Sciences education : here comes the 1st Supermoon

Colorado, USA, 2014

credits : via Joe Randall

http://en.es-static.us/

After the Magic Blue Moon last July, here the full moon of August 29, 2015. It will be the first of this year’s three full supermoons.

It’s a full moon near perigee, or near its closest point to Earth for the month. Like it or not, modern skylore dictates that these sorts of moons are called supermoons.

A full moon is when the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth in the middle. As seen from the surface of the Earth, the moon is fully illuminated. Because it is opposite the sun in the sky, the moon rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. And, roughly 12 hours later, the moon sets in the west just as the sun is rising in the east.

Because the Earth is constantly revolving around the sun and the moon is constantly revolving around the Earth, a full moon is an instantaneous event, occurring when the moon is exactly opposite the sun. This week, such an alignment happens at 2:35 p.m. EDT (1835 GMT) on Saturday, Aug. 29. 

http://arraytheday.com/

August 2015 full moon is also the first of three full-moon supermoons in 2015. Previously, we had three new moon supermoons in January, February and March, 2015. 

The full moons on August 29, September 28 and October 27 all enjoy the supermoon designation because the centers of these full moons and the center of Earth are less than 361,836 kilometers (224,834 miles) apart. The closest supermoon of the year comes with the September 28 full moon, presenting a moon that’s only 356,877 kilometers (221,753 miles) from Earth. 

The closest and largest full supermoon of them all will fall on September 28, to stage a total eclipse of the moon. Some will call it a Blood Moon eclipse.

But will our eye see that the moon is bigger on the night of August 29? It will depend. 

Are you an incredibly careful observer? Have you watched the full moon over a period of months, leading up to now? 

If so, says Daniel Fischer in Königswinter, Germany, you can discern the extra-large size of the supermoon using just your eye. 

http://en.es-static.us/

ducation :

Three Supermoon. Again ! Wow !

The last time a supermoon made headlines was in July 12 2014, when it appeared to be 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter. However, you can read my post Supermoon in Science education (2013).

Schools are prepared to start the new school year in Europe. But in the Uniter States the summer break for students and teachers have finished this week.

All teachers, no matter the new school year begun or not, are in touch with students via Facebook or Twitter school or personal account, viaschool email accounts, or even on blogs or educational websites (school or individual).

Skywarchers

https://newsela-test-files-f331e.s3.amazonaws.com/

So I think they invited their students to join some skywatchers at national observatories of Astronomy, or go out with family observing the supermoon of tonight.

Ask students to make some shots or videos with their smartphones, tablets or

iphones to explore in Sciences curriculum after Summer holiday.

And of course, to compare with the summer supermoon 2014.

Next week, at school, even in Europe, (school year will start next week), teachers and students will exchange their experience, exploring the resources and debating the interesting Science case.

In practice, it's not always easy to tell the difference between a supermoon and an ordinary full Moon. A 30% difference in brightness can easily be masked by clouds and haze.  Also, there are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks about the same size as any other.

 “The ‘Moon Illusion’  is probably what will make people remember this coming set of Full Moons, more than the actual view of the Moon itself,” 

The closest and largest full supermoon of them all will fall on September 28, to stage a total eclipse of the moon. Some will call it a Blood Moon eclipse.

Meditation

https://lovinglifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/

Mystic side:


Oh! By the way, are you ready to attract your heartfelt longings by doing a moon ritual focused on manifestation? 

Full moons are always energetically powerful, deeply creative and also intensely magical times.

All full moons bring us in touch with our emotions, our sensitivities and our inner-selves. We all feel different on a full moon night.

Today August 29^th, 2015 we are havin Full Monn in Piscies that will light up the summer sky and, perhaps, bring some new insight onto the scene. 

Sun in Virgo opposite Moon in Pisces. Full Moons are a time where we can feel challenged by the energy of two opposite signs. In this case it is the polarity of the Sun in Virgo (Ego Needs) and Moon in Pisces (Emotional Needs).

Powerful twists and turns of perception could set us on a brand new course, given all the combinations in play.

