For the Northern Hemisphere
April 3 - May 3, 2011
All times are local unless otherwise specified.
Night Sky Visitors ...
My 2011 sabbatical continues. In this abbreviated edition of Moon Dances I offer the following to keep you looking up and tuned to the wonders above.
Enjoy!
Susan Sun
Look Up! The Moon, waxing and waning, impressively promenades across the dark sky, partnering with the sparkling stars and glowing planets. Who is the Moon dancing with tonight?
4/3-7 ~ Easter's Lunar Cycle Begins
April 17/18 ~ Easter's Full Moon
EarthSky Tonight
This Week's Sky at a Glance
Monthly Sky Calendars +
AstroViewer Interactive Sky Map
Whole Sky Chart (8:00pm = 20:00)
Aries Night Sky 3/20-4/20
Taurus Night Sky 4/20-5/21
The Night Sky ~ Home Page
Click on the Moon links for meditative insights and additional information.
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| New | Waxing Crescent | First Quarter |
Waxing Gibbous |
Full | Waning Gibbous | Waning Crescent |
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| 4 / 3 / 11 | 4 / 11 / 11 | 4 / 17 /11 | 4 / 24 / 11 | ||||
| 7:32amPDT | 5:05amPDT | 7:44pmPDT | 7:47pmPDT | ||||
| 14:32 UT | 12:05 UT | 4 / 18 / 11 | 4 / 25 / 11 | ||||
| 02:44 UT | 02:47 UT |
Note: When the right side of the Moon is illuminated, the Moon is increasing or waxing. When the left side illuminated, the Moon is decreasing or waning. (Of course, this only works in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere the effect is just the opposite!)
Moon and Sun Data
One Specific Day
One Year Table
Easter's Lunar
Cycle Begins ~ The Easter New Moon
Sunday,
April 3 – 7:32am
PDT (14:32 UT)
Rising to the Occasion ~
Breathe In God ~ Breathe Out Fear
Image: Distant Suns / Adobe Photoshop
east–left, west–right, north–top, south–bottom
The New Moon can be thought of as a no Moon! Its sunlit side is facing away from Earth toward the Sun. The side that is facing Earth is not getting any sunlight, leaving it dark and invisible to us ... no Moon to see! A New Moon lies between the Sun and Earth. Helpful Image + Description BTW: The only time a New Moon can be seen is during a solar eclipse, when it passes directly in front of the Sun, visibly showing off part or all of its entire dark disk.
Note: For those living in San Francisco this New Moon takes place above the eastern horizon about 40 minutes after sunrise. The Sun, New Moon and planets are located in the same constellations for other parts of the world; these constellations, in differing time zones, lie in a different location above or below the horizon.
Reflections ~ New Moon of Easter
The Easter Festival, the first of the three major spiritual planetary festivals, is celebrated at the Full Moon during Aries. This Full Moon, the first after the March Equinox, helps determine the date of the traditional Easter Sunday. This is the Festival of the Risen One, the Living Christ, and honors the time of resurrection and the birth of divine ideas. The Festival's lunar cycle begins with this New Moon.
With every New Moon our soul goes into meditation and aligns with the inspiration of the Nirmanakayas; a potential is enlivened and a seed of consciousness is formed deep within. Take some time to create a sacred space. A new cycle is beginning.
Review the New Moon map above. The New Moon and Sun conjoin the planet Jupiter and the star Alpheratz of Andromeda. The planets Uranus and Mars are in exact conjunction the day of the New Moon at 1:52pm PDT (21:52 UT). Mercury is retrograde 3/30-4/22.
This is an incredibly significant and extremely potent lunar cycle. The New Moon of April 3, 2011 occurs in sidereal Pisces amongst a stellium of planets, including Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, Eris[*] and Mercury ... The New Moon aspects the two largest and most influential planets in our solar system ... [it] conjoins mobilizing and expansive Jupiter and it lies opposite imposing Saturn ... Saturn, in sidereal Virgo and conjoining the stars of Corvus, the Raven Messenger, demands we heed and respond to the signs expressing through the natural world around us. ... The New Moon conjoins Alpheratz, the head of Princess Andromeda, and Alderamin, the Alpha star of King Cepheus. Making passage through the tumultuous waters of life, and the means to do so, is of issue.
Mars and Uranus also make their conjunction on the New Moon, and they conjoin the Vernal Point of Earth's Precessional Cross[*]--again activating our portal of evolutionary transition. Expect the unexpected with stimulus to take creative, spontaneous and radical action, an energetic that will intensify over the months ahead.
Earth and retrograde Mercury begin a new 116-day synodic cycle[*], stimulating a shift in the logistical aspects of our lives. This new synod conjoins massive and highly active Eta Carina of Argo Navis, a portent of evolutionary change.
... This Lunar Cycle impels expansive change and transformation on a grand scale, within our personal lives and in our societal structure. Nick Fiorenza: 4/3/11 Lunar Cycle
Note: Saturn is now at a near Earth approach, with an exact opposition to the Sun the day of the New Moon, 11:00pm PDT (06:00 UT 4/4). The planet's next close contact occurs in 13 months. The Lord of the Rings is out all night long and shining brighter than it has since 2008. It has been noted when Saturn and Jupiter are on opposites sides of the Sun, our Sun becomes active. This is occurring now. (BTW: Jupiter and Saturn were in exact opposition 3/28. Jupiter and the Sun are in exact conjunction 4/6.) The Sun in its active cycle increases the likelihood of power grid overloads/outages and satellite disruption [*]. Solar maximum may even increase earthquake/volcanic activity and emotional upsets, however this concept is not well understood nor agreed upon. Click this image to see the solar system's syzygy (siz-i-jee), planetary line-up, at the time of the New Moon. One can only wonder how the tugs and pulls of this gravitational system affect the Sun, Earth and humanity.
