WHEN TO SEE THE LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Tuesday, March 3rd, Earth's shadow will swallow the Moon, producing a total lunar eclipse. The event will be visible in the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, Australia and much of Asia: visibility map. In the USA, the best time to look is 3 am Pacific time on Tuesday morning. Time Tables: EST, CST, MST, PST, UTC.
YUKON MOON HALOS: On Feb. 28th, Joel Weatherly witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime display of ice halos around the Moon. "They appeared while I was guiding an aurora tour in the Yukon Territory for Classic Canadian Tours," says Weatherly. "It was a truly exceptional display of atmospheric optics!"
In this one photo, Weatherly captured a 22-degree moon halo, a pair of moondogs, a circumscribed halo, and a complete paraselenic circle--all caused by moonlight shining through ice crystals in the air.
"With air temperatures below -30° C, the atmosphere was full of ice crystals, refracting light to create true art out of physics," says Weatherly.
Readers, be alert for Moon halos this week. The Moon will be full and very bright. This plus cold winter air sets the stage for a variety of arcs, dogs, and other halos around the glaring lunar disk.
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18K GOLD "ALWAYS AND FOREVER" PENDANT: Are you looking for an unforgettable gift? Consider the Always and Forever Space Pendent. On Aug. 29, 2023, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $229.95. Engraved with the words "I love you always and forever", this 18K gold-plated sterling silver pendant has a heart-shaped ruby crystal in the middle surrounded by a ring of glittering 5A cubic zirconia nuggets. It is a visually striking premium pendant that makes a once-in-a-lifetime anniversary or birthday gift.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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