#as I greek mythology nerd it was so cool seeing all of the details they included

[beetlegh0st]

Just finished watching Kaos and omg it so good

[sunthyme]

Sorry for this being a day late, I last second decided I hated how the og designs turned out so I redid them lmaooo. Whoops! Tyty sm for the support though, I love y'all! 🩷🩷🩷

💐Ignihyde💐

I cleared the tail end of Book 4 and all of Book 5 two days ago so fair warning, I'm still not completely aware of all the ins and outs of Ortho and Idia. And I might have to redo some of my Pomefiore headcanons with Book 5 in mind, namely Rook??? Whose apparently from Sunset Savanna??? Anyways, onto the designs...

🎮Idia Shroud🎮

(he/it) Unlabelled Gender - Achillic Asexual

Ah, the most relatable character in Twisted Wonderland...

- I don't think I really changed a whole lot about him physically, tbh. Gave him slightly bluer skin and dark makeup. I figured he's kinda one of the closest characters to like alt fashion and stuff so I slapped some piercings on him.

- You can't see them with his GIANT MESS OF HAIR but I gave him some piercings. I'll just grab a pic of them rq.

No bald Idia today guys.

- He's autistic. Is that even up for debate at this point? Either way, I feel like he'd actually hate having hair against his neck and typically put it into a ponytail or something. That shit would be hella warm otherwise, fire or no.

- He plays dating sims religiously but god forbid someone ACTUALLY flirts with him. In the unlikely scenario that he actually realises they're hitting on it, he just freaks out and runs, physically if possible. I think he's unintentionally shut people down hard because he cannot fathom why anyone would like it.

- He has to fight his demons whenever he see any of the people with cat ears which me too me too. Ignihyde actually has a bit of a stray cats issue, namely because Idia sets out food and water for them and refuses to let anyone take them away. They never get into the workshops or anywhere dangerous and Idia has named all of them.

- He has unique names not only for the stray cats of Ignihyde but also for all of the ones in his games, in specific his Minecraft cats.

- It's actually in the process of making a robotic cat as a sort of emotional support animal since a live cat isn't allowed in classes due to allergies (which Grim is exempt from due to him not technically being a cat and not producing allergens, fun fact).

- Oh! And I headcanon him as Greek and Japanese. Forgot that oops. Nationality-wise he'd be Australian though.

I was struggling to think of things that were just canon facts of his character already, which, to be fair, some of this could be but moving onto...

🦾Ortho Shroud🦾

(they/it/he) Nonbinary???

I actually adore how they came out omg. I have no really experience with robot/cyborg character design so I gave myself some liberties.

- First and for most, I made a lot of its robot features more obvious with panelling that would make it easy for Idia to access any brain or vocal mechanics. You cannot convince me that Idia, known for liking video games and anime, would pass up an opportunity to make Ortho look cool asf. Or maybe Book 6 can but for now, panels.

- I don't know if it's ever brought up in detail Ortho's like material components and stuff but I think they're made with the anti-magic stuff Charon's ferrymen have, further enhanced and durable. His freckles help with sensing particularly smell and temperature.

- His eyes took a bit of inspiration from Genoa, I just though a black sclera would look super cool tbh.

- It's hair is a bit crazier and I wanted to lowkey emulate Medusa vibes with it and the soulless eyes lol.

Not much else right now but I know damn well Book 6 will make me cry... Time for the ocs!

🪻Fuji Izanami🪻

Third Year - (she/he) Bigender - Bisexual

- So, a bit of a disclaimer, I've never actually seen Hercules because I was a Greek mythology nerd and was offended by the inaccuracies lol so keep that in mind with the ocs for this dorm. Fuji is my Cerberus character!

- He's the vice-housewarden of Ignihyde and tends to help out with Ortho's upgrades by moving the heavier parts that Idia can't lift.

- Since I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, Cerberus means 'spots', I wanted her to have a ton of freckles as an omage.

- She's fully Japanese and has been a childhood friend of the Shrouds, with both families going way back. He was kind of Idia's emotional support before Ortho was allowed as well as a bit of a bodyguard. She and Ortho were the reason Idia didn't have to attend with a mass guard force.

- Quiet and seems quite menacing at first but is a huge softie and loves to be around other people. She and Jack are workout buddies and bond over common music tastes in the J-Pop and K-Pop genres.

