Moon closer to Earth tonight than it will be for the next 15 years
Posted by scotch in Random bit of interesting on December 12, 2008
From The Times Online, UK
If the full moon tonight looks unusually large, it is not your imagination – it is the biggest and brightest full moon to be seen for 15 years.
Each month the Moon makes a full orbit around the Earth in a slightly oval-shaped path, and tonight it will swing by the Earth at its closest distance, or perigee. It will pass by 356,613km (221,595 miles) away, which is about 28,000km closer than average.
The unusual feature of tonight is that the perigee also coincides with a full moon, which will make it appear 14 per cent bigger and some 30 per cent brighter than most full moons this year – so long as the clouds hold off from blocking the view.
The next closest encounter with a full moon this large will not be until November 14, 2016.
With the Moon approaching so close to the Earth, its gravity will pull a slightly higher tide than normal for a full moon. This so-called perigeal tide adds about 0.5m (1.6ft) to the high-water mark, and with freshening southwesterly winds forecast, this may cause some flooding, especially along parts of the South West coast.
Tonight’s full moon is also notable for rising to its greatest height in the night sky for the entire year, lying almost overhead at midnight. This is because we are approaching the winter solstice, on December 21, and thanks to the tilt of the Earth the Moon appears at its highest, as the Sun is at its lowest.
Another astronomical treat that could be seen tonight and for the next two nights is the annual Geminid meteor shower, one of the year’s best displays of shooting stars. Up to 100 meteors an hour can fly across the sky. The meteors, which are easy to spot with the naked eye, appear to shoot out from the constellation Gemini, hence their name, but they can be seen all over the sky. However, with a full moon so bright, the best place to look is away from the Moon.
Meteor showers happen when the Earth passes through clouds of debris shed from comets. As the tiny fragments smash into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at about 100,000mph, they burn up in streaks of light.
For reasons that are not understood, the Geminid meteor showers are tending to grow stronger each year.
Snow in the South!
Posted by scotch in Family News, Weather on December 11, 2008
Early this am, at around 5:30, I woke the kids to let them see the snow coming down. I came on into work and after a while, they got their snow gear on, and made their own snowman!
Kaya made a snow angel, and the boys I’m sure, threw some snowballs!
The snow has subsided in the city area of Hattiesburg, but at this time, they are getting plenty of it West of Hwy 589. Here is a pic of a friend’s house in Oloh this am around 10:30 this morning, as well as, pics of the shocking snow that fell on New Orleans.
Microwave Peanut Brittle
1 ½ C. peanuts (raw or dry roasted)
1 C. sugar
½ C. light Karo
1/8 t. salt
1 t. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
Stir first 4 ingredients in ½ quart glass casserole bowl (microwave safe).
Cook 4 minutes on high. Stir well
Return and cook 4 more minutes.
Stir in butter.
Cook 2 more minutes
Stir in vanilla and baking soda until light and foamy, and then pour immediately onto a greased cookie sheet.
Let cool completely, and then break into pieces.
Pumpkin Muffins
I found the recipe below at whatgeekseat.com. I made them today and have to say they are quite excellent! I did leave the cardamom out of the recipe, as a small container at the local mega-mart was $10.
Pumpkin Muffins
4 oz. Butter softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
8 oz. pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons yogurt
milk to ¾ cup
2 cups whole wheat white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 12 count muffin pan.
Using a mixer cream the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and again cream until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin, salt, and spices and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into the butter/egg mixture, stir very little to combine. Add the 2 tablespoons of yogurt to a measuring cup and top off with milk until it measures ¾ of a cup; stir to combined the milk and yogurt. Add the yogurt milk to the batter along with the pecans and white chocolate chips and stir very little to combine. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top and a knife comes out relatively clean. Cool for about 5 minutes and then remove from muffin tin and cool on a rack.
Local karate student promoted in Isshinryu Karate
Posted by scotch in Family News, Hobbies, Karate on November 8, 2008
During a quarterly meeting of Isshinryu black belts from Mississippi and Louisiana, Scott Roberts of Hattiesburg, MS was promoted to Nidan (2nd Degree black belt) and Baton Rouge student, Brad Taylor was promoted to Yondan (4th Degree black belt) by Sensei Ken Green, Shichidan (7th degree black belt) and Sensei Mike Junkins, Yondan (4th degree black belt).
Isshinryu karate is an Okinawan style based on the combination of two traditional styles of karate, Shorinryu and Gojoryu. Isshinryu founder, Tatsuo Shimabuku, introduced the style to American military forces during WWII. Shimabuku had an arrangement with the U.S. Military that allowed them to train at no charge in his Agena, Okinawa dojo. After their tour of duty was completed, the servicemen brought the style back to America and began their own dojos. One of the most prominent teachers in the style of Isshinryu is Arcenio Advincula. After completing his tour of duty in Okinawa, Sensei Advincula returned regularly to Okinawa for 17 years to further his training under Shimabuku until the founder’s death in 1975.
Election 2008
Posted by scotch in Random bit of interesting on November 5, 2008
While I am not pleased with the election of a liberal President, who has made it apparent that “socialistic” economics are a solution for America, I do believe it is time to stand up and go forward now. Our current President has been disgraced and left humiliated, not by his own actions and policies, but by the shallow and vain left of this country who have permeated every inch of the media. They have persecuted and crucified a man, who isn’t perfect, but had definitely been a better and stronger President than Jimmy Carter. And Carter even got the Nobel Peace Prize. Though I expect failures and mistakes by President-elect Obama, we should not throw him to the wayside as our current President has been. We can only judge after the fact, and though they may be right or wrong, we must defend our President.
My President is my President, and I will continue to defend his Office I am pleased to see America finally move past racial barriers visibly to the rest of the world. Not that I believe they were there in the first place, but because now there can be no more excuses. Now there can be no more legitimate apathy.
Now it is time to move on.