Moon

NASA Night Sky Notes:

Observe Apollo 8’s Lunar Milestones  

By David Prosper

December marks the 50^th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 8 mission, when humans first orbited the Moon in a triumph of human engineering. The mission may be most famous for “Earthrise,” the iconic photograph of Earth suspended over the rugged lunar surface. “Earthrise” inspired the imaginations of people around the world and remains one of the most famous photos ever taken. This month also brings a great potential display of the Geminids and a close approach by Comet 46P/Wirtanen

Observe the Moon

By Jane Houston Jones and Jessica Stoller-Conrad

This year’s International Observe the Moon Night is on Oct. 20. On that night the 11-day-old waxing gibbous Moon will rise in the late afternoon and set before dawn. Sunlight will reveal most of the lunar surface and the Moon will be visible all night long. You can observe the Moon’s features whether you’re observing with the unaided eye, through binoculars or through a telescope.

I was driving north on Route 539 from Whiting, NJ  7 a.m.  when I noticed a strange looking Moon.  In the upper right side there was what appeared to be a "slice" in the Moon.   What in the world?  I looked and looked, could not believe my eyes.  No clouds as it was absolutely clear.  I rolled down my window, no change.  Took off my glasses, no change.  What?   About 15 minutes down the road I noticed that the Moon was back to normal.  But what caused the appearance of the "knife-like slice"  on the Moon?   Did

A Total Lunar Eclipse will occur on the morning of Tuesday,  December 21, 2010 from 1:33 am to 5:01 am.

For more info see the Newark Museum' Blog