Wow… you are watching a storm on another planet, Mars! Some day this may be Earthlings’ new home…… But then we wouldn’t be called Earthlings, now would we?
Mars Storm Watch <~~~~~ Click here to view…
Archive for the ‘Come Blog With Us’ Category
Earth Day is Here…
April 4, 2022Earth Unplugged!
http://reference.aol.com/planet-earth
Take this Quiz!
http://reference.aol.com/planet-earth/discovery/by-the-numbers
~In Honor of April Fool’s Day~
March 27, 2022You Know What They Say About Fools…
- It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. —Mark Twain
- However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. — Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
- [Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. — Thomas Reed
- He who lives without folly isn’t so wise as he thinks. — François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld
- The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools. — Herbert Spencer
- Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. — Elizabeth Gaskell
- Looking foolish does the spirit good. — John Updike
- Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. — Mark Twain
- A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. — William Blake
- A fool must now and then be right by chance. — Cowper
- It is better to be a fool than to be dead. — Stevenson
- The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. — Mark Twain
Vernal Equinox
March 18, 2022Equinoxes and solstices
The ecliptic
During the course of a year the Earth completes one orbit around the Sun. To us on Earth we see this as the Sun moving against the background of stars through the year, along an imaginary line which we call the ecliptic. This defines the plane in which the Earth and most of the other planets orbit around the Sun. The directions to the north and south ecliptic poles are at right angles to this. The Zodiac is the band of constellations running along the ecliptic.
The celestial poles and celestial equator
The Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes 365.25 days, and a ‘day’ is, of course, defined as the Earth spinning once on its axis. The Earth’s axis of rotation, tilted at 23.5 degrees to the line of the poles of the ecliptic, gives us the directions to the north and south celestial poles. The bright star Polaris is currently showing us the direction of the north celestial pole. Like a spinning top this axis is precessing around the ecliptic pole with a period of 26,000 years.
The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth’s equator onto the sky. As the Sun moves in its apparent track along the ecliptic it is for half the year seen to be above the equator (northern summer) and half the year below the equator (northern winter). The Sun will therefore appear to cross the equator twice in a year.
The equinoxes
At the times when the Sun is crossing the celestial equator day and night are of nearly equal length at all latitudes and so we call these dates the equinoxes. In March, as the Sun is moving northwards along the ecliptic, this is called the vernal equinox and in September as the Sun is moving southwards we refer to it as the autumnal equinox. The equinoxes are also the points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic and equator cross and the vernal equinox is used as the zero point in measuring star co-ordinates.
Why do the equinoxes not always occur on the same days each year?
The Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to go around the Sun. This is the reason we have a leap year every 4 years, to add another day to our calendar so that there is not a gradual drift of date through the seasons. For the same reason the precise time of the equinoxes are not the same each year, and generally will occur about 6 hours later each year, with a jump of a day (backwards) on leap years. The table below shows the dates and times of of both the vernal (spring) and autumnal equinoxes for a period of ten years:
| Year | Vernal equinox | Autumnal equinox | Leap year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20 March, 07.35 | 22 September, 17.27 | yes |
| 2001 | 20 March, 13.31 | 22 September, 23.04 | |
| 2002 | 20 March, 19.16 | 23 September, 04.55 | |
| 2003 | 21 March, 01.00 | 23 September, 10.47 | |
| 2004 | 20 March, 06.49 | 22 September, 16.30 | yes |
| 2005 | 20 March, 12.33 | 22 September, 22.23 | |
| 2006 | 20 March, 18.25 | 23 September, 04.03 | |
| 2007 | 21 March, 00.07 | 23 September, 09.51 | |
| 2008 | 20 March, 05.48 | 22 September, 15.44 | yes |
| 2009 | 20 March, 11.43 | 22 September, 21.18 | |
| 2010 | 20 March, 17.32 | 23 September, 03.09 | |
| all times are UTC (GMT) | |||
In fact it is only after a complete leap-year cycle of four centuries that these dates will be repeated. In the present century the times of the equinoxes have ranged between the latest dates – March 21 at 19h and September 24 at 06h (in 1903) – to the earliest dates – March 20 at 08h and September 22 at 17h (in 2000).
Why do the dates of the vernal and autumnal equinox not occur on the days when day and night are equal?
A quick look at sunrise and sunset times on successive days in March and September will show that the above dates do not coincide precisely with the times of equal day and night length. There is another factor to be considered which is that the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is an ellipse and not a circle. By Kepler’s Law the Earth moves fastest when it is closest to the Sun (approximately 3 January each year) and slowest when it is furthest away (approximately 4 July ). This ‘unequal motion’ causes variations in the length of the solar day and in the times of sunrise and sunset.
The equation of time
The combined effects mean that the Sun does not cross the meridian (when it is highest in the sky) at precisely local noon each day. The difference between clock-defined noon and the time when the Sun is on the meridian is called the Equation of Time and represents the correction which must be applied to the time given by a sundial to make it agree with clock time. This correction can be as much as 16 minutes in either direction. For more information, see our fact file on the the equation of time.