"Full moon *SuperMoon* is here in dreamy Pisces bringing forth the fluid energies that connect us to the unseen worlds. This is a beautiful spiritual Full Moon that calls us to connect with the deepest part of our Soul and to remember that there’s more to life than meets the eye. We are being called to feel beneath the surface to access the magic experience of direct communication and communion with the world around us. Open up your whole Self and experience the grandeur of oneness. "

The Pisces Moon is aligned with Neptune, amplifying our connection to the spiritual, quantum energies of life.

Oh! I like this spiritually coming from the Full Moon in our life. Well, let's be open mind to appreciate all the good things that it can be brought to us.

Hope you will enjoy to be a skywatcher tonight, August 29 admiring the beauty of this awesome scientific event. And of course with an open mind to the magic of the moment not only in the sky, also into aour life.

(...)
Far far away
No voices sounding
No one around me
And you're still there
Far far away
No choices passing
No time confounds me
And you're still there

In the full moon's light I listen to the stream
And in between the silence hear you calling me
But I don't know where I am
And I don't trust who I've been
And If I come home how will I ever leave.

Full Moon, Twilight soundtrack, by The Black Ghosts

Hope you will enjoy the music and will admire the beauty of Full Mooon tonight.

G-Souto

29.08.2015
Copyright © 2015G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Science education : here come the 1st Supermoon by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

sources: 

EarthSky
The Elephant Journal

The Magic Blue Moon in Sciences Education : resources

credits: Elephant Journal

Blue moon,
You saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a love of my own.

Elvis Presley

Wow! Blue Moon!  A nice way to start my post listening Blue Moon.

Do you know Elvis Presley? No? He ushered in a whole new era of American music and popular culture.

And why listening Blue Moon? Ya, on Friday, August 15 July, much of the world had the opportunity to observe a Blue Moon: A somewhat rare occurrence that doesn't have anything to do with the moon's color.

But now, 2024, 19 August we will have  the same opportunity to observe again a Blue Moon (seasonal).

"The expression "once in a blue moon" has a long history of being used to describe rare events; but it was also used in the Maine Farmers' Almanac to describe the third full moon in a season that has four (normally, a three-month season will only have three full moons)."

So, when you look at the Blue Moon this Monday morning, don't expect to see a different color scheme (although it is possible for the moon to appear to have a bluish hue). 

Just be aware that the so-called Blue Moon is a by product of the contrast between the calendar month and the lunar month.

credits : Dreamtimes

• Let's learn about Blue Moon:

The full moon on July 31 is referred to as a Blue Moon, because it was preceded by the full moon on July 2. By this definition, a Blue Moon occurs roughly once every 2.7 years.

During most years, the Earth experiences 12 full moons, one in each month. But some years, such as 2015, have 13 full moons, and one of those "extra" lunar displays gets the label of Blue Moon.

When was the last Blue Moon, according to the monthly definition? It happened on August 31, 2012. The next will be January 2018.

Each season typically lasts three months and typically has three full moons. The next seasonal Blue Moon on August 19-20, 2024, happens because June’s full moon falls about two days after the June solstice, early in the season of northern summer (southern winter). And thus, there’s enough time to squeeze four full moons into the current season, which will end at the September equinox on September 22, 2024. Weirdly, it’s not the fourth of these four full moons that’ll be called a Blue Moon. It’s the third. 

• The list of full-moon :

Jan. 5, Feb. 3, March 5, April 4, May 4, June 2, July 2, July 31, Aug. 29, Sept. 28, Oct. 27, Nov. 25 and Dec. 25. 

In 2016, the first full moon falls on Jan. 23, and each calendar month has only one full moon.

Our last Blue Moon came on August 30-31, 2023. It wasn’t blue in color. Blue Moon is (usually) just a name. That 2023 Blue Moon carried the name Blue because it was the second full moon in a single month. 

A hypothetical representation of a blue-colored moon. Blue-colored moons are extremely rare.

credit: via BlueHypercane761/ Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Will the August 19, 2024, full Blue supermoon look this color? No. It’ll be a Blue Moon in name only. 

So, why is it a Blue Moon? The answer stems from the nature of skylore, and folklore in general. It’s lore. And it’s of the “folk.” So it sometimes gets messy.

Blue-colored moons in photos – like the one at the top of this post – are often made using special blue camera filters or in a post-processing program such as PhotoShop. Usually, but not always.

