Saturday 14th September 2024
Did you know tonight is officially ‘International Observe the Moon Night’?
International Observe the Moon Night is sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with many contributors.
We are lucky in Seaford to have dark skies both at Seaford Head and High and Over to view the moon. Although the South Downs National Park recommend Birling Gap as the best place to view the dark sky the photo they display in their 2024 Dark Skies Discovery Pack is taken from Seaford Head!
Luckily the moon is the brightest and largest object in the sky. The forecast tonight from 8pm varies between partly cloudy and clear so will be a great opportunity to moon gaze.
The moon phase tonight is waxing gibbous. This phase is when the lit-up part of the moon grows from 50.1% to 99.9%. This is the intermediate moon phase starting after the first quarter moon and lasting until the full moon. Waxing refers to the illuminated part of the moon getting bigger.
Herstmonceux Observatory is hosting a stargazing event tonight where you can view the night sky through their historic telescopes. Details can be found here. If you do go allow plenty of time as they have amazing indoor interactive exhibits where you can explore the exciting worlds of Forces, Earth and Beyond, Light and Colour plus Astronomy and Time. The exhibits appeal to all ages. There is also a very nice cafe on site!
If you can’t get out to see the moon tonight or would like the opportunity to photograph the moon through a telescope without owning any equipment you can control a NASA telescope and take a photo which will be emailed to you using this link
https://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/OWN/Own.pl
You don’t need to stop at photographing the moon, the link will allow you to photograph the solar system, the stars and nebulae plus the galaxies and beyond.
What is the moon?
Good question, it is Earth’s only natural satellite and is an average 238,855 miles away from us. There is a theory about the moon’s formation, about 4.5 billion years ago the Earth was struck a glancing blow by another nearly formed planet about the size of Mars. The force of the collision vapourised the second plant and sent a spray of super hot vapour into the orbit around the earth. This vapour cooled into a ring of debris which eventually coalesced into the moon. The moon used to have active volcanoes, they are all dormant now and have not erupted for millions of years.
Symbolism of the waxing gibbous moon
The waxing crescent of the moon represents a time of growth and renewal. Some traditions use the waxing moon as an opportunity for new pursuits and fresh starts.
Derrick’s photograph
The photo at the top of this post was taken by Derrick on a 10inch Skywatcher Dobsonian Telescope 25mm eyepiece on Samsung Galaxy A53 5G mobile phone in East Sussex UK . The Seven Sisters Astronomy Group is made up of a group of really friendly people who are very passionate about all things space and astronomy and love showing others the wonders and importance of the night sky. Their Facebook page can be found here.
Celebrating Seaford 