resource on the Vatican Observatory Faith and Science website!—brief reviews of astronomy textbooks from a “Faith and Science” perspective.  You will find all this under “Educational Resources”. The idea for these reviews arose from questions that Vatican Observatory/V.O. Foundation folks have received over time, … Continue reading…

Posted in Education | 1 Reply

Go Observe Plato

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 22, 2021 by Deirdre KelleghanJanuary 22, 2021

  Plato – Walled Plain by Deirdre Kelleghan February 25th 2007 – 20:45UT – 21:45UT 200mm/F6/6.3mm – Plossel/193X – 8.19days – 300gm Daler Rowney paper/DR soft pastels/Black watercolour pencil/wooden cocktail stick.   This blog was first published in January 2018. If you read this today January 22nd 2021 you should … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Education, Moon, Outreach | Tagged Astronomical Drawing, Moon drawing, Plato, Sketching | Leave a reply

ⓜ Full Moon-th Meetup: 28 January, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 21, 2021 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoJanuary 19, 2021

Featuring Dr. Michelle Francl, and the latest news of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope! Just for our paying members: on the next Full Moon, January 28, a week from when we are posting this, we’ll be holding our regular on-line meetup where we get to know and chat with each … Continue reading…

Posted in Announcement | Tagged Full Moon Zoom | Leave a reply

ⓜ Curiosity and the Exploration of Mars, II

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 21, 2021 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoJanuary 16, 2021
This entry is part of 55 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… this is the second half of the article I started last week, originally published in Italian in Civiltà Cattolica; this is the original English text. While much has developed since this article was written — see the links inserted here — I think the questions I raised then … Continue reading…

Posted in And Then I Wrote, Space Exploration | Tagged Mars, NASA Solar System Exploration | Leave a reply

THE EASTERN TRIO

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 21, 2021 by Richard HillJanuary 21, 2021
This entry is part 39 of 39 in the series Lunarcy

The moon is just a thin crescent in the bright twilight sky as this trio of craters creep out from the lunar night. The large one on the right is Endymion (129km dia.) an ancient walled plain that was formed about 4 billion years ago (b.y.) . It’s accompanied by … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Moon, Uncategorized | Tagged Atlas, Craters, Endymion, Hercules, Moon | Leave a reply
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Recent Comments