The solstices
The times when the Sun is at its furthest from the celestial equator are called the summer and winter solstices and these occur in mid-summer and mid-winter.
| Year | Summer | Winter | Leap year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 21 June, 01.48 | 21 December, 13.37 | yes |
| 2001 | 21 June, 07.38 | 21 December, 19.21 | |
| 2002 | 21 June, 13.24 | 22 December, 01.14 | |
| 2003 | 21 June, 19.10 | 22 December, 07.04 | |
| 2004 | 21 June, 00.57 | 21 December, 12.41 | yes |
| 2005 | 21 June, 06.46 | 21 December, 18.35 | |
| 2006 | 21 June, 12.26 | 22 December, 00.22 | |
| 2007 | 21 June, 18.06 | 22 December, 06.08 | |
| 2008 | 20 June, 23.59 | 21 December, 12.04 | yes |
| 2009 | 21 June, 05.45 | 21 December, 17.47 | |
| 2010 | 21 June, 11.28 | 21 December, 23.38 | |
| all times are UTC (GMT) | |||
(Note: Don’t be fooled by the fact that during this period the summer solstice always occurred on 21 June. This is just a feature of the slow drift through the dates on a 400 year cycle mentioned above. The last time the solstice was not on this date was 1975 when it occurred on 22 June at 00.27 and in the year 2012 it will occur on 20 June at 23.09. For the dates in between the summer solstice will fall on 21 June.)
The apparently odd behaviour of sunrise/set times near the winter solstice
The winter solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its southmost distance from the celestial equator and hence, in northern latitudes is the day when the Sun is lowest in the sky at noon. This is, naturally, the shortest day of the year in northern latitudes. To many people it seems odd, therefore, that the time of sunrise continues to get later in the day after the solstice.
The period when the Equation of Time is changing fastest in the whole year is very close to the winter solstice. It changes by 10 minutes from 16 December to 5 January. This means that the time at which the Sun crosses the meridian changes by 10 minutes in this interval and also that the times of sunrise and sunset will change by the same amount.
Near the winter and summer solstices the Sun’s height in the sky changes very slowly and the length of the day also changes slowly. The rapid change due to the Equation of Time dominates the very slow change in day length and leads to the observed sunrise times.
What is the difference between Midsummer Day and the summer solstice?
Midsummer Day is June 24 (each year) and is one of the four Quarter Days in the Legal Calendar. The other Quarter Days are Lady Day (March 25), Michaelmas (29 September) and Christmas Day (25 December). The Summer Solstice is explained above.
Big Universe
March 13, 2022Our students were introduced to a new online reading program called Big Universe this year. We have been using it for read alouds but now the students have their own accounts and can pick books and add them to their book shelves! Read on kiddies!
Lucky Charm… Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
March 12, 2022Who Was St. Patrick?
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.
Taken Prisoner By Irish Raiders
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)
Guided By Visions
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God’s-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)
The Leprechaun
The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.”
Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.
Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O’Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland in general.
Iditarod
March 10, 2022Alaska’s Iditarod dogsled race: like the Birkebeiner, threatened by climate change.
Though I love the outdoors and stories of how to survive nature’s tricks, count me as not being an Iditarod fan. While I know those dogs love to run, it is unfair to run them into the ground, on purpose. The heroic trip commemorated by the race, however, is a truly incredible story, well worth a trip to Wikipedia and a few minutes of your time. Learn about the lead dogs Balto and Togo, the risky short cut across the water, the lifesaving serum and all the rest.
Of interest, as the Itarod begins this weekend, is that there is little snow; reminiscent of the recent Birkebeiner ski race in Wisconsin, much of the trail is bare, and some parts of the race preliminaries have already been truncated. .
Given the tough trail conditions this year — hard-packed snow and bare ground — King said he expects a bumpy ride. That’s not a problem, he said.
“The Iditarod trail will never be easy,” King said.Too little fresh snow shortened the ceremonial start to an 11-mile run ending in Anchorage. The restart, where the mushers get serious about racing, begins Sunday in Willow, about 50 miles northwest of Anchorage.
This year’s race carries a $795,000 purse for the top 30 finishers. The winner will get approximately $69,000 and a brand new pickup truck worth about $41,000. The mushers who finish out of the money will receive about $1,000 each to help with the cost of flying their dogs home.
Good luck, you huskies.
Study Sites!
March 9, 2022Citywide tests are January 13 through the 15th. Here are some great sites to help you practice for the assessments. Relax! You’re going to do just fine…
Patricia Polacco Meets Class X05!
March 5, 2022
Class X05 is doing an author study this month. So far the class has read Thankyou, Mr. Falker, Chicken Sunday and Pink and Say. We’re learning about what influenced Miss Polacco to become a writer and an illustrator by learning about her as a person. Please follow our journey into the magical world of Patricia Polacco.
Next Stop Israel
March 5, 2022
Class X01 is going to be studying Israel in Social Studies. Below are some links.
http://www.israelemb.org/kids/jerusalem.html
http://www.surfnetkids.com/jerusalem.htm
Class X05 Recognizes No Bullying No Name Calling Week
January 30, 2022
Class X05
January 9, 2022
Students’ City Scape.. Impressions of living in a big city…..
Now hanging at 400 First Ave, NYC, NY
New Year Resolutions…
December 20, 2021
Class X05 University 