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Have you seen the information from the South Texas Astronomical Society’s Artemis moon mission summer day camp experience out at Rocket Ranch near Boca Chica beach? There are limited openings for campers, so if you are interested be sure to check online and register.
The STARS are becoming more active with public outreaches in a variety of locations in our area. If you have any interest in astronomy DO look them up on Facebook.
Were you able to see any of the lunar eclipse? There is something fascinating about sitting among friends watching our moon drift into the shadow cast by Earth, changing the color palette of the light reflecting off the lunar regolith. The various elements on the surface reflect identifying colors through visible and ultraviolet light. Titanium appears in many regions of the moon. Perhaps one day people from earth will mine essential minerals and metals from our natural satellite. The thought makes me stop and ponder our desire to take and not always count the cost.
Speaking of Luna, the Apollo 11 crew brought back 48 pounds of rocks from the moon in 1969. A few of those rocks had never been examined, but kept in cold storage until recently. New technologies may reveal more lunar secrets for us even before the Artemis mission launches to bring back more lunar rocks.
Science is always working to better understand our world. It is naïve to think new information cannot be learned as time proceeds. There is always something more to be learned with research over time with repeated investigation. Which is something most science teachers drill into their students who are determined to participate in various science fair opportunities. New information may soon be forthcoming from the various research centers currently working with those old lunar rock samples.
What does NOT change are the repeating patterns of star and planetary motion. The summer constellations will always, for thousands of years, be the same pattern during the same months. I can tell you that the star we know as “THE North star”, Polaris, has not always been THE NS. And it will not always be TNS. 3,000 years ago, it was Thuban in the constellation Draco. In the distant future it will be Vega in Lyra.
Last week we experienced the Aquarids meteor shower. Earth is always being bombarded by micrometeorites; tons per day land on our planet, resting on our rooftops, hidden in the vegetation across lawns and forests and farm fields, and sinking deep into the oceans around the globe. We call those bits that glow as they enter our atmosphere falling stars-but they are not stars at all.
Tons of meteorites fell on Allende, Mexico in 1969. I carry around an iron meteorite found in Mexico many years ago, given to me by one of the folks who used to bring his telescope to the various star parties we had at the local library in the 1990s. It is fun to watch kids and parents’ amazement when I ask if their children would like to hold a real meteorite and proceed to pull two out of my purse. If you see me somewhere I may just ask you.
Until next week, KLU.