- When she's talking to Idia or Ortho, it tends to be in Japanese (neglecting that the game is set to Japanese, imagine the default is like a common tongue or something lol).

- He specialises in heavier mech tech, developing protective wear and other durable things to work with. She hopes to intern with Charon eventually and work to study the containment of blot.

Now for another set of triplets, these ones all in Ignihyde...

🕰️Ye-Jin Ryu🕰️

Second Year - (she/her) - Sapphic

So these next three characters are representative of the Fates, they're Korean.

- Ye-Jin is my 'past' character. I styled her hair is an older-fashioned wavy cut and gave her some classy pearl earrings to give that 🌸vintage aesthetic🌸.

- Her primary skill set and interest is in re-purposing older things and upgrading them i.e. keeping the older aesthetic but making the mechanisms modern and remove the fear that it'll break down from overuse and whatnot.

- As such, she's a sucker for antiques and older fashion trends, mostly consisting of long skirts and formal wear. That being said, she still wears properly protective gear w an working on one of her projects.

- A hobby of hers is photography and she loves both actually taking photos as well as experimenting with different kinds of old cameras. She's a part of a photography club and also has a photo wall in her room.

- Never one to slack, she enjoys journalling and writing letters in her pass time as well. A hopeless romantic, she and Chanda share a class and Ye-Jin writes little posty notes for her.

Now for the present..

🛰️Ji-Ho Ryu🛰️

Second Year - (she/they) - Heteroromantic Bisexual

- Ji-Ho is the present and reflects a more modern Korean makeup style and haircut. I think she'd have reading glasses but only wear them when necessary.

- She has an interest in modern technology and pushing its limits. Adding more storage to a computer than typically offered, making a car even more gas efficient, that kind of stuff.

- They like a combination of things but are actually a part of the Spelldrive Club. She wanted to try something new and expand their bases. It gave her some insight for a recent interest in prosthetics she's developed.

For the final Fate,

👾Dae Ryu👾

Second Year - (she/they/it) Agender - Pansexual

- Dae is the future! I gave her more sci-fi-y makeup and a bit more flare in its hairstyle. Some piercings and ta dah!

- They specialise in bio-tech. Looking at nature to modify scientific approaches and being more environmentally friendly. Sustainability is a top priority for Dae.

- She wants to eventually make basic resources easily accessible to all and is doing its best to work out a solution. They're connecting the dots lol.

- Dae is a part of the hiking club and loves being around nature as much if not more than being in her lab. They often go hiking with Chunying on weekends.

For the last Ignihyde student and the final Benoit...

💀Cooper Benoit💀

First Year - (they/he) Nonbinary - Queer

- Cooper is twisted from Barrel and is the last of the Benoit family to be introduced. They are a very booksmart person and a math nerd.

- He's also disabled and typically uses a wheelchair. As such, they have been working on trying to improve the school's general accessibility as even with magic, NRC's campus can be difficult to navigate in a wheelchair.

- Similarly to Idia, Cooper is a total cat person and he and Idia take care of the strays together. Cooper's slowly memorising the names lmao.

That's all for Ignihyde! Diasomnia will be out tomorrow, promise! Tyty 🩷🩷🩷

[gemini-care-barr]

For Barry and Hal-

What fandoms or franchises do you think they are in or follow? Could be podcast related, Reddit forums they are a part of, movie sequels or trilogies or novels!

Definitely something that should be mentioned more in canon comics so let’s use this as a manifesting moment by detailing it out 🤭

Right off the bat, I have to make it clear to absolutely everyone that Barry is 100% a Trekkie and Hal is most likely a Star Wars fan. And while we’re on the most heated sci-fi debate, I’ll add that once Hal and Barry became friends and Barry learned more about the Green Lantern Corps he undoubtedly introduced Hal to Star Trek and successfully convinced him that it was the superior sci-fi franchise, we stan two Trekkies 😜

