Neptune is the only (official) planet that reamains hidden without the assistance of technology. Tonight is your best chance to catch a glimpse of Neptune at its brightest, when the Earth is exactly in between the sun and Neptune.
Get out your most powerful pair of binoculars, and consider pouring a stiff drink to steady your hands. Use a stargazing app on your phone to find the planet, or look for the constellation of Aquarius and then lower your gaze slightly to the star Phi Aquarii which will Neptune’s neighbor tonight.
In the northern hemisphere, this full moon was known by Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
In the southern hemisphere, let’s call this the Full Fish Moon. This is the pre-monsoon season and the humidity is on the rise. That makes for good fishing weather, so the anglers say. It’s also the pre-breeding season for most southern hemisphere fish and many are on the run to their ancestral breeding grounds. Also known as The Full Worm Moon, when fishermen gather their bait for the fishing season. Some regions might name this moon after their local fish, such as The Full Barramundi Moon.
The Sun will beam down directly on the equator giving us just about equal amounts of day and night in most parts of the world. North of the equator, this is your Autumnal Equinox. If you live south of the equator, this is your Spring Equinox.
Also, try balancing an egg on its end! Whether or not you succeed has nothing to do with the Equinox, but it’s still a fun game to try on any day of the year. 🙂
This is of particular interest to astrologically minded folks. See URL for more info…
HOORAY! This year, the nearly new moon will leave dark skies for what should be a good show. And you don’t even have to stay up late: Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights.
Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 7th. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
A portion of the Moon will be fully darkened by Earth’s shadow. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Russia, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, North America, Mexico, Central America, and parts of western South America.
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2021Nov19P.pdf
In the northern hemisphere, this full moon was known by Native American tribes as the Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon.
In the southern hemisphere, we might call this the Full Pink Moon. This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.