Category: astronomy

Winter Solstice 2021

In spite of the Omicron variant, December solstice will happen as it has for as long as the earth has traveled around the sun. This year, it happens today, December 21, at 9:59 am. Chicago time. This is the moment when the sun appears to be above the Tropic of Capricorn, marking the beginning of... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
December 21, 2021 at 9:52 am
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Hello, Moon

Hello, Moon
After the time shift, it’s dark by 5 PM now. This takes some getting used to. Yes, artificial lights are helpful, and we have many kinds. There’s glow-in-the-dark running shoes, jackets, dog leashes, bike tires. There are special lights that reproduce the natural light spectrum to help with seasonal depression. There’s screens and phones, and... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
November 10, 2021 at 7:15 am
• 12 comments

Full Blood Flower Moon, Auroras--and Brood X!

Full Blood Flower Moon, Auroras--and Brood X!
Coming this week—the full flower moon, on May 26. This full moon will also be a total lunar eclipse, called a blood moon. You can read more about blood moons here. This total eclipse won’t be visible in the midwest, unfortunately. But if you are up very early on May 26, you could see a... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
May 24, 2021 at 10:26 am
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Welcome January

Welcome January
Welcome January, and a New Year! Welcome bare trees and cold wind, ice and snow-covered sidewalks. Welcome buds on the branches, and increasing light with each passing day. Welcome to 2021. And maybe when you look back on the past year, you remember how just about a year ago, there was news of a new... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
January 2, 2021 at 4:15 pm
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The Great Conjunction--December 21, 2020

The Great Conjunction--December 21, 2020
Approaching the winter solstice, there is also the Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn  on December 21. You can read more about the Great Conjunction at Space.com. Jupiter takes less than 12 Earth years to complete an orbit around the sun.  Saturn takes more than 29 Earth years.  Every 20 years they come close to... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
December 13, 2020 at 11:59 am
• 2 comments

Phases of October Moons

Phases of October Moons
In the midst of these uncertain times, there is the ever-changing moon. Every night, a different face. Perhaps the most familiar is the round full moon. It is the bane of werewolves!  It is older than humans, and the inspiration of music and myth, stories, paintings, photographs and poetry. The month of October offers crisp clear... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
October 12, 2020 at 12:56 pm
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Super Spring Moon

Super Spring Moon
Signs of spring are everywhere now, and the moon grows fat and full.  Tuesday, April 7 will be a full moon, the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The full moon on Tuesday night is also called the Pink Moon, the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, the Passover Moon, Paschal Moon, Hanuman Jayanti, and Bak... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
April 6, 2020 at 8:35 pm
• 4 comments

Snow Moon Sunday

Snow Moon Sunday
As I write this, the sky is the color of snow, and snow is falling, big fat flakes.  Forecast is clouds and snow in Chicago, so we probably won’t see the full moon tonight . The full moon on Sunday February 9 is called the Snow moon, Hunger Moon, Bone Moon or Storm Moon. One... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
February 9, 2020 at 11:55 am
• 4 comments

What if there was no moon?

What if there was no moon?
This post was inspired by an article on Astronomy.com. You can read more here. We look up at the moon, and what do we see?  Do we see what poets saw, what astronomers in  Egypt and Persia saw thousands of years ago?  There are human footprints on the moon, now.  The moon is a muse,... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
December 8, 2019 at 3:12 pm
• 8 comments
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Mysterious glowing object spotted over Chicago area

Mysterious glowing object spotted over Chicago area
Tuesday, June 18—There were many reports of a mysterious glowing object in the sky over the Chicago area after the fog cleared in the afternoon today. Witnesses reported the object was so bright it hurt to look at it. Some had vague memories of seeing it before, but weeks of rain and fog had muddled their... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
June 18, 2019 at 3:50 pm
• 6 comments