A meteor exploded over Earth with 10 times the energy of Hiroshima's atomic bomb. Nobody saw or was even aware of the fireball that exploded above the Bering Sea on December 18, 2018 -- until now.
ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include making ice cream 2,000 years ago, how sound effects are made in movies (and in old-time radio), when women started wearing makeup, and the test NASA gave potential astronauts in 1958.
ICYMI, Wednesday's links are here, and include lots of ugly Christmas sweaters (plus instructions for making your own), how McDonald's got started, why woodpeckers don't get concussions, how your apps are tracking you (and who they're sharing the info with), and advice from c. 1200: on how to survive the winter (don't forget to lay off the purging and blood-letting, and keep your hands and feet covered in wolf grease).
ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include the history of French fries, the anniversary of the battle of Thermopylae, a supercut of "We don’t negotiate with terrorists", and a roundup of wooden skyscrapers.
ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include a roundup of Mother's Day links, why it's illegal to use milk crates for anything other than milk, V.E Day anniversary, bizarre traditional dishes from all over the world, and how a wine and cocaine cocktail became Coca Cola.
These come along quite rarely, and the next opportunity to see one will be in 2033. It's also nice (and not easy!) to find things that will give kids a better understanding of, and hopefully interest in, the mechanics of astronomy.
What's actually happening is a confluence of three things. The moon will be full and in its closest point in its orbit around the Earth, making it a so-called supermoon. In addition to this, a lunar eclipse will occur. In other words, the Earth will line up directly with the sun and moon, directly between the two, Wolf said. So the "moon will completely fall in the shadow of the Earth," he said.
Because a lot of light scatters off the Earth's atmosphere, the moon will not look completely dark but have a coppery red color — hence the blood moon moniker.
The moon will be at its closest orbital point to Earth as well as in its brightest phase, so it will appear bigger and more brilliant than usual—30% brighter and 14% larger than when it's at its farthest point (apogee), a difference of 31,000 miles. Sunlight sifting through the outer bounds of Earth’s atmosphere en route to the moon will cast that signature gory glow, making it both a blood moon and a super moon.
West coast kids will be have the best view - totality is between 10:11 and 11:23 eastern time, so just after sunset Pacific time, plus the kids will still be awake and the weather tonight looks as though it will be much clearer out there.
