Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summer Begins Today in the Northern Hemisphere

Summer begins today, June 21, in the northern hemisphere as the sun reaches the summer solstice. It is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer (23 degrees, 26 minutes north latitude), the longest period of daylight and shortest period of night occurs today. From here on the days begin to get shorter. In Israel the summer solstice begins at 8:16PM local time.

Tropic of Cancer

Also, magical things happen this night:

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight; (Shakespeare, "A Midsummer Night's Dream")

Titania

Monday, June 20, 2011

"Blow, Winds, and Crack Your Cheeks" -- King Lear

Image via WikipediaWe went up with Barbara and Harvey Brown tonight, they from Jolly Olde England, to whit, Londontown. The highlight of the night was the gibbous moon, suddenly rising as a great, orange, half-eaten tangerine. The sky immediately brightens and long shadows are cast behind us on the observing plateau. The moon rises at a regal pace, first gigantic on the horizon then diminished as it reaches altitude. It was grand in the giant binoculars.

The wind blew at a good clip on the plateau, and all were well frozen before the end of the night. If you want to avoid looking like King Lear in the Storm, remember to bring warm clothes, even in the summer.

Harvey Brown and wife Barbara, looking like characters from King Lear, as the tangerine moon rises behind them over Machtesh Ramon.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Report on June 15 Total Lunar Eclipse

From the Negev in Israel the sight was spectacular. No clouds, perfectly transparent sky, all stages of the eclipse visible from 8:22 on. We had a star party, about 18 people coming from the hotels here, including one couple, Jay and Julia, who drove all the way down from Jerusalem! The best view was with my William Optics 22x70 giant binooculars. And it was incredible. I've never seen the moon look so 3D, like a giant balloon hanging in the sky that you could reach out and touch.

The eclipse was very dark, with some central reddening on the moon as the eclipse progressed. I would class the eclipse at 1 on the Danjon Scale. As totality came to an end the western edge seemed to become very ashen and grey, with the 3D effect even stronger. It was uncanny how it seemed to be set off in relief from the sky through the binoculars. As totality progressed it quickly became darker around us and in the sky, and everyone was impressed with as how we were able to see clear shadows before the eclipse, we could barely see each other now. The Milky Way made a special appearance, and the many dim stars around the moon, it being quite close to the Milky Way, stood out sharply. Everyone said it was a memorable experience they would never forget.

We packed it in at around 12:30AM as fog began to roll in, making the ending partial phase of the eclipse look very spooky.

Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad - New Israelite Weekly

We got a nice write-up in the Dutch, Jewish newspaper, "Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad", The New Israelite Weekly. Thanks to reporter Joanne Nihom for the mention.

The caption reads: "A look at the stars.
The desert provides a stunning view of the night
stars. Enjoy the wonders of the universe, learn
astronomy and experience spectacular and unforgettable hours
with astronomer Ira Machefsky"

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Did You See Us in Today's Jerusalem Post?

Our interview about last night's total lunar eclipse made front page news in today's Jerusalem Post! Did you see it? Thanks to all who have helped to make us a success!!

Starman says Israel has best seat for total lunar eclipse

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Speaking of all of the volcanic eruptions occurring around the world, Mt. Puyehue in Chile erupted on June 6th, showing that Mother Nature is not happy about something. Look out below!