ASTRONOMY ON PILLS
INDEX
- Blu Moon
- Equinoxes and Solstices
Meteor Showers
- Geminid
- Leonids
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BLU MOON
When we talk about Blu Moon, we don't speak about a color of the Moon,
but only of a Full Moon that succedes twice in the same month.
This expression is used between english spoken people to indicate this
event. and this is not a very frequent event, so sometimes is used the phrase
" once in a blue moon " to indicate a rare event.
The period of this event is about two year and half: it will take place on
december 31, 2009, and next one will be on august 2012.
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EQUINOXES AND SOLSTICES
Equinox word is coming from latin equa-nox, that mean night equal to daylight.
Solstice word is coming from latin sol-statio, that is standing of the Sun (on sky)
for day or night the longest of the year.
Spring Equinox: march 20.
Summer Solstice: june 20 or 21.
Autumn Equinox: september 22 or 23.
Winter Solstice: december 21 or 22.
Equinoxes and Solstices are fixed points on Earth Orbit around Sun; each year, Earth is
arriving to these points 6 hours late, respect the preceding year, the reason of late arrival
can also change the date.
The cycle start again with the leap year.
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METEOR SHOWERS
GEMINID
Geminid is a very active meteor shower during the month of december.
The name of this shower is because the meteors seem to emerge from Gemini Constellation,
near one of the twin star Castor.
The meteors are small parts of the remnants of an object known as 3200 Phaethon which
is thought to be an extinct comet or an Apollo asteroid.
Geminid is the only one shower generated from remnants of an asteroid.
In 2009 the maximum of the showers is forecasted (for Italy) during the night of december
13-14.
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LEONIDS
Leonids is a very active meteor shower during the month of november.
The name of this shower is because the meteors seem to emerge from Leo Constellation.
The meteors are small parts of the remnants of tail of Temple-Tuttle comet during
the various passages arond the Sun, and distribuited along the full orbit.
The period of this comet is 33 years.
During November the planet Earth is going through the comet orbit, and the remants
of the comet tail fall into the Earth atmosphere, they burn and create the spectacular
phenomena..
In 2009 the maximum of the showers is forecasted (in Italy) during the night of november
17 and 18..
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