From the Inside Out

If you watch the moon rise just after sunset on Saturday, you will get a glimpse of the first supermoon in 18 years. A supermoon — or perigee moon — occurs when the moon is full and at its closest orbit to Earth.

During this time, the moon will appear to be enormous when it lies close to the horizon. In fact, experts state that it may appear as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter. The phenomenon also pulls the tides about an inch higher than usual, but NASA denies rumors that a supermoon can fuel natural disasters.

The next supermoon won’t occur until 2029, so be sure to step outside tomorrow night and witness this spectacular optical illusion.

I’m writing this post late on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, I will join with millions of other Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus, but this Christmas is special. It means even more to me after my recent trip to Israel. While I was there, I had the privilege of visiting Bethlehem, the city of His birth. I can’t begin to describe how it felt to be in that city, and now that I’m home, the feeling still lingers with me. His birth somehow became more real, more alive, more tangible. That is just one of the many reasons why I enjoyed my trip to Israel so very much.

The Bible is not just a series of interesting stories. It is real. No matter how hard people try to disprove it, the Bible still stands true. Being in Israel — walking in His steps — even further cemented that in my mind. The study of history and science also continues to prove the validity of the events depicted in the Bible. For example, you may recall that the book of Matthew chronicles the journey of wise men who came from the East to worship Jesus. They saw His star and followed it to find Him. Even though the star appeared over 2,000 years ago, a BBC astronomer and Discovery new contributor recently decided to do some research into this special star and what it could have been.

Mark Thompson scoured through historical records and computer simulations until he stumbled upon a significant astronomical event that might explain what caused the Star of Bethlehem. According to an article by Ian O’Neill on Discovery News:

Between Sept. 3 B.C. and May 2 B.C. there were three conjunctions (on Sept. 14, 3 B.C., Feb. 17, 2 B.C. and May 8, 2 B.C.) where Jupiter passed close to the star Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo). This rare sequence of events would have looked very strange to those familiar with the night sky.

Thompson found that the gas giant passed Regulus in an easterly motion before appearing to reverse direction, passing the star again in a westerly direction. This change in direction is known as retrograde motion. Due to the near-circular orbits of Earth and Jupiter, as Earth has a faster orbital period than Jupiter, from our point of view we will appear to “overtake” the gas giant. The motion of Jupiter will therefore appear to change direction for several weeks before changing direction again continuing its easterly drift.

The Three Wise Men, thought by many to have been zoroastrianist priests (who were also renowned astrologers) might have noticed this strange motion and considered it to be a ’sign.’

“By camel it would have taken about three months and interestingly this is roughly about the same time Jupiter was traveling in this westward direction.”

Interestingly, Indiana University researchers noted in 2003 that there was a spectacular conjunction between Jupiter and Venus a month after Thompson’s time line. Both planets are thought to have overlapped in the night sky making them indistinguishable to the naked eye on June 17, 2 B.C.

People have often speculated about the accuracy of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. I’ll admit that I’ve wondered how a single star led people to the city of Bethlehem, but research shows us that it was not only possible, it was probable. Jupiter could have led the wise men to the city after its odd change in direction, and a conjunction with Venus may have provided the grand finale in the night sky. I’ve seen a conjunction before, and it is a unique sight to behold (click here for an example). Maybe, just maybe, this is what caught the attention of those searching for Jesus.

I don’t need scientific proof to believe it, but my inner “Scully” thinks it’s pretty cool when the Bible, history, and science align to validate the truth of the story. So, the next time you read the second chapter of Matthew or you watch a Christmas play, you’ll know how they followed the star.

I hadn’t planned to watch last night’s lunar eclipse, but as it drew near, I felt compelled to go outside and witness it. After all, I was still awake, and there wouldn’t be another opportunity to view a total lunar eclipse in the continental US until April 15, 2014. I felt like I should take advantage of the unique opportunity.

It was almost 1:00 am when I walked into the back yard and sat down next to the pool to watch the spectacle taking place in the night sky. Coincidently, the lunar eclipse was taking place on the same night as the winter solstice which marks the time when the Earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. The last time the lunar eclipse occurred on the same night as the Winter Solstice was in 1638. Because of the winter solstice, the moon appeared high in the night sky making it easy for star gazers to view it. I sat patiently as the shadow of the Earth began to creep over the face of the moon. I’ve seen it before, but it never gets old. The only thing that would have made it better was a close-up view. If only I had a telescope, I thought. Wait, I do have a telescope!

I snuck back inside, gathering the scope, accessories, and tripod. After assembling everything and changing out the old batteries, I was ready to go. Thankfully, the lunar eclipse passes slowly! The view from a telescope was amazing. I was able to see more definition on the surface of the moon and view more of the reddish color that accompanies a total lunar eclipse. I wish I had a camera to capture it. Wait, I do have a camera!

I rushed back inside to grab my pocket camera. I have used my telescope plenty of times before, but I have never tried to capture of picture through it’s lens. I wasn’t sure it would work, but I thought I’d give it a shot and see what happened. It would be my little eclipse experiment.

I gently placed the camera on top of the telescope lens, and to my surprise, it was able to capture the image displayed in the scope. Encouraged by my success, I changed a few settings on my camera and started snapping away. The pictures aren’t the best moon shots I’ve ever seen (you can’t see much of the surface definition), but then again they aren’t too bad for a cheap little camera pointed through the lens of an amateur, entry-level telescope. I have posted a few of the untouched, unedited pictures below. Check them out, and let me know what you think. I had a fun time playing with it. I may just have to repeat this little experiment again.

Lunar Eclipse with Moon Filter on the Lens

Lunar Eclipse with a 25mm Lens on a Meade ETX 70 Telescope

Lunar Eclipse with a 9 mm Lens

Full Lunar Eclipse

Party goers will get a special treat as they ring in the New Year on Thursday night. A somewhat rare New Year’s Eve blue moon will illuminate the night skies.

According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month, and it occurs every 2.5 years on average. However, blue moons appearing on New Year’s Eve are much more rare. The last time we had one on New Year’s Eve was way back in 1990. Since they only occur every 19 years, you won’t see another one on New Year’s Eve until 2028.

The blue moon will be visible, weather permitting, in the US, Canada, Europe, South America, and Africa. According to Jack Horkheimer, director emeritus of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium and host of a weekly astronomy TV show, “If you’re in Times Square, you’ll see the full moon right above you. It’s going to be that brilliant.” Here in Dallas, the moon should be visible in the eastern sky near the constellation Gemini as we say goodbye to 2009 and ring in the New Year.

If you missed the popular Perseid meteor shower this year, don’t fret. According to experts at NASA, the best meteor shower of 2009 is about to fall over North America. In the middle of December, it may be a cold night, but the possibility of viewing up to 140 meteors per hour could be worth it. So, dress warm, make some hot cocoa, and get ready for the light show.

The Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak on Dec. 13th and 14th under ideal viewing conditions. A new Moon will keep skies dark for the display and maximum activity should occur around 12:10 a.m. EST on Dec. 14th. No telescope is necessary, just try to find a dark place with little light pollution and then start scanning the sky.

NASA says the “Geminids are pieces of debris from a strange object called 3200 Phaethon. Long thought to be an asteroid, Phaethon is now classified as an extinct comet. It is, basically, the rocky skeleton of a comet that lost its ice after too many close encounters with the sun. Earth runs into a stream of debris from 3200 Phaethon every year in mid-December, causing meteors to fly from the constellation Gemini.”

Astronomers believe the intensity is increasing every year, which means the show just keeps getting better. Mark your calendar now, and don’t miss out on the best meteor shower of the year!