Now then, I don’t think Hal would be very into book series or fantasy in general but he’d definitely have a particular interest in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy and I think he’d try Game of Thrones and The Witcher because of everyone’s recommendations but would probably not like it very much. He’s the noble-type though and would be pretty easily convinced to read the Lord of the Rings books (including the Hobbit and Silmarillion) because of the nobility of the characters and story. Same reasoning goes for Donita K. Paul’s DragonSpell series. He’d also probably be into the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Ernest Hemingway, and Raymond Carver, not hugely into them necessarily but if he was super bored and he had access to their stuff he’d dig it haha. His favorite poem would also probably be Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H.. I don’t see him being too into podcasts, but he’d definitely like rock bands like Foreigner and AC/DC. He’s also definitely into movies more so than tv shows and would love movies like The Right Stuff, Top Gun, Braveheart, The Patriot, John Wick, most blockbusters classics really, and probably anything with Bruce Lee haha. He’d probably think anime/manga was for nerds until someone pointed out that Dragon Ball Z was, in fact, an anime then he’d realize they can be pretty cool hahaha. And with video games, I’d say he absolutely doesn’t have the patience for long form RPGs but can probably be convinced to play some FPSs with friends like Call of Duty and Halo lol. Basically, this was a long way of saying that Hal is probably more sporty, not in an obsessive fan of sports way, mind you, just that he participated in mostly sports growing up and even as an adult probably prefers hanging out playing baseball with kids (Adams’ GL run has an adorable scene of just that) rather than watching/reading/listening to anything so essentially he’s just not very media-obsessed; he’s a doer! He also probably wouldn’t participate in the fandoms of any of the media he does consume because he cares more about engaging with the media itself rather than about others’ thoughts and feelings on it haha.

Onto Barry, honestly, Barry is kind of tougher for me to figure out purely because I feel like he and I are very similar so I’m inclined to list basically all my favorite things and my thought processes haha, but I’ll try to avoid doing that 😝. So, like I said, Barry is definitely a Trekkie, the Federation’s belief in preserving alien lives and lifestyles plus its dedication to exploration and science all appeals to his inner nerd. He probably loves the shows For All Mankind, The X-Files, and Bones because of their science-y natures (he definitely introduced Hal to For All Mankind and it’s one of the shows they watch together haha). We all know he’s a huge comic book fan (shout-out to Pre-Crisis that had him reading Golden Age Flash comics 😜), but I’ll also add that I think this love of Golden Age Flash, thanks to his mom, would have led to his own love of Greek and Roman mythology once he realized where the idea for Jay Garrick’s helmet and shoes came from! A love of mythology would eventually lead to a love of ancient western philosophy and writings then to Medieval romances like the Arthurian legends and the works of Chaucer. Old English stuff would’ve crept in there too starting with Beowulf. He was an old soul from a young age so all these things would’ve caught his eye on trips to the library and the old-fashioned romantic notions and chivalry has definitely stayed with him. All this appreciation for much older works would then slingshot back around to him loving and appreciating more modern works that took heavy inspiration from all this older literature like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, the Percy Jackson series, the Harry Potter series, the Codex Alera, and the Dresden Files, oh and all the detective novels, just all, from Doyle, Christie, Poe, Hammett, etc. then when he found foreign detective fiction he’d go mental and just read them all haha. He’d also probably read the Remo Williams and Jack Reacher book series and convince Hal to do the same! I’d say he’s also into old movies and classic tv shows because they all make him feel good with their sweet morals and happy endings. He’s probably not much of a gamer except for the ones with good stories, he’s too interested in learning new things to just watch someone else play though, if a game’s story interests him then he’s definitely playing it himself. Mass Effect is probably one of his secret favorites. He’s super into podcasts, anything informational and/or scientific, probably conspiratorial and/or true crime stuff, too, if for nothing else than to help him get inspiration on how to approach his own cases, he may even try and solve some cold cases that he hears about (he’d probably stumble across Black Box Down then convince Hal to listen with him haha). He definitely grew up with both the Pokémon TCG and show and was actually aware that it was an anime so is likewise somewhat into other very popular anime/manga like Naruto. Music would be jazz (he’d try and fail to get Hal into it, too, see: New 52 Flash’s Annual #2), 60s rock like the Beatles and the Monkees, and probably 80s pop like the Culture Club, oh and Air Supply (which is also Hal’s guilty pleasure band hehe). He likes sports a lot, both playing and watching, but was still more likely to be found reading/watching/listening to something rather than playing; still, the same way Hal can be convinced to play a video game in order to hangout with friends, Barry can be easily convinced to join in some sporty endeavors if it’ll mean bonding with a friend or loved one. Finally, like Hal, I don’t see him engaging too much with fandoms, he’d probably try when he was younger but wouldn’t find too many people who were into the same things then when he did find people things would devolve into arguments instead of just joy for whatever the thing was so he eventually would resign himself to just enjoying the thing itself, our Barry is a soft boy 🥹. He likes discussion though so once he found people who were his safe space they wouldn’t be able to get him to shut up hahaha.

