Cosmic smiley face: How to watch the Moon, Venus, and Saturn align this week
Observers are cautioned not to look directly at the Sun during sunrise, as the intense glare can cause permanent eye damage. Experts advise careful timing and, if needed, the use of appropriate safety equipment.Supermoon ComingAccording to USA Today, Coming on the heels of the smiley face alignment, another celestial event is to occur on Sunday, April 27 — the nearest new supermoon of 2025. Throughout this occurrence, the moon will pass by Earth at a mere 221,917 miles, just about 17,000 miles closer than its norm. Although, it is so close, the new moon will not be visible from Earth, as opposed to its full moon sibling, which usually illuminates the heavens.advertisementFollowing the smiley face alignment, another celestial event will take place on Sunday, April 27 — the closest new supermoon of 2025. During this event, the Moon will pass just 221,917 miles from Earth, roughly 17,000 miles closer than average. However, because it is a new moon, it won't be visible from Earth unlike the more radiant full supermoons.Also Read: Will we ever see it again? Green Comet SWAN likely destroyedMust Watch
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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Solar eclipse September 2025: Date, timings, details of the 5 upcoming celestial events
Solar eclipses are one of the most important celestial events. It is culturally and scientifically important. While researchers get the chance to study the Sun's corona and test relativity theories, various cultures see it as a symbol of change and a powerful omen. This year, the first one, which was a partial solar eclipse, took place on 29 March; the second is slated to occur on September 21. But before you get ready for the next solar eclipse, here's everything you need to know about this phenomenon. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon aligns between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow that partially or completely blocks the Sun's light. This rare event happens at least twice a year, when the celestial bodies are in alignment. To safely view a solar eclipse, observers must always use eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector. The only exception is during the brief period of totality of a total solar eclipse. It is advised to never look directly at the Sun without proper protection, including during partial or annular eclipses, or before/after totality. There are different types of solar eclipses; here are some that are going to appear in the upcoming eclipse. When the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth but they are not exactly in line, this is known as a partial solar eclipse. The Sun will have a crescent shape because only a portion of it will be covered. People who are not in the region where the Moon's inner shadow is visible witness a partial solar eclipse during a complete or annular eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon totally blocks the Sun's face as it moves between the Earth and the Sun. A total eclipse will occur for those who are in the middle of the Moon's shadow when it strikes Earth. As if it were dawn or sunset, the sky will grow darker. People who are in the path of a total solar eclipse, if the weather permits, the observer can see the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere. Only during a total solar eclipse can spectators temporarily take off their eclipse glasses, which are different from ordinary sunglasses, for the brief instant when the Moon totally obscures the Sun. When the Moon is at or close to its furthest point from Earth, it can pass between the Sun and Earth in an annular solar eclipse. The Moon appears smaller than the Sun and does not entirely cover it because of its greater distance from Earth. Because of this, the Moon appears as a black disc on top of a brighter disc, giving the appearance of a ring surrounding the Moon. Here is a list of upcoming solar eclipses to mark your calendar, followed by a quick explainer on the phenomenon. On September 21 this year, a partial solar eclipse will take place. It will be visible from New Zealand, eastern Australia, the Pacific Islands, and Antarctica. The eclipse will begin at 17:29 UTC (10:59 PM IST), reach its peak at 19:41 UTC (1:11 AM IST on September 22), and end by 21:53 UTC (3:23 AM IST). The entire eclipse will be about 4 hours and 24 minutes. This event will not be visible from India, as it occurs overnight in the region. Another annular solar eclipse will happen on February 17, 2026. It will be the first solar eclipse of the year. It will be visible from parts of Africa, South America, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. The partial eclipse will start at 09:56 UTC (3:26 PM IST), and the annular phase (when the Sun appears as a 'ring of fire') will start at 11:42 UTC (5:12 PM IST). The peak eclipse occurs at 12:12 UTC (5:42 PM IST). The annular phase ends at 12:41 UTC (6:11 PM IST), and the partial eclipse ends by 14:27 UTC (7:57 PM IST). Similarly, another solar eclipse will take place on August 12, 2026. It would be the first total eclipse to be visible from mainland Europe since 1999. The eclipse will be visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Portugal, and Spain. The partial eclipse will start at 15:34 UTC (9:04 PM IST), while the total eclipse starts at 16:58 UTC (10:28 PM IST). The eclipse reaches its maximum at 17:46 UTC (11:16 PM IST) and ends at 18:34 UTC (12:04 AM IST, August 13). The final partial phase ends by 19:57 UTC (1:27 AM IST). This annular solar eclipse will take place on February 6, 2027, from parts of Africa, South America, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Antarctica. The partial eclipse will start at 12:57 UTC (6:27 PM IST), while the annular (ring-shaped) eclipse will begin at 14:03 UTC (7:33 PM IST). The eclipse will likely reach its maximum at 15:59 UTC (9:29 PM IST). Meanwhile, the final phase of the annular eclipse will end at 17:55 UTC (11:25 PM IST), and the partial eclipse will end entirely by 19:01 UTC (12:31 AM IST on February 7). This total solar eclipse will take place on August 2, 2027. It will be the only eclipse to be visible in India. It will also be visible from parts of Europe, South and West Asia, Africa, eastern North America, and over the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The partial eclipse will begin at 07:30 UTC (1:00 PM IST), and the total eclipse at 08:23 UTC (1:53 PM IST). The eclipse reaches its maximum at 10:06 UTC (3:36 PM IST). The total eclipse ends at 11:49 UTC (5:19 PM IST), and the partial eclipse ends by 12:43 UTC (6:13 PM IST).
