What’s Up For August 2018?

The summer Perseids are here!

The Perseid meteor shower is the best of the year! It peaks on a Moonless summer night from 4 p.m. EST on August 12 until 4 a.m. EST on August 13.

Because the new Moon falls near the peak night, the days before and after the peak will also provide nice, dark skies. Your best window of observation is from a few hours after twilight until dawn, on the days surrounding the peak.

Unlike most meteor showers, which have a short peak of high meteor rates, the Perseids have a very broad peak, as Earth takes more than three weeks to plow through the wide trail of cometary dust from comet Swift-Tuttle.

The Perseids appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, visible in the northern sky soon after sunset this time of year. Observers in mid-northern latitudes will have the best views.

You should be able to see some meteors from July 17 to August 24, with the rates increasing during the weeks before August 12 and decreasing after August 13.

Observers should be able to see between 60 and 70 per hour at the peak. Remember, you don’t have to look directly at the constellation to see them. You can look anywhere you want to-even directly overhead.

Meteor showers like the Perseids are caused by streams of meteoroids hitting Earth’s atmosphere. The particles were once part of their parent comet-or, in some cases, from an asteroid.

The parade of planets Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars–and the Milky Way continue to grace the evening sky, keeping you and the mosquitoes company while you hunt for meteors.

Watch the full What’s Up for August Video:

There are so many sights to see in the sky. To stay informed, subscribe to our What’s Up video series on Facebook.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Laozi’s Teachings ❤

Laozi (or Lao Tzu) was an ancient Chinese philosopher from the 6th–5th century BCE and the founder of philosophical Taoism, which emphasizes living in harmony. He wrote Tao Te Ching, which entails the proper way to rule (aimed at emperors of the time). However, much of what was written can be applied to our daily lives as well. As a long-time admirer of his teachings, I decided to compile some of my favorite passages from his text to share his wisdom with you all. Below are the original transcripts with their English translations:

故常無，欲以觀其妙；常有，欲以觀其徼。

Not to desire the things of sense is to know the freedom of spirituality; and to desire is to learn the limitation of matter.

Keep reading

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paranoid0peach

6 years ago

A ceramic jar filled with thousands of bronze coins was recently unearthed at the site of a 15th-century samurai’s residence just north of Tokyo [710x470]

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paranoid0peach

6 years ago

2 Romances, CD.65, L.79, Arranged For Violin and Piano : I. L'âme évaporée (1891)

By Composer Claude Debussy

Performed By Duo Tolkien : Alessio Benvenuti, Violin ~ Marco Lo Muscio, Piano

L'âme évaporée et souffrante

The vanishing and suffering soul, the sweet soul, the fragrant soul of divine lilies that I have picked In the garden of your thoughts, Where, then, have the winds chased it, this charming soul of the lilies ? Is there no longer a perfume that remains of the celestial sweetness of the days when you enveloped me In a supernatural haze, made of hope, of faithful love, of bliss and of peace ?

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paranoid0peach

6 years ago

My parrot has a vague understanding of the word “no.” He knows to stop doing what he’s doing when he hears it, and he knows how to say it.

He knows it’s a word that is used when he’s doing something he shouldn’t be doing. However, being told “no” doesn’t make him stop doing it in future.

If he’s ever out of my sight or if I’m not paying attention, I know exactly when he’s doing something bad.

Because he says “no” to himself as he does it.

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