…I …I can’t believe I wrote this much ahahah 😅. I swear I wasn’t going to get this involved! I was just going to name a few popular franchises that each would be into, but then I started thinking about mediums and how they’d appreciate different ones and then… all this came out lmao 😅😂. I apologize for the long walls of text! Just remember: this is your fault 😜

(Note: forgot to say, Barry would 100% be into Jurassic Park (books and movies) and would convince Hal to read the books (he definitely already watched and loved the movies)!

[ticktockteapot]

Here's some more random details of my Mad T Party Looking Glass Legends AU that I still don't have the time to draw out but can make lil notes on

- I'm using alot of worldbuilding inspired off of Disney Dreamlight Valley, Disney's Mirrorverse mobile game, a few Greek myths, Centaurworld nowhere king stuff, Hadestown time loop, FNAF Security breach, Tim Burton's Underland universe

-Absolem the Caterpillar (pianist): aka Dadsolem. Chaotic nerd Dad-Friend, Stoner, has seen so much death, would do anything to protect Alice 🦋

-Nivens the White Rabbit(DJ): Looks like he's got his shit together but is actually a nervous wreck. Tech savvy. Dislikes Dinah. Alice sees him as a cool big bro/senpai but he just sees her as an annoying girl that follows him around everywhere 🐇

-Dinah the other White Rabbit/ Alice's pet cat (DJ): Looks like the life of the party but is actually a rule-abiding workaholic. Emotional support mom-friend for Alice and only Alice. The only sane one cuz she was raised to uphold her manners and all that fancy stuff (the complete opposite of Alice), hates Nivens for stealing Alice away from her all the time. Also tech savvy 🐱

-Pawlie Cardganilla OC (choreographer): Jackelope jester from Underland. Card Dancer's manager. Silly goofy guy. Cool Dilf. Has killed people before. Mally's father figure. ♠️🐇

-Alice (singer): peacemaker mom-friend for everyone, training to be a warrior for wonderland, savior complex, writes her own songs, the most unhinged out of everyone when absolutely stressed out 💙

-Tarrant the Mad Hatter(singer): himbo sugardaddy, a level headed leader, battle strategist, supportive of his gf, the most fashionable in the whole band 🎩

Mally the Dormouse (guitarist): main character energy, wants to be a soldier, self-identity crisis, Mally the Martyr ™, would risk it all for Thackery, asshole with a heart of gold 🐁

- Mally is my favorite but he won't be with the band right from the start surprisingly. Bcuz of spoilers. He'll have to suffer first ♥️

-Thackery the March Hare: has killed multiple people but he's still our lovable goofball babygirl, introverted, second in command to Tarrant, has a complicated relationship with Mally/Mallymkun, has a split personality demon named Monarch bcuz spoilers. Got the extra rizz during March season 🐰

- Thackery has a split personality (inspired by irl hares during March season and Storywhisper's Dorchadas) The split personality tied to Thackery in my AU is actually a Pooka from Celtic Irish mythology (a shapeshifting creature, usually takes the form of a hare, black horse, other animals, human with animal features) named Monarch. Their dynamic is along the lines of Eddie and Venom from the comics or Tavros and Rufio from Homestuck or Asa and Yoru from Chainsaw Man or Steven and Marc from Moon Knight

-Chesire Cat (drummer): commits crimes on the daily, mansplain manipulate manslaughter, blackmails everyone when he can, loves cat puns and dirty humor 😼

-Card Guard soldiers (dancers): sibling love hate relationships with eachother, kept in check by Pawlie, the only band member they get along with is Mally bcuz reasons ♥️♦️♣️♠️

-Mary Ann (tech support): Nivens personal assistant in Underland, social media manager for the band, loves photography and likes to share her photos with Niven's ♥️

-Time: everyone either worships him or hates him, he's just trying to do his job tbh, the god of Life/Death in Underland, all-knowing god but he's still a goofy guy, if you want to know more about the looking glass legends then he's your guy lmao⏳

- Disneyland is like a main hub for refugees of fantasy worlds that lost their homes (like Kingdom hearts traverse town and Disney Dreamlight Valley before the Forgetting)

- Yes the Vorpal Sword and the Jabberwock are humanized... sort of...

