Tag Archives: Science

Don’t Miss These Spectacular Cosmic Events!

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The first planetary event is a lunar occultation. I had never heard that before, have you?

It sounds quite witchy and magical, don’t you agree? I hope our SoCal skies are clear tonight so I’ll be able to see what it’s all about and absorb some of that mystical celestial enchantment.

Tonight, July 28, two worlds align as the Moon will pass incredibly close to Mars to create a lunar occultation — a fascinating event where the Moon temporarily hides the Red Planet from view.

Lunar occultations involving bright planets like Mars are incredibly rare.

The Moon will move in front of Mars, causing the planet to disappear behind it for a brief period. This is known as a lunar occultation, and it’s a stunning, rare cosmic alignment you’ll want to catch.

Depending on your location, you could experience:

🌓 Mars completely disappearing behind the Moon (full occultation)

🌓 A close conjunction, with both celestial bodies appearing side-by-side in the sky.

🌓 No telescope required — but binoculars or a zoom lens will give you a clearer view.

🌓 Look toward the eastern sky shortly after sunset for the best view.

There’s more…

Don’t miss this two-in-one meteor shower.

The second sky show will occur tomorrow, July 29–30. We’re in for a breathtaking celestial show as two meteor showers—the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids—reach their peak at the same time.

This rare double meteor shower event will light up the night sky with glowing streaks of light, creating a truly magical experience.

The Southern Delta Aquariids, active from July 18 to August 12, will be at their brightest around these dates and can produce up to 8 meteors per hour under dark skies. Meanwhile, the Alpha Capricornids, though milder at around 3–5 meteors per hour, are known for occasionally producing bright fireballs that surprise even experienced stargazers.

With the moon only 27–36% full, the darker skies will make this event even more visible. It’s the perfect time to step outside, find a quiet spot, and enjoy nature’s own light show.

Info curated from Astrowonders, Google, and Pinterest

Don’t forget to LOOK UP!!!

Earthquakes and Wind Chimes, OH MY!

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I had another post planned for today but then this happened!

I was in a store looking at a wall of wind chimes (I love them so much). They were on sale which always gives me an added thrill.

Suddenly, ALL THE WIND CHIMES STARTED SWAYING BACK AND FORTH!

I had a split second realization that we were going to have an earthquake, and at that precise moment, there was a very loud bang, like the ceiling and the lights were going to crash down around us — definite sky is falling vibes.

The entire store was rocking and rolling. People started to rush out the front doors as we’ve been taught. I thought about it for a couple seconds and decided not to follow the crowd because I had a few things in my cart for the Angels and didn’t want to have a wasted shopping trip. In the face of potential danger, my shopping obsession prevailed lol.

Phone alarms were going off like crazy with initial reports of a 6.2 earthquake which is pretty big. Later on it was downgraded to a 5.2, but it felt more powerful than that. It was reported as having a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) of VI, which is classified as “strong”. There were several aftershocks all afternoon; not as scary.

A woman near me was shaking, visibly upset. I asked her if she needed a hug, she said yes, so I gave her one, hoping it would calm her down a bit. I agree it was definitely upsetting.

Should I stay or go? I decided the planets and the universe had given me an unmistakable SIGN that I needed to buy that chime I had been looking at, so I did.

The last BIG earthquake here was the 2010 Baja California quake that occurred on April 4 (Easter Sunday) with a magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (very strong). Including today and our 4.2 earthquake in 2023, these all took place in April. I think that might be a significant fact, but I’m not sure exactly what it means…

I’ll never forget that Sunday in 2010. My darling kitty, Bandit, was keeping me company while I painted the downstairs living room. I had created a color that replicated the inside of a conch shell, sort of light pink/tan; exactly what I wanted. I was on a ladder when Bandit jumped on the sofa next to where I was and stared up at me. I looked at her and said, “What’s up, my love?” At that moment, the entire house felt and sounded like a train ran through it. The ladder was shaking and I had a hard time coming down. It was quite disorienting. Bandit gave me the dirtiest look like I had personally upset her tranquil morning. I ran upstairs and out onto the deck in time to watch my neighbor’s pool water slosh back and forth and pour over the sides. That earthquake went on for quite a while. All the neighbors ended up going out in the street to make sure we were all OK, and except for a few askew picture frames, none of my (way too many) seashells and other little things I collect fell off the shelves. I finished painting the room but Bandit spent the day hiding under the bed. She had enough excitement for one day.

