Light pollution: Any adverse effect of artificial light including sky glow, glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased visibility at night, and energy waste. Light pollution is not only a hinderance to astronomy, but it also impacts us directly.
Light pollution:
We have welcomed many different groups to come to visit our observatory, from school classes, to extracurricular groups and day camps.
On cloudy days or evenings, we will still offer lectures or video presentations to our visitors.
For those that can not make our Public Viewing events, there are various astronomical viewings available through out the state, to the public, such as in:
The Sun is in the constellation of Gemini, almost like it is a ball they are kicking around. Any ball that is kicked high up into the air, will reach a peak height before it returns to the ground. And so, our own planet reached its peak distance away from the Sun in its orbit around the star, this past week on July the 4th. That made it Aphelion Day! And just as a ball does after passing the peak height and begins its fall to the ground, our planet began to travel faster afterwards too, in its orbit as it continues on in the year.
The Sun will pass "off sides" and out of the twins playground at July 20th to then enter Cancer the crab's realm. And on it will continue, through to Leo the lion's den on August 10th. While it may seem like a tasty snack to Leo, our star will safely pass by him and on to meet with Virgo the maiden on September the 16th.
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1st Qtr. Moon | Aug. 12th | ||
Full Moon | Aug. 19th | |||
Last Qtr. Moon | Aug. 26th | |||
New Moon | Sep. 3rd | |||
1st Qtr. Moon | Sep. 11th | |||
Full Moon | Sep. 17th |
Partial Lunar Eclipse P1: 2041, Max 2244, P4: 0047 |
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Last Qtr. Moon | Sep. 25th | |||
New Moon | Oct. 2nd |
Section updated: July 29th, 2024.
Note: compare shower dates with Moon for favorable viewing conditions; the fuller the Moon, the harder it will be to see the meteors!
Peak Night |
Name |
Radiant's |
Source |
Zero |
Meteors' |
Description |
Conditions |
Aug. 11-12th |
Perseids |
Perseus |
comet 109P |
100 |
59 km/s |
fast, bright |
GREAT!! |
~Aug. 31st |
Aurigids |
Auriga |
C/1911 Kiess? |
6 |
66 km/s |
fast, some |
Great!! |
~Sep. 8th |
Epsilon |
ε Perseus |
? |
5 |
64 km/s |
fast, some |
Great!! |
Viewing Tips: Find a decent location away from obstructive lights in night, especially avoid bluish-white lights that so impact your night vision capabilities which you'll need to see the fainter meteors! The meteors are generally heaviest in the wee hours of the morning as then we'll be in front of the Earth as it plows it way through the debris trail. You'll want a clear and unobstructed view of the sky as you can find as the meteors will appear to travel across the entire sky. It is this reason that an observatory, like FAU's, is a poor choice to go to observe a meteor shower. An even worse place to go would be a cave! In South Florida, I often advise folks to try the beach, though please be VERY careful during sea turtle season! Egg nests or little hatchlings can be easily crushed by clumsy feet. Use only red LED flashlights if you go to the beach to not only avoid stepping on these reptiles, but the color also protects your night vision (and of course your night time circadian rhythm, too) so that you can see the show. Bring a blanket, use bug spray, get comfortable and enjoy the view!
Additional details about meteors, showers or to REPORT your own fireball observations should be done via http://amsmeteors.org.
August 2024 |
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