-Im gonna make SO MANY animatics for this stupid silly Alice in wonderland cringe au just to make younger me happy tbh cringe is dead and I'm the grim fucking reaper

Since I'm digging this fandom up from the grave, would anybody like to hear about my whole Mad T Party/Underland War AU? I'm not really a writer...I'm more of a visual storyteller, and trying to create a cohesive story template is a bitch. So I've got bits and pieces and worldbuilding sprinkled around in my noggin

[astrogeoguy]

The Moon Covers Aldebaran while Morning Mercury Meets Mars, plus Lyra for September Stargazing!

(Above: The Ring Nebula aka Messier 57 is a planetary nebula - the corpse of a sun-like star. The tiny star in the centre is the cooling naked core of the former star, now radiating the sphere of gas, and causing it to glow.)

Stargazing News for this week (from September 10th, 2017) by Chris Vaughan. (Feel free to pass this along to friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics.) I post these with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! All times mentioned are in Eastern Standard Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested in joining me in a guided field trip to the York University Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.  

Public Events

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, September 13, the RASC Toronto Centre will hold their free monthly Recreational Astronomy Night Meeting at the Ontario Science Centre, and the public are welcome. Talks include the Sky This Month, several reports about trips to see the recent solar eclipse (with pictures and videos), and setting up your own observatory. Check here for details. Parking is free. 

Other events this week include The Science Behind Earth-like Planets presented by U of T’s Dr. Mike Reid (he’s excellent) at City Hall Library on Thursday (details here), Nerd Nite Toronto: Spaced and Confused: A Hypnotic Journey, which mixes suds and science at the Transac Club on Thursday (details here), and U of T Planetarium: Voyager’s Odyssey: A Small Probe’s Adventures into Interstellar Space on Friday (details here). 

(Above: Every year in early evening in mid-September, the same stars surround the zenith, which is defined as the point on the sky directly overhead.)

September Stargazing Round-up - Lyra

With the Moon out of the evening sky for the next few weeks and darkness falling a bit earlier, it’s a good time to tour the night sky. 

Once it’s dark, tilt your head back and look waaay up. Or set out a blanket, gravity chair, or chaise. Point your finger directly overhead. That’s the zenith - the point of the sky directly above you. During the night, various stars and constellations will pass through that patch of sky as the Earth’s rotation carries them from east to west. While objects occupy that position, they will always appear at their best. That’s because you are looking through the least amount of intervening air. 

(Above: A close-up of the zenith area (green cross) at 9 pm in mid-September. Clockwise from bottom, the surrounding constellations are Lyra, Cygnus, Draco, and Hercules. The deep sky objects peppering the Milky Way are indicated with symbols and labels.)

In early evening in mid-September every year, the constellations of Lyra (the Harp), Cygnus (the Swan), Hercules, and Draco (the Dragon) occupy that spot. I’ll post a sky chart here. Over the next few weeks, we’ll tour them, pointing out some objects you can look at with binoculars and small telescopes. Up first is Lyra. In Greek mythology, Lyra is the musical instrument created from a turtle shell by Hermes and later used by Orpheus in his ill-fated attempt to rescue his lost love Eurydice from the underworld. We Canadian astronomers call Lyra the “Tim Hortons Constellation” because it contains both a doughnut and a double-double (coffee)! 

Facing south and looking just to the lower right of the zenith, you’ll easily spot the very bright star Vega, or Alpha Lyrae – the brightest star in the constellation. Vega, the fifth brightest star in the entire night sky, partly because it is only about 25 light years away, and partly because it is a very hot luminous star. The name Vega arises from the Arabic "Al Nasr al Waqi", or the "swooping eagle". Traditionally, the Lyre was pictured as being grasped in the talons of an eagle. 

Vega is heading towards the Sun and will continually brighten over time, becoming the brightest star in the night sky a few hundred thousand years from now. Meanwhile, the wobble of the Earth’s axis will also cause Vega to become the North Pole Star around 14,500 AD, as it was around 12,000 BC. This star is a star! 

Vega also is the brightest, highest, and most westerly of the three beautiful blue-white stars of the Summer Triangle. Moving clockwise, Altair is about three fist widths below and to the left of Vega. Deneb, slightly dimmer than the other two, completes the large triangle at the upper left. The separation between