Altitude of the Sun (pt. 2)

Quoted from my Part One post, “When measuring the altitude of the Sun, it is important not to look directly at the sun” yet in this observation, that’s what I did. However the Sun was so low in the sky (5°)  and I only saw a few rays through the trees (through the small hole of the quadrant) that even though my eyes were exposed to UV Rays, I did not consider it “looking into the Sun.”

At 3:50 pm EST on December 14, 2017, the Sun was 5° above the horizon

Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper Later in the Night

Two and a half hours later, Cassiopeia had slightly shifted position [*vertical, not horizontal] and I didn’t think the Big Dipper changed very much. So there wasn’t much to report for changes. Once again, the southeastern sky was an astounding sight and I’m so glad that this night gave me many observation opportunities. ✪ The sky was absolutely perfect. ♥



Related Observations:
Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper  http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/10/polaris-cassiopeia-and-big-dipper.html?m=1
Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper Later in the Year  http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/12/polaris-cassiopeia-and-big-dipper-later.html?m=1

Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper Later in the Year

When I went out this night, there was so much to see and being out there left me with such a happy feeling.
For this task I had to view Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper and compare what I saw to when I observed them earlier in the year (10/1). I noticed a shift in the orientation of the Big Dipper and that Cassiopeia had moved to the opposite side of Polaris.
It wasn’t necessary that I included these in my drawing, but I saw Castor and Pollux, Capella, and Orion, the latter two of which were very bright.

The next task was to go out a few hours later and look at the same things again, so let’s check out what I saw later in the night!



Related Observations:
Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper  http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/10/polaris-cassiopeia-and-big-dipper.html?m=1
Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper Later in the Night  http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/12/polaris-cassiopeia-and-big-dipper-later_29.html?m=1

Christmas Night Sky

After our holiday festivities, as I walked to the car, I looked up into the dark and enchanting sky. I'd have to say that the constellation Orion was the clearest I've ever seen it, so much that you could see the range of star colors (indicating the range of temperatures), with the red Betelgeuse and blue Rigel. I also pointed out Cassiopeia to my family, but it wasn’t very bright and it was hard to see the end star, Segin. There were a lot of bright stars in the western sky and I could easily see the Summer Triangle but it was too cold to stay out long, so I didn’t get the chance to point out much more than that. Being out on Christmas night looking at a beautiful night sky made me happy -as it always does- and was a great way to end the day’s celebration.
I hope you all had an amazing holiday with your loved ones. 🎄
         ♡ North Star Gazer

Super Full Moon

I was expecting a little more from this Super Full Moon, but it honestly didn't seem too much larger than normal. The coloration of the sky was very cool: a glowing blue-green sky closest to the moon and getting darker and deeper blue going outward. According to timeanddate.com, a Supermoon is "a Full or New Moon that occurs when the center of the Moon is less than 360,000 kilometers (ca. 223,694 miles) from the center of Earth." and a Super New Moon is 12-14% larger than normal, which explains why my expectation of "super" was not completely met.

Yesterday (12/18) was actually the Micro New Moon. It was cloudy, but I could see a little bit of a pink color in the sky.

International Space Station ☄

I had a schedule of when the ISS would be in the sky each night, and for two weeks, I'd been watching for it, but it was always cloudy. The first day I looked, it was a clear night and I was looking in the right spot, but for some reason, I just didn't see it. Now, I can't believe that I didn't see it that night because when I finally saw it for this observation, it was so big compared to the stars, shining brightly and moving fairly quickly in an arc across the sky. I remember stepping outside and looking up, spotting the ISS immediately. A smile stretched across my face - I was happy, excited, and thinking about the astronauts and scientists up there. Once the space station started to leave my view, I remember taking off one shoe and hopping one-footed through my house to the front door so I wouldn't let the snow inside. I watched the ISS pass through Cassiopeia (my favorite constellation), travel east, and then set behind the trees. It was suddenly over, but those two minutes of awe and excitement were one hundred percent worth it. 

Third Quarter Moon

This third quarter moon shone brightly through the light blue southern sky. I wondered whether it was still considered third quarter or if by this point it had become a waning crescent because this phase was technically on the 10th, but this was in the morning on the 11th, so I’m curious as to when it officially “changes” phase.

Constellation Trinket Tray

Inspired by We're Going to Make It's Astrological Sign Trinket Dish, I created one of my own with the constellation Cassiopeia, my favorite constellation. I really love the way it turned out. The instant I saw this project on their blog, I knew I had to make it.

Materials:

• clay (oven-bake)
• cup or bowl
• plastic knife
• pencil (or other object with a point)
• acrylic paints
• paint brushes

I started with just the green clay, then realized that I'd need more, so I added orange. I'd suggest using a lighter colored clay so you don't need to use as many coats of paint for full coverage.

I rolled out the clay and cut it into a circle by tracing around a mug. Once I had my clay into  the shape I wanted for my dish (I crimped the edges with my fingers), I took a pencil to poke holes where the stars of the constellation would be and then dragged the pencil to draw faint lines connecting the stars.

I kept fiddling around with the shape, trying to perfect it, but I eventually said enough is enough and put it into the oven according to the directions. My dish probably could have baked a few minutes longer because it is still a little bendable.

After letting the dish cool, I started painting it. I used a light blue for the top and for the bottom, I mixed a few colors to get somewhere between a forest green and turquoise color.

For the last step, I went in with gold acrylic paint to fill in the constellation and also made a gold edge around the tray.

I'm really happy with the way my trinket tray turned out! It would be a great holiday gift for someone who loves the stars; you could do either one of the Dippers or their astrological sign, as was done by We're Going to Make It ~ thank you for the inspiration.

to see how I made the Galaxy Bracelet in the image above, click here