This quake felt similarly powerful to me, but didn’t last quite as long. At least I can count on my new earthquake warning system, right?

I bet my old geology professor will appear on all the TV stations as he usually does to talk about tectonic plates and shifts and faults and all that stuff. I’m still angry at him for giving me a “D” in Geology. Considering how much I love rocks, that shouldn’t have happened, but to be honest, it was a great year for skiing and Mammoth was calling to me, so I guess I missed a few too many classes…

Departure From The Norm

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This post is a departure from what I usually write about because I just spent a few minutes gazing at this mindblowing optical illusion and I was totally freaked out, so I need to ask…

Does this work for everybody? The brain is a wondrous thing…

Schroeder stairs is an optical illusion, a two-dimensional drawing which may be perceived either as a drawing of a staircase leading from left to right downwards or the same staircase only turned upside down, a classical example of perspective reversal in psychology of perception. It’s named after the German natural scientist, Heinrich G. F. Schröder, who published it in 1858.

November Lunar Eclipse | Blood Moon

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On November 19, 2021 (late evening of the 18th in some time zones), the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, creating a partial lunar eclipse so deep that it can reasonably be called almost total.

I love all phases of the moon but a full moon is particularly beautiful, don’t you agree?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. In this eclipse, up to 99.1% of the Moon’s disk will be within Earth’s umbra.

During the eclipse, the Moon moves through the western part of the constellation Taurus, my own sign, so I’m excited about that!

The same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse. It’s called Rayleigh scattering.

Light travels in waves, and different colors of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength. Red light, on the other hand, travels more directly through the atmosphere.

When the Sun is overhead, we see blue light throughout the sky. But when the Sun is setting, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere and travel farther before reaching our eyes. The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light passes through.

I hope for a clear sky tonight. In Southern California, the eclipse will begin at 10:02 p.m. on Thursday and will last for a little over six hours, the longest one since the 1400s.

Info curated from SciTechDaily

Galaxies in a Kaleidoscope: Contemplations

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From pickles to the contemplation of broken glass and mirrors; apparently that’s how my mind works!

I’ve always been fascinated by kaleidoscopes; pieces of things that collide to create something beautiful–but fleeting

Peering into one, it seems as if this human-made created and patterned universe of colorful swirling glass morphs into artificial realities.

What’s the question here? Is it that reality doesn’t seem real anymore.or are we simply a fractured, fragmented view of another reality?

In a kaleidoscope, that which exists for an instant will disappear; ephemeral, never to be seen again in that same way, even though the original, organic pieces are still there.

Reality: the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. Or, the state or quality of having existence or substance.

One small flick of the wrist and our entire universe can change. Just like a kaleidescope. In any reality. Or any sort of purgatory.

I like to share quotes from others:

“It was as if her life was a huge kaleidoscope, and the kaleidoscope had been turned and now everything was changed. The same stones shaken, no longer made the same design.”
Author: Betsy Byars

“Forrest Gump had it wrong. Life is not a box of chocolate; it’s a kaleidoscope. In the flip of a wrist, realities are shredded and the world takes on a totally new shape.”
Author: Carolyn Haines

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope; a slight change and all patterns alter.
Author: Sharon Salzberg

I like to know how things work. I like answers.

Science tells me that it’s the incline of the two mirrors inside a kaleidoscope that determines the number of times the pattern created by the reflection of an object is repeated. However, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a repeated pattern. At least, not that I remember.

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces tilted to each other in an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of the mirrors are seen as a regular symmetrical pattern when viewed from the other end, due to repeated reflection.

Each component works together synergistically to create an illusion of reality–and then it’s gone.

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Obviously I have zero answers to all deep questions; my pondering and contemplations are ephemeral and transitory–kaleidoscopic. My brain can only handle a tiny bit of this at any given time; now I need to watch a couple of episodes of the new Dynasty. Balance. It’s all about balance.

If you have time for a great read, check this out via the Exploratorium: Facets of Light: Colors, Images, and Things that Glow in the Dark
https://www.exploratorium.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/facets_of_light1980.pdf