Category Archives: Astronomy

2024 Spring Equinox In New Hampshire Will Be TODAY, i.e., Tuesday, March 19, 11:06 PM Tonight (Eastern).

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by Anura Guruge
on March 19, 2024

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The Spring Equinox can happen on March 19, 20 or 21.

So, March 19 seems a tad only. But, notice it is happening LATE AT NIGHT. Already March 20 in Greenwich, England. It was also on March 19 in 2020. So, not that rare. But, for us in New Hampshire, it falls most often on March 20.

Last year it was ULTRA SNOWY. This year NO SNOW — ice out (earliest on record) already declared.

Click to ENLARGE.
Click to ENLARGE. A useful diagram that I created many years ago.

Sunrise & Sunset Times for Concord, New Hampshire around the
2024 Spring Equinox on March 19.
(From Time-and-Date).

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘timeanddate.com’.

Note that daylight is NOT exactly 12 hours!
If anything we get closer to 12 hours 3 days earlier.
There is a reason for that. It is our latitude above the equator.
If we were closer to the equator it would have been closer to 12 hours.
See this explanation in Time-and-Date.

Click to ENLARGE. To remind you what it is all about. From ‘Wikipedia’.

As has been my custom for years let me also please share at least ONE alluring ‘Allegory of Spring‘.

From Wikipedia.

Enjoy YOUR Spring Equinox 2023.

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I Am Not Going To Get Excited About (Or Make Plans) For The April 8, 2024 ‘Total Eclipse’ Until I Know The Weather.

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by Anura Guruge
on March 2, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. Map from ‘NASA‘.

You will be able to see the TOTAL eclipse from Northern New Hampshire. People will be flocking in from all over the place. I am not too worried about that. I know how to get up north via the back roads. SMILE. So, traffic & crowds, I hope, will not be an issue.

My only concern is WEATHER.

As far as I recall we, in New Hampshire, missed the 2019 eclipse because of weather.

So, I am going to wait until I can, at a minimum, see the 10-day forecast. Then I will start formulating a plan. I will let you know.

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Today’s Full Moon — Handheld With My Phone (Google Pixel 8 Pro).

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by Anura Guruge
on February 24, 2024

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Not much to say, other than it wasn’t point-and-shoot. Took some effort, & this was after my 2nd try. Couldn’t get focus the first time. Tried again, a few hours later. Takes patience (& it was COLD (i.e., 10F)). I know it sometimes work. Done it before. SMILE.

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Bright Star, In The South, Over New Hampshire Is ‘Sirius’. ‘Jupiter’ Is By The Moon.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 22, 2023

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Not counting the Moon, these two, viz., ‘Sirius‘ & ‘Jupiter‘, are the BRIGHTEST objects in the New Hampshire night skies as we head towards Christmas.

I just wanted to make sure you knew which is which.

Sirius is the BRIGHTEST star in our NIGHT sky. The Sun, obviously, is the brightest star that we get to see.

Sirius is always magical. Worth looking at. It always dominates our Winter sky. I know, because I go out ambling, for a mile, each & every night. Enjoy.

Winter Solstice 2023 Is Thursday, December 21 — 10:27pm Eastern, In New England — REJOICE, REJOICE!

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by Anura Guruge
on December 18, 2023

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Sunrise & Sunset Times for Concord, New Hampshire around the
the December 2023 Solstice (On the 21st).
(From Time-and-Date).

Click to ENLARGE. Table from ‘timeanddate.com‘.

Welcome YULE!

Rejoice! REJOICE!

My favorite day of the year, hands down.

As of the Winter Solstice days start getting longer!

The Winter Solstice, the SHORTEST DAY of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Welcome YULE!

Shout it out loud. Welcome YULE.

Evenings have already started getting longer — as I pointed out in this post. Funnily enough (if it can be construed as funny) mornings DO NOT START getting earlier until 2024! Then, we really getting into the stride of things. Within a month of the solstice we would have gained in excess of 30 minutes!

Click to ENLARGE. I send you my blessings.
Page 4 of my ‘Christmas’ book — talking of THE Winter Solstice.
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As I do most years I give YOU, in peace,
‘Dona Nobis Pacem‘ (Grant us peace)
for the Winter Solstice.

Already have my ticket for the Cambridge Revels.
Click to ENLARGE. From Wikipedia.

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New Hampshire Right Now Is Seeing The Earliest Sunsets Of Winter 2023 — Though The Solstice Is 10-Days Away.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 11, 2022

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From last year, BUT it is the SAME.
Dates just shifted by one.

Sunrise & Sunset Times for Concord, New Hampshire
for December 2022.
(From Time-and-Date).

