Fun Holidays - Look up at the Sky Day
It is human nature to strive to expand horizons in the literal sense, increasing the volume of one’s knowledge, skills and abilities, and in a figurative sense
To do this, it is enough to periodically look around and remember to look up to appreciate the beauty of the universe and the Creator’s plan This opportunity is available to space agency employees and astronomers year-round Ordinary people can use it on April 14, celebrating Look at the Sky Day
The history of the funny and somewhat romantic Look up at the Sky Day is unknown, as are the traditions of its celebration To contemplate the beauty of nature, it is enough to put aside your smartphone and other gadgets and try to expand your horizons of knowledge of the world around you
Some cosmic phenomena are annual, and people observe them with the naked eye You don't need a telescope or binoculars to see a rainbow or solar halo Such phenomena include lunar and solar eclipses, but not only them So, in mid-April, unusual precipitation falls on Earth - the Lyrid meteor shower The fireballs of the world's oldest fireball shower produce up to 18 meteors per hour Lyrid does not pose a danger to the inhabitants of the planet - parts of the comet's dust trail burn up in the upper layers of the atmosphere
On April 16-17 every year, you can see another interesting phenomenon known as the Pink Moon The spectacle of the colored disk of the Earth's satellite got its name due to the flowering of Japanese cherry and phlox in South America at this time of year Another interesting astronomical phenomenon that can be observed without special devices is the parade of planets This is the name given to the closest approach along the ecliptic of the celestial bodies of the Solar System, which are lined up in one row Small and mini-parades of 3-4 planets are an annual phenomenon and accessible to any observer
After the explosion of stars, their radiance reaches the Earth after hundreds and sometimes thousands of years And then people see the birth of a supernova in the sky, which with its flash eclipses many bodies of the galaxy Astronomers study this phenomenon using telescopes and wait for years for the light to approach Earth The supernova, which exploded 1,800 years ago, will be visible in the sky in April in the area of the Northern Cross and Cygnus
The Northern Lights are regularly observed by residents of Chukotka and Karelia, as well as other areas close to the pole The glow of the upper layers of the atmosphere occurs as a result of the collision of its gases with charged particles of the solar wind Thousands of colorful lights light up across the sky on a dark night, causing distance and delight with their beauty The radiance is also found on other planets of our system where there is a magnetosphere: on Jupiter, Venus and Mars
Throughout the year, people have the opportunity to see the halo effect - a glow around the Moon and the Sun This optical illusion is visible to the naked eye and is somewhat similar to another spectacular phenomenon - a rainbow The most spectacular is the solar halo It is caused by the refraction, reflection and scattering of light particles through ice crystals found in thin cirrus clouds
These and other wonderful astronomical and natural phenomena are observed throughout the year The initiators of the creation of Look up at the Sky Day are convinced that periodically you need to be distracted from everyday problems and everyday routine in order to turn your gaze upward to the beauty of the universe This is exactly what “Look at the Sky” Day, which is celebrated on April 14, calls us to do