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Astronomers discover blazing Betelgeuse has companion star
This is an AI generated image. Used for representation purpose only. Since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians, people across the world have gazed up in awe at Betelgeuse , one of the brightest stars blazing in the night sky. Now astronomers have discovered that this red supergiant , known to many as the hunter's shoulder in the Orion constellation , is being orbited by a much smaller companion star , a study said on Monday. It is not the first time Betelgeuse has surprised stargazers. Seemingly out of nowhere, the giant star dramatically dimmed for five months between 2019 and 2020, leading some scientists to suggest it could soon die in an epic supernova explosion. Further observations revealed that this event -- known as the " Great Dimming " -- was actually caused by material ejected from the surface that cooled part of the star, creating a dust cloud that blocked its light. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swelling and internal bleeding in the brain, help this baby Donate For Health Donate Now Undo But scientists could still not explain why Betelgeuse's brightness changes regularly, both on a 400-day cycle and another that lasts nearly six years. In a paper titled "A Buddy for Betelgeuse" published in December, some researchers theorised that the longer variation could be caused by a hidden small star orbiting the behemoth. Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii have now discovered this elusive companion, according to a new study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. - Little buddy - This companion has a mass around 1.5 times greater than our Sun, the research estimated. That means it is dwarfed by Betelgeuse, which is 1,000 times bigger than the Sun. The companion star is around four times the distance from Betelgeuse as the Earth is from the Sun, which is quite close for a stellar companion. The discovery is the first time such a close companion star has been detected orbiting a supergiant, according to a statement from the US research centre NOIRLab, which operates the Gemini Observatory. Betelgeuse is more than 10,000 times brighter than the Sun, its blinding light making spotting anything nearby difficult. Steve Howell, a NASA scientist who led the research team, said previous "papers that predicted Betelgeuse's companion believed that no one would likely ever be able to image it". However the Gemini North telescope was able to spot the much smaller, dimmer star using a technique called speckle imaging. This involves assembling many images taken with short exposure times to overcome the distortions that Earth's atmosphere causes ground-bound telescopes. According to Greek myth, the giant hunter Orion claimed he would kill all the world's beasts, so Earth goddess Gaia sent a scorpion to kill him. God king Zeus then turned both Orion and the scorpion -- Scorpius -- into constellations. Earlier, ancient Egyptians included Betelgeuse in the constellation Osiris, their god of the dead. Even earlier, research has suggested that Indigenous Australians included Betelgeuse in their own constellations -- and had noticed the star's varying brightness.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
5th July was the shortest day this year. Why is the Earth spinning faster this month?
The Earth spun faster this month, recording the shortest day this year on July 10. The world is set to witness similar events on Tuesday (July 22) and next month (August 5). According to data from the Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service and the US Naval Observatory, reported by CNN, the Earth recorded its shortest day on July 10, by completing a full rotation faster by a fraction of a second (1.36 milliseconds). Until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded was -1.05 ms, which means the Earth completed its rotation in 1.05 milliseconds less than 24 hours. The Earth has been consistently crossing this number since then, recording its shortest day ever on July 5 (-1.66 ms). The Earth takes 24 hours to rotate on its axis, a period known as 'Length of Day' or LOD. The LOD may vary by a time frame as unnoticeable as a millisecond (0.001 seconds or 1 ms), and these variations are recorded using devices known as atomic clocks. The variation in LOD depends on several factors, including the position of the Moon with respect to the Earth's equator, the oceans, and the atmosphere. The Moon's gravitational pull influences the Earth's rotation speed — it is slower when the satellite is closer to the equator and faster when it's at latitudes farther away from it. The atmosphere slows down due to seasonal changes, and the Earth compensates for it by rotating faster, as the combined angular momentum of Earth and its atmosphere must remain constant. As per the same principle, the slowdown of Earth's liquid core has caused the solid Earth around it to speed up. One reason the trend of faster days has drawn attention is the concept of the 'leap second.' For several decades, Earth was known to be slowing down, making days marginally longer. This led to adjustments, known as the positive leap seconds, being made to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to slow down the atomic clock and keep it in sync with the phenomenon. This has happened 27 times since 1972. With the Earth currently recording faster rotations than it used to, the atomic time may need adjustments in the opposite direction by removing a second, called a negative leap second. This has never happened before. Since so many global systems — including telecommunications, financial transactions, and GPS satellites — depend on accurate timekeeping, it could lead to disruptions akin to the Y2K problem. Hence, scientists are closely monitoring the shortening of days.