Click to ENLARGE. Table from ‘timeanddate.com‘.

Kind of a strange concept to grapple with. The EARLIEST SUNSETS in New Hampshire happen around NOW — i.e., about 2-weeks ahead of the Winter Solstice.

That doesn’t mean we have as yet seen our SHORTEST DAY (my favorite day of the year) as yet. That still happens on December 21 — the Winter Solstice.

So, what gives.

Sunrise is still getting LATER & LATER. That is what SHORTENS the overall hours of daylight.

You can see this from the above table — with my annotations.

The shortening (or the lengthening) of days are NOT symmetrical — i.e., sunrise & sunset are not in lock steps. So, after December 14 sunsets start becoming LATER, but so do sunrises. Sunrises don’t start to get EARLIER till mid-January! So, the increase in daylight, post the solstice, is all due to sunsets happening later. Weird, but that is how it works.

Click to ENLARGE. From Wikipedia.

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Photos Of Partial Solar Eclipse Over New Hampshire — Sat., Oct. 14, 2023 @ 1:13pm.

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by Anura Guruge
on October 14, 2023

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The Solar Eclipse Viewing ‘sunglass’ I cut up to serve as a FILTER for my Google Pixel 7 Pro. I didn’t want to damage the sensor!

I, given my interest in astronomy, of course, knew about the Solar Eclipse today. I also knew that it was PARTIAL. So, I wasn’t that excited or motivated. I did see the LAST full eclipse & have seen a several partials before.

I also heard on the local news this morning that we in Central New Hampshire had the best chance of being CLOUD FREE — & thus getting to see it.

So, I wasn’t going to miss it. It is an OCCASION. Can’t squander these.

I have a quite a few Solar Eclipse Viewing glasses. I had bought them on Amazon for the FULL eclipse quite a few years ago. I cut one up.

Enjoy. NOT the greatest photos — but you get the idea.

Citi (Credit Cards) Really Made It Easy For Me To Make A Quick Donation To CHILDREN & Families In Need Via UNICEF.

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by Anura Guruge
on October 6, 2023

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I got an e-mail (on left) from ‘Citi‘ informing me that I can DONATE my points to UNICEF.

WOW.

PERFECT.

The Citi Credit Card was yet ANOTHER of the many 0% APR promotional cards I have. SMILE. It is NOT one of my main credit cards. As such, the Reward Points I receive on that card is a BONUS. I can do without them …

So, I donated some of it. EASY. EASY. EASY.

I am a UNESCO brat. UNICEF is a sister organization. I believe in & support UNICEF. This made it very easy. I am delighted.

I need to look into this more. Easy way for me to give to charities.

Well done, CITI. Thank you.

Sun’s Magnetic Poles Are FLIPPING & We Are Reaching MAX Of Current Cycle — Might Explain Climate Change, Plus It Doesn’t Sound GOOD!

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by Anura Guruge
on October 6, 2023

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Click to ENLARGE. For more visit ‘NSO’ here.

I am NOT an expert on solar activity — comets being as close as I get to the Sun.

50-years ago I wanted, as a hobby, to study solar cycles & sun spots. Another laudable project that fell by the wayside.

I happened to get an e-mail about the Sun’s magnetic fields getting close to flipping.

Now, I know that the Earth’s magnetic poles have flipped — so, I was not overly alarmed.

I just have a feeling that it can’t be good. Anything that significant has to have some impact on us.

I did 5-minutes of research. Learnt about us nearing the end of the 26-year Cycle & that we are now at its peak. That piqued my interest. This must have an effect on climate change — maybe even global warming. So, why aren’t folks talking about this.

Just wanted to share with YOU. Check it out.

2023 Autumnal (Fall) Equinox In New Hampshire Will Be On Saturday, September 23, 2:50am (Eastern) — ‘Equilux’ 2 Days Later.

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by Anura Guruge
on September 22, 2023

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NOTE: It is on the 23rd of Sept., NOT the 22nd. Plus, it is very, very early in the morning.

Click to ENLARGE. When the equinoxes fall. From ‘timeanddate.com‘ (of course).

2023 is one of those years, every 4-years, that the equinox is on the 23rd rather than 22nd.

Sunrise & Sunset Times for Concord, New Hampshire around the
September 2021 Equinox.
(From Time-and-Date).

Note that daylight is NOT exactly 12 hours!
There is a reason for that. It is our latitude above the equator.
If we were closer to the equator it would have been closer to 12 hours.

For us the ‘Equilux‘ (i.e., Latin for for ‘equal light‘)
happens 2 days later on September 25.
This, i.e., it being 2 or 3 days later, is the case most years.
In case you were wondering ‘Equinox‘
means ‘equal night’.

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