Guy Fawkes Day

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd,
With a dark lantern and burning match

Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!

Hip hip Hoorah!
Hip hip Hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed ol'Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,'
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we'll say: ol'Pope is dead.

Close Call

Three weeks ago astronomers discovered an asteroid that has since been named 2015 TB145. What makes this particular asteroid notable is that it is currently passing Earth at a very close 300,000 miles away. NASA is saying that this is the closest flyby of an asteroid to Earth until asteroid NEO 1999 AN10 passes us at less than 230,000 miles in 2027. But given that we've only know about 2015 TB145 for 3 weeks it might be a safe bet to wager that there will be other close flybys before then that we don't know about yet.

Blood Moon

Tonight is the Blood Moon or Hunter's Moon; the first full moon of Autumn. It is also the third super moon in a row, although no one seems to be hyping that fact in the news like they were during the last two full moons.

September Super Moon, Eclipse & the Harvest Moon

This year's Harvest moon is a little different from most other full moon. Tonight's full moon is also a super moon. In areas with clear skies the moon should appear around 30% brighter than a typical full moon. Also, a total lunar eclipse is finishing up for those lucky enough to see it. I was in a location this evening where the eclipse was mostly over before the moon was high enough in the sky to see.

August Supermoon

Tonight is the beginning of three consecutive "supermooons." For those that don't remember, a supermoon is a full moon when the moon is near its closest point to the earth, making the moon appear slightly larger and brighter than average.

Tonight's moon is also called the Sturgeon Moon, being the last full moon of the summer. On September 27th we'll the first full moon of fall which is also called the Harvest Moon, and it will also be a lunar eclipse.

Once in a Blue Moon...

You know the phrase "once in a blue moon"? Well at precisely 3:43am, today the 31st of July 2015, the moon will be perfectly full. This makes it the second full moon of the month, which is the definition of a blue moon. The last blue moon was in August 2012 and the next will be in January 2018.

American Pi Day!

The date in the US is 3/14/15. I'm told the cake is still a lie.