One of the nicest things about summer nature study is that it is so easy - enticing even - to enjoy nighttime events, of both the social and natural variety. Warm weather, late sunsets, relaxed bedtimes ... all mean much ado after dark. Really though, you need go no further than your own backyard for memorable and meaningful entertainment. Just look up and you won't be disappointed.
Anna B. Comstock says it far better than I:
"The summer is an inviting season for making the acquaintance of eight of the fifteen brightest stars visible in the northern latitudes. Few midsummer entertainments rival that of lying on one's back on the grass of some open space which commands a wide view of the heavens. There with a planisphere and an intermittently lighted flashlight with which to consult it, learn by sight, by name and by heart those brilliant stars which will ever after meet our uplifted eyes with friendly greeting. To teach the children in a true informing way about the stars, the teacher should know them, and nowhere in Nature's realm is there a more thought-awakening lesson."
Keeping all that in mind, here are some random nature thoughts I'd like to share this week.
~ Space Shuttle Sighting ~
Now, I'm a little fuzzy on all the details, but there will be something neat to see in the sky tonight and tomorrow night, just after the sun goes down. According to Spaceweather.com:
"On Tuesday morning, June 19th, space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station. On Tuesday night, the pair will fly in tandem over many US towns and cities including Detroit, Washington DC, San Francisco and Denver. Typical flybys take place shortly after sunset, with the pair first appearing in the northwest (look for the Big Dipper) and soaring overhead from there. The space shuttle appears first, followed by the ISS. Both spacecraft are bright and easy to see with the naked eye. Double flybys continue on Wednesday night, June 20th, before Atlantis returns to Earth on Thursday, June 21st."
I'm having a hard time pinning down the exact time to watch; Spaceweather is a bit coy on this point, linking two sites for further information. The latter link recommended a 9 p.m. viewing for the area in which I live - and that seemed strangely late to me - until it occured to me (duh), that 9 p.m. is just after sunset at this time of year.
So the boys will get to stay up a bit past bedtime tonight it looks like, for the space shuttle flying over (not to mention the space station) is a sight to see. Do you know, I have a very strong memory of being awoken by my parents one summer night when I was quite young, and brought outside to watch a satellite (or something or other) go over? I must have been very little because my brother was in my mother's arms. I think sometimes night memories can be the most dramatic in young and active imaginations.
~ Stars, Planets & Harry Potter ~
More things to look for in the summer night sky; this from the Boston Globe:
Lined up to the lower right of the moon at dusk are Saturn, and farther on, brilliant Venus. Very close to the moon is the star Regulus. Try binoculars.
I couldn't help noticing that Regulus is the name of Sirius Black's brother (Harry Potter's godfather) who may or may not have a part to play in the last HP book due out next month. If your kids are fans of the series, it would be fun to look for these characters' namesake stars this month (Sirius, the dog star, being the brightest of all). There's also a constellation called Draco the Dragon, but I'll leave that for another post.
And! Speaking of the Harry Potter series, have you heard about Nancy Brown's new book, The Mystery of Harry Potter, a Catholic Family Guide? Thanks to Maureen Whitmann's post earlier today I remembered I wanted to order this book - so I did! - and it's on its way as I type. (Note that the book is available now, though Amazon lists it as a pre-release order.)
Now, speaking of Venus (which, in case you've lost track, I had been several sentences back) ...
“Next to Mercury the beauteous one,
Venus, her father’s delight,
Unrivaled reigns, without sceptre or crown,
The glorious queen of the night.”
(From the Monthly Evening Sky Map by Nancy L. Moorefield, 1937)
What a nice copywork page for the nature journal! Perhaps with a sketch of the summer evening sky? The whole poem can be found in the Handbook of Nature Study; I may just post it in its entirety for Poetry Friday this week. (I was going to do so right here, but then this post would be ridiculously long. Even for me.)
~ The Solstice ~
The summer solstice occurs this Thursday at 2:06 p.m. This would be the longest day of the year, and consequently the night would be the shortest. A fun thing to do this week is to acquaint your children with the weather pages in your local paper, particularly the sunrise and sunset times. Record the times over the next few days (and do the math, fuguring out the total hours of daylight). Help them discover what happens over the course of the week.
~ A Full Moon & Strawberries ~
While you're there (at the weather pages, I mean) take a look at the moonrise time for each day as well. June's full moon will occur on the 30th, and last, day of the month; it is known as the Full Strawberry Moon. How about a day trip one day next week to the nearest pick-your-own strawberry farm? Why not read about The First Strawberries, too? Certainly on that night, strawberry shortcake is a must for dessert! Ooh, and not to skip around too much here, but do make a point to stop by Suzanne's Virtual Kitchen next Wednesday for The Strawberry Festival! I wonder if Suzanne knew her timing was so perfect? :)
Now, for a few final random nature notes ...
- The daylilies are getting ready to burst ... I always look for these bright orange beauties the week or so before the Fourth of July.
- You can see fireflies at night, and hear crickets as well. Summer would not be the same without either.
- We also like to look for bats at dusk. They dash out of our woods and dive-bomb our yard. We cheer them on, hoping they'll take thousands of mosquitos a night (and they will).
- Once we had an owl swoop through the yard; Bookworm swears its wings almost brushed his head. Bill backs up this incredible story - they had been out watching bats when a hooting deep in the woods caught their attention. Moments later a large creature swooshed through the dark yard, heading towards that mysterious sound. Now, I'll bet that will be a memory that will stay with Bookworm forever!
- We found our first little toad the other day - I just love them, and they love our grass, pesticide-free as it is (the only lawn in the neighborhood to claim that I think). We've also got plenty of slugs, bugs and other toad-yummies. Bill is very careful of these guys when mowing (with the reel mower) out back.
- Keep your eyes peeled and your ears tuned for baby birds; nestlings are emerging just now. We have the cutest family of sparrows nesting in of all places, a street lamp! They visit our feeders en famille every day and they are the funniest little creatures to watch. It's quite easy to tell the baby birds from the parents - they're the fluffy ones with open beaks and fanned out feathers, begging for a meal, and not wanting to budge from their branch. :)
Well, allrighty, I've kept you all here long enough! Have a fabulous night, everyone - open those windows, listen to the breeze and don't forget to look up after dark!
********************************************************************Update, Update, 9:05 p.m. ~ Wow, did you see them?! We just came in from the front yard where we watched the shuttle and the ISS pass over as a pair! They were easy to see - two good size lights, a bit apart from each other, but moving steadily together across the sky from northwest to northeast. So cool! But I can only imagine what someone might think if they did not know in advance what those two lights were! Remember, they go by again tomorrow night - definitely worth it! And hey, how about that milky, golden crescent moon off in the western sky? Very warm, light breeze; we had a few bats fly by, too. Still just light enough to see, but now the dark's closing in fast ... OK, time to get these kiddoes off to bed. Good night! :)
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