Recently I have noticed an upsurge in postings about sky events on social media. Much of it appears to be AI generated. Since I have spent a fair part of my life telling people about the sky and encouraging people to look, I must admit to having mixed feelings about this. On the theory that “any publicity is good publicity” I should welcome this increased attention to my hobby. However, although most of the posts I have seen about “black moons,” “blue moons,” “six planet alignments,” etc. have some basis in reality, I have found that on closer examination, almost all of them are replete with misleading AI images and incorrect information. It is as if someone or something looked at an almanac list of sky events, without considering when, where, and if they are actually visible.
As an example, in last month’s blog post, I wrote about the gathering up, close approach, and then separating of Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets. It has been fun to watch for the last few weeks, and you can still see them. All it takes is for you to step outside for just a few minutes or even look out an eastward facing window about an hour before sunrise. Super-bright Venus shines well below still very bright Jupiter throughout September, getting ever farther apart as the faster moving inner planet leaves its rival far behind. It was also doable to spot Mercury and Saturn at the same time last month. The planets spanned almost the whole pre-dawn sky from northeast to southwest. Neptune and Uranus were also technically “visible” at that same time, but I did not include them in the post. Why not? Because realistically, these dim outer planets need binoculars to be seen. Once you figure out their approximate location, you then must use a detailed star map to confirm which of the several very dim points of light in the area actually is the planet. Alternatively, you could use a telescope with enough magnifying power to discern the planet’s disk from point like stars. This is exactly how Uranus and Neptune were originally confirmed in 1781 and 1846. Although I enjoy doing this sort of thing, I realize that few of my readers have access to the equipment, time, and motivation to do all this, especially at 5 o’clock in the morning!
As you have probably guessed, the social media sites had no such compunction, and the planetary grouping was trumpeted as a group of six brilliant balls, all lined up, close together in the sky. Several of the posts declared that the “alignment” was in the evening sky after sunset, while it really was in the morning sky before dawn. The planets were shown as they might look like as seen with a good telescope or from a spacecraft, rather than as the points of light they really are in the sky. The event was portrayed as very rare, but something similar happens every few years.
My fear is that people will be desensitized by all this misleading posting and will not take seriously information posted by reputable science-based sites or people who have been in the field for many years. This is too bad, because I find that skywatching can be fun, easy to do, and much of it can be done with little or no equipment, if you have the right information.
The real sky event I would like to call attention to this month is September’s Full Moon, which will officially occur at 1:09 pm local time on the 7th. This is the moment in which Sun, Earth, and Moon will most accurately line up. This line up is so good that there will be a total lunar eclipse, often called a “Blood Moon,” that will take place on September 7. The total phase will end at 3:55 PM St. Louis time. This would be a cool event except that the eclipse ends long before sunset here. Since the full moon stands opposite the Sun in the sky, it will be below the horizon at that time. All that will be seen in St. Louis or anywhere in the USA is the ordinary Full Moon that night. In point of fact the Moon will appear more than 90% full for six consecutive nights, from September 4-9. A close look or the use of binoculars might reveal the reveal a slight gibbous phase near the beginning and end of this time span.
A Moon fully lit and one totally eclipsed. Because it usually looks reddish orange as shown, some people have nicknamed it a “Blood Moon.” NPS Photos/RF
Here at Gateway Arch National Park, much of the story that we tell is about the history of St. Louis as Gateway to the West, the westward expansion of the United States, and those who were affected by this expansion. Certainly the American Indians were a major part of this story, and to many of them, the cycle of the Moon was central to their calendar and culture. Being visible all night long and so prominent, the Full Moon meant the beginning of each month, or “moon.” These months were named after events that they saw going on in nature around them. The annual harvest was a huge event, and it was natural for many of these tribes to name the “moon” closest to the beginning of fall the Harvest Moon. In most years, this is September’s full moon. But this year, there is a complication. Since fall begins on September 23, it is the October 6 full moon that is closer to the equinox and thus qualifies as the Harvest Moon. The September 7 moon will be called the Corn Moon by many. American Indian peoples observed different traditions, so various groups may call this month’s orb the Moon of the Yellow Leaves, Child Moon, or even the Mating Moon (Cree). The next full moon, usually in what we call October (but not this year!), is often termed the Hunter’s Moon.
At this time of year, when near Full the Moon rises as little as 25 minutes later each evening as seen from our latitude, as opposed to the average of 50 minutes. This is because the plane of the solar system, or ecliptic, presents a shallow angle to the eastern horizon at sunset in the fall. This may allow those who bring in the harvest or who are engaged in hunting to keep on going, using the brilliant light of the Moon, rising during twilight for several consecutive nights.
Join us for our next Gateway to the Stars event, on Saturday evening, September 27. Meet at the Entrance Plaza and take a “Ranger Night Walk.” Learn about the history of the area and of Gateway Arch National Park. Weather permitting, this talk will be followed by free telescope viewing on the Entrance Plaza. The viewing will need at least somewhat clear skies in order to take place, while the Night Walk will be cancelled in the event of rain. Call 314-655-1704 the afternoon of the event in order to check on the weather if you are not sure.