The Blue Moon of August 19, 2024, is different. It’s the third of four full moons in a season, with a single season being defined as the time between a solstice and an equinox. Those moons carry the name 

Blue Moon as well. And the August 19 Blue Moon is more. It’s also a supermoon, in fact, the first of four full supermoons in a row.

Infographic Blue Moon August 2012

via ISpace.com

The moon can sometimes appear reddish, especially during eclipses. But what we call a Blue Moon has nothing to do with its color. 

Thought to be called "blue" after an old English term meaning "betrayer," a Blue Moon is an extra full moon that occurs in that span, due to a quirk of the calendar. 

Occasionally two full moons will fall within the same month. The second full moon is also often called a Blue Moon, but this is not the term's original meaning.

The moon can actually appear blue under certain circumstances, such as when ash is present in the atmosphere from fires or volcanic eruptions. This type of Blue Moon cannot be predicted in advance, however.

Magic Blue Moon

credits: Elephant Journal

• Blue Moon and spiritual way:

Full moons are always energetically powerful, deeply creative and also intensely magical times.

All full moons bring us in touch with our emotions, our sensitivities and our inner-selves. We all feel different on a full moon night.

"When we are in tune with the natural energetic currents of nature, we can combine our own energy forces so that we have an extra surge, which helps to push us in the right direction.

This blue moon is a powerful one and it is signaling that it is time for us to take control and take the power back from areas of our lives that have been roaming free and taking us down a road that lead to nowhere."

Alex Miles, spiritual coach

via Farmer Almanac

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/blue-moon

We will meet with certain issues that have been haunting us face-to-face and rather than being fearful, we should see this as an excellent chance for growth and transformation.

We will be seeing ourselves in a new light and this will mean we will question everything around us. That's good.

"If we take a deep breath and head off on this once in a blue moon journey, we will soon find that the people and situations that do not offer mutual love, support and acceptance will gently drop by the wayside and this will leave an abundance of space for new, interesting and exciting people or opportunities to take their place."

Alex Miles

This blue moon is our time where we can all take the opportunity to be illuminated as brightly as the moon so that we can be energised, radiate and glow.

All we need to do is to listen to our intuition, pay very close attention, hear every word that it is saying to us and with every ounce of strength we can gather we must put everything we have into making these dreams a reality.

Oh! So good the spiritually from the Blue Moon in our life. Well, let's be open mind to appreciate all the good things that it can be brought to us.

https://en.es-static.us/

Education :

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper "please adore me"
And when I looked, the moon had turned to 

Rod Stewart

And Rod Stewart do you know him? The rock star of the 70's/80's? I love him. He always on the road.

The Blue Moon is really magic. Ya! Students love this kind of mysterious stories, legendary traditions. 

Summer break continues. Schools are closed in the most part of European countries, as well in North America, Australia, and most countries all over the world. 

However, teachers are in touch with students via social networks such as Facebook Twitter, Instagram. Even via personal blogs for students or school website.

So teachers, invite your students to join astronomers on NASA Television or skywatchers at national observatories of Astronomy, observing the blue moon this morning.

credits: Patrick Casaert

https://earthsky.org/

However, for much of North America skywatchers the moon will turn precisely full before sunrise on July 31. In Portugal at 11:43AM (GMT).

Oh, my ! It should offer some pretty photo opportunities for skywatchers. Ask students to take some photos if they are lucky or do small videos (some seconds) with their smartphones and tablets to explore in Science classroom next school year, very near to some of us.

After Summer break, teachers and students can present their material and debate their experiences. It will be good.

And remember: no matter what has come in or out of our lives in the past few years, once in a while we are given the chance to have everything we’ve always wanted. We just have to make the choice now to not let it go. Because certain chances only come around once in a blue moon.

Hope you will enjoy to be a skywatcher tomorrow, July 31, August 2 admiring the beauty of this awesome scientific event. And of course with an open mind to the magic of the moment not only in the sky, also into aour life.

Blue moon!
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own.


Lyrics Hart, Lorenz / Rodgers, Richard


I can't stop listening Blue Moon. Hope you will enjoy to admire the beauty of this scientific event. 

G-Souto

update: 19.08.2024

Copyright © 2024G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

The Magic Blue Moon in Sciences Education by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sources : 

video: Natural History Museum

Space.com

Earth Sky

The Elephant journal (mindful life)