  • Joel Hopko January 24, 2021 at 12:24 pm on Faith, Science and Astronomy TextbooksProfessor Graney -- Call me easily placated, but I was actually somewhat relieved that most of the texts reviewed at least attempted to provide some nuance to the Galileo narrative. Certainly an improvement over the "martyr for science" trope so frequently dispensed over popular media. Obviously much work remains, but...
  • Fr. James Kurzynski January 20, 2021 at 6:48 am on Space Missions In 2021: What Are You Most Excited To See In This New Year?Thanks Janine! I love your reflection on the Al Amal mission! I was so impressed with the video they produced and, yes, I can't wait to see the United Arab Emirates contribution to science! It's something that isn't mentioned much, but should be mentioned more: True science, by its very...
  • Janine Samz January 19, 2021 at 9:37 am on Space Missions In 2021: What Are You Most Excited To See In This New Year?Thank you, Father. Let's see. I am drawn to three! The Emirates one is interesting because of the extent of what they are looking for and from history I know the Arab culture used to be a leader in science. It would be interesting to see them at work again...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 19, 2021 at 8:59 am on “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing SeasonMy experience with students and the general public is that a reasonable number of people will be amazed by the real universe. For example, people who saw the conjunction on the 21st were generally amazed. But certainly Cosmos seems to think that stuff has to be over the top.
  • Stan Sienkiewicz January 16, 2021 at 9:17 am on “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing SeasonIt is a shame that the producers of the show are not amazed by the real world and need to enhance reality with special effects. I feel you are discussing a topic that is coming up quite often about our culture: the lack of astonishment. I recently had taken a...
  • Fernando Comeron January 15, 2021 at 5:22 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceIncidentally, you can see that we at the European Southern Observatory (ESO, of which Ireland is a member too) did something that bears some resemblance several years ago. We invited visitors to our headquarters near Munich on the open doors day in 2011 to put hexagons together to reproduce a...
  • Fernando Comeron January 15, 2021 at 5:07 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceNice article, Deirdre -and actually hexagons in space are very common, although very tiny. Carbon hexagonal cycles are at the basis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of molecules that compose the cold interstellar medium. So hexagons are pretty much everywhere in the Universe!
  • Bob Trembley January 14, 2021 at 2:01 am on In the Sky This Week – January 12, 2021Thanks for keeping me honest! :) I corrected it to say "Mercury appears slightly higher above the horizon each evening." When you advance days in Stellarium at dusk, you see Jupiter and Saturn get lower each day, and Mercury getting higher. Venus gets a bit lower each morning in the...
  • Joseph O'Donnell January 12, 2021 at 10:03 am on In the Sky This Week – January 12, 2021"Mercury appears slightly higher above the horizon each morning" I believe you mean Venus or am I missing something?
  • Christopher M. Graney January 4, 2021 at 10:50 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderVery interesting -- I had never read the "Gospel of James", or "Protoevangelium of James", until now. Below is its whole section about the star, for those not familiar with it. Remarkably, the same problem is found in it. It follows Matthew in talking about the magi. No one knows...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 4, 2021 at 10:43 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderI should have been more clear. When I said "This sounds just like the Great Conjunction of 2020", I meant it sounds like that *kind* of thing -- something no one who was not an astronomer would have noticed it just by chance.
  • Alfred Kracher January 2, 2021 at 10:47 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderEmbellishments of Matthew’s simple “star” into a spectacular miracle are all but irrresistible. Already in the apocryphal 2nd century Gospel of James it shines with an “incredible brilliance amidst the constellations and making them seem dim.” And over the centuries artists of all kinds have further expanded on these exaggerations,...
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé January 2, 2021 at 5:30 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderI thought the biggest objection to the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction being the “Star of Bethlehem” was the 800 year cycle of its occurrence viz. the timing is off. Also, I am reminded of a comment of an amateur astronomer when he went to Chile, up in the Andes. He said there...
  • Stan Sienkiewicz December 26, 2020 at 1:07 pm on The Sun Illuminates Fort AncientYes, while not quite following the astronomy it still is fascinating to see what these early N American people did to their environment. As to why they did it and your article disagreeing with the solstice explanation reminded me of the book, Motel of the Mysteries. It is a funny...
  • Joel Hopko December 24, 2020 at 1:09 pm on Bah! Humbug. Science.And a very Merry Christmas to you Professor. May your spirit and inquiring mind continue to brighten our New Year! Joel Hopko
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé December 21, 2020 at 6:04 pm on Was Jesus Born on December 25? The Fight Between Inculturation and Radical Certitude.Just saw this Socrates In The City from 2005 with Eric Metaxas interviewing Colin Nicholl. His book and thesis is that the Star of Bethlehem was one big comet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mT-8O8S_Fw&t=1s
  • Bob Prokop December 21, 2020 at 12:08 pm on Was Jesus Born on December 25? The Fight Between Inculturation and Radical Certitude.It's interesting that Tolkien chose March 25th as the date the One Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom (see the appendixes to The Return of the King for the date). It can't be a coincidence that the destruction of evil in Middle Earth coincides with the Annunciation...
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé December 21, 2020 at 10:35 am on Was Jesus Born on December 25? The Fight Between Inculturation and Radical Certitude.Here is an interesting take by Liberato De Caro, Ph.D., of the Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council in Bari, Italy, who led the research, proposes that the date of Jesus’ birth. He posits 1 BC for Jesus’ Birth. For your consideration. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/liberato-de-caro-nativity?utm_campaign=NCR%202019&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=102396683&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9xKkcgGuiy7rFyWiX8fgbgA63Wabi_9C-VcU6QmESl4QYoKUDYHXm6DrY_jGwbVptu0roDhgBz363uEIX8dd6P7oOaBQ&utm_content=102396683&utm_source=hs_email
  • Bob Prokop December 18, 2020 at 7:52 am on Pursuing the ConjunctionLooks like we're going to be clouded out here in Maryland. But I did get a good look at the two planets last night (Thursday). They were already practically on top of each other! So it has not been a total loss. By the way, your December 14th drawing is...
  • Fr. James Kurzynski December 14, 2020 at 6:42 am on Follow the Money, the Science, or the Theology? A Second Reflection on the Forthcoming Artemis Moon Mission.Thanks Ed! I so appreciate your thoughts! As a fellow "Star Trek" fan, I can appreciate you insight! :)

Top Posts

  • Specola Guestbook | September 25, 1983: Leo O'Donovan SJ
    Specola Guestbook | September 25, 1983: Leo O'Donovan SJ
  • Looking for Wormwood
    Looking for Wormwood
  • Biblical Signs in the Sky? September 23, 2017
    Biblical Signs in the Sky? September 23, 2017
  • Faith, Science and Astronomy Textbooks
    Faith, Science and Astronomy Textbooks
  • Galaxies and Nebulae - What They Really Look Like
    Galaxies and Nebulae - What They Really Look Like
  • ⓜ Full Moon-th Meetup: 28 January, 2021
    ⓜ Full Moon-th Meetup: 28 January, 2021
  • Hunting for Saffordites East of Mt. Graham and the Vatican Telescope. pt. 2
    Hunting for Saffordites East of Mt. Graham and the Vatican Telescope. pt. 2
  • Religious Scientists: Sr. Miriam Michael Stimson O.P. (1913-2002); Structure of DNA
    Religious Scientists: Sr. Miriam Michael Stimson O.P. (1913-2002); Structure of DNA
  • In the Sky This Week – June 30, 2020
    In the Sky This Week – June 30, 2020
  • Get the Moon in your Head - Learn from Galileo and Apollo 11
    Get the Moon in your Head - Learn from Galileo and Apollo 11

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