Observe the Moon: October 2-3
Observe the Moon: October 2-3
by Adult Programming
This year PCPL is providing links to NASA resources for school-age to adult so that you can engage this yearly moon celebration remotely.
Moon Activities and Resources
1. Look up! The simplest way to observe the Moon is simply to look up. The Moon is the brightest object in our night sky, the second brightest in our daytime sky, and can be seen from all around the world. International Observe the Moon Night is always held near a first-quarter Moon, which means that the near side of the Moon is about half-illuminated. A first-quarter Moon is great for evening observing as it rises in the afternoon and is high above the horizon in the evening. With the naked eye, you can see dark gray seas of cooled lava called mare.
2. Review our viewing guide for more tips on lunar observing.
3. Listen to a fascinating talk by Emily Levesque, Professor of Astronomy at Washington University and author of The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers, which has received rave reviews. Fast forward about 4 minutes to begin Emily’s talk on the science and adventures of being a professional astronomer and on her work at the world’s cutting-edge observatories.
4. Plan a lunar hike with Moon Trek. Moon Trek is an interactive Moon map made using NASA data from our lunar spacecraft. Fly anywhere you’d like on the Moon, calculate the distance or the elevation of a mountain to plan your lunar hike, or layer attributes of the lunar surface and temperature. If you have a virtual reality headset, you can experience Moon Trek in 3D.
5. Start a Moon Journal. International Observe the Moon Night is the perfect time to start a Moon journal. See how the shape of the Moon seems to change over the course of a month, and keep track of where and what time it rises and sets. To check your work, visit Dial-A-Moon, where you can plug in any date of the year to see the Moon phase. Observe the Moon all year long with these tools and techniques!
6. Watch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Video Gallery. Learn about the Moon’s role in eclipses, look at the Moon’s phases from the far side, and see the latest science portrayed in super high resolution.
7. Listen to a lunar playlist.
We hope you enjoy this year’s remote Observe the Moon activities.
September Meeting of the Board of Trustees
September Meeting of the Board of Trustees
by Library admin
The library’s Board of Trustees will meet on Wednesday, September 23 from 6-7 p.m.
Due to Covid-19 best practices, the board will meet via Google Meet which will allow for a safe meeting for both the board and the public. The public is invited to attend the meeting here.
Please direct all questions to [email protected].
Library of Things Kick-Off
Website Event: https://pcpl21.org/programs/library-of-things-kick-off/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/622550408620692/…
Stu Fabe, Once Upon A Concert Season
Ed Kirkpatrick, Don't Breathe On Me
Don’t Breathe On Me
Chorus:
Wash your hands,
And pass the sanitizer
Wear nitrile gloves,
And give air hugs.
Don’t breathe on me
Don’t breathe on me
I’m not six feet under yet my friend,
And I’m not pushing up daisys.
I stay six feet apart,
But not, from my Katie. (Chorus)
This Covid-19 is making me crazy,
There’s got to be more to life
Than wearing N-95
Am I dreaming this all up (chorus)
Are there more than 25,
Sitting in this small space?
Please don’t sneeze,
Don’t touch your face. (Chorus)
I might be six feet above,
But that’s when I’m happy.
Stay six feet apart
I stay six feet apart
Wash your hands,
And pass the sanitizer.
Wear nitrile gloves,
And give air hugs.
Don’t breathe on me
Don’t breathe on me
Alex Komives, Release
Release
My thin arrowed gait across the driveway,
provoked by lure of sidewalk’s open bend
to elsewhere-away-from-here, was deflected
by shielded certitude of nearby corners
discharging metronomic bursts of dog walkers
and wall scrammers once foot’s flight
departed home ground. Frustrated. Returned.
I repeated my outward assault only to revisit
the doorstep. Back and forth, I stitched
air with caged velocity until my notice
chanced upward a confident stretch
of altocumulus, potholed with blue whispers
of beyond, and recalling yesterday’s moon
retasked my torqued spirit to a search
and rescue. My eyes growing frantic
rummaged the high billowed mesh for
glimpse of waxing gibbous form. And then,
as if answer, an unfinished orb tore
clear an instant to toss a wink. Quickly
clouds recovered, but it was enough.
Comfort stood and
I was stilled.