Use Solar System Live to view the entire solar system or just the inner planets for any date/time.
A significant astronomical-earthgrid resonance occurs on the New Moon of April 3, 2011 at the exact location of the March 11, 2011 Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami.
Whether this resonance will trigger additional or significant seismic activity is of course unknown, however taking precautionary measures certainly would be wise.
Please send prayers to our friends in Japan on this New Moon - it makes a difference. Japan New Moon Earthgrid Activation ... Nick Fiorenza
Hold
a Holy Space for Japan
Meditations,
articles of interest, ways to help
In Summary
We are in the transition of the ages and spirit and form are in the process of becoming one cooperative unit. This realignment, experienced personally and worldwide, is creating much turmoil for humanity.
'Tis the season for hanging on the cross of matter. We rise to the occasion by embracing the unknown, by breathing in God and breathing out fear. Maureen Moss guides one through the re-birthing breath and gives an invocation to release fear in this article.
Lunar Theme: Rising to the Occasion ~ Breathe In God ~ Breathe Out Fear
Portents
of Life Changing Proportions
Nick Fiorenza gives insight to this lunar cycle.
Aries
Global Meditation
This
meditation, which culminates at the
Full Moon during Aries, begins with this New Moon.
April 4-7, Monday-Thursday, Look for slim Crescent Luna in the west about an hour after sunset. DuskYoung Moon Map Invoke the Light of God as the Crescent Moon approaches the Pleiades star cluster and Aldebaran our star of enlightenment. "Let Light descend on Earth."
Saturn is at its best, rising in the east around sunset, high in the south at midnight, setting in the west around midnight. Learn more about the young Moon and Saturn from this fun and informative 5-Minute Star Gazer Video.
Be sure to look for the large triangle formed by yellowish Saturn, bluish Spica and golden Arcturus. Binoculars bring out their colors. Saturn 10pm Early April Map Saturn also lies within a triangle of bright stars; use this midnight map for orientation and constellation recognition.
Saturn's
Rings Surge in Brightness
(scroll half-way down the page)
Easter’s Full Moon
~ The Festival of the Risen One
Sunday,
April 17 - 7:44pm PDT (02:44 UT 4/18)
A
Colorful Moon ~ Happy Easter!
Image: Galileo Mission / U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona
Larger Image (700 kB)
This false-color image of the Moon was constructed from data acquired by Galileo in December of 1992. The colors are produced by displaying three color ratios in red, green, and blue. The distinctive bright spots are fresh craters such as Tycho (bottom center), which may be bright blue, green, or orange, depending on the mineralogy. Many of the craters are surrounded by reddish rings, probably due to thin veneers of glassy impact melt. The youngest large craters are surrounded by bright blue ejecta and rays.
The large orange areas (upper left) consist of iron-rich mare lavas, whereas extensive deep-blue areas consist of titanium-rich mare lavas. The darkest blue (or purplish) spots (center) consist of "dark-mantle" deposits, from explosive volcanic eruptions, which are rich in titanium and relatively rich (for the Moon) in volatiles. There is considerable interest in exploiting the dark mantle deposits to extract oxygen, helium, and other elements. The extensive reddish areas consist of highland materials, rich in the mineral plagioclase.
The Full Moon
Any Full Moon experience can offer us greater illumination of our essential divinity. Issues worked on since the New Moon come to a climax. If the restrictions of the past have been released during the waxing Moon, then the Full Moon can bring fulfillment. If not, the Full Moon might bring serious mental conflicts, possibly affecting the physical body.
What was conceived at the New Moon, Rising to the Occasion ~ Breathe In God ~ Breathe Out Fear, review above now comes to fruition and is birthed into the full light of our conscious minds.
Easter’s Full Moon ~ Festival of the Risen One
Easter's Full Moon is exact April 17 at 7:44pm PDT (02:44 UT 4/18). It marks the first of the Three Major Spiritual Festivals, The Easter or Aries Festival, celebrating the Risen One. In 2011 Passover occurs April 19, Good Friday April 22 and Easter Sunday April 24.
Note: The first Full Moon after the March equinox helps determine the date of Easter, which is observed each year on a Sunday.
It Is Written in the Heavens!
The Heavenly Holy Grail reveals the significance of the Easter Full Moon and its position in Virgo the Virgin's Holy Grail. It describes the celestial Virgin's relationship to the Big Dipper, Arcturus and Spica, and how Easter's Full Moon relates to the Sun in the constellation of the World Savior.
In 2011 Saturn resides in Easter's Holy Grail west of the Full Moon. Five planets and our Sun line up opposite Virgo's celestial chalice in the constellation of Pices, the World Savior, dramatically affecting humanity. Click the Heavenly Holy Grail link to see maps and learn more.
Ted says, "Ah, the power and prophecy of the Divine is not limited to one book or another, it is before us in the vault of heaven."
Aries
2011 Global Meditation
Celebrating the Aries Full Moon Festival ~ Easter
The Festival of the Risen One ~ The Cosmic Christ
I'd like to know your thoughts about The Night Sky ...
send me an email.
May your Night Sky traveling always be filled
with Celestial Delights and Treats!
Susan Sun
Getting
Started in Astronomy
Includes a downloadable Moon map and bimonthly star charts.
At Skymaps.com download a current monthly guide, evening sky map & calendar.
Link to Sky and Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance.
Spaceweather.com keeps you looking up!
Online
Schools
A space and science study guide for kids
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