The Sky This Month
Galactic Shapes
Brian Biggs
Welcome to our night-time sky. Please enjoy
this month’s tidbits of knowledge. We are
lucky to live in a dark-sky area where the
heavens can shine through. I hope you enjoy
the sky and perhaps learn a thing or two.
Happy star gazing!
Mind Your Asterism – We have all created asterisms, even
though we may not have known it at the time. If you have ever
stared at a cloud and thought, “That looks like a fluffy pillow,”
then you have created an asterism. Technically, an asterism is
a grouping of stars that resembles an object in everyday life.
The most famous asterism is the Big Dipper. This grouping of
stars looks surprisingly enough, like a dipper! Constellations
can also resemble objects
(or people), such as Orion,
which resembles a man
with a belt and sword.
Asterisms
are
more
informal groupings. For
example, the Big Dipper
(an asterism) is actually
a part of Ursa Major (a
constellation). There are
other asterisms out there,
some famous, and some not
so famous. You probably
know the Little Dipper, but
have you heard of the Coat
Hanger? This grouping of
stars represents an upside down coat hanger in the obscure
constellation of Vulpecula. Then of course, there are the
myriad of asterisms created every night as people gaze at the
stars and create their own.
Blue Moon. It’s Not Just a Beer – Most people have heard the
expression, “Once in a Blue Moon.” You may have said this,
but did you know that there actually are Blue Moons? Not in
color, but in frequency. In most years, there are twelve Full
moons. About every third year, we get an extra Full Moon.
The Moon orbits the Earth every 29.5 days. The calendar
month is 30.4 days on average, leaving a gap of almost one
day. So, after 30-35 months, one of the months will have two
full Moons. The second full Moon in a month is a Blue Moon.
The last Blue Moon was on August 31, 2012. This month, we
will have a full Moon on July 1st, and then a Blue Moon on
July 31st. Don’t miss it or you will have to wait until January
31, 2018 – unless you stop at Maverik to pick up a six-pack.
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pccnews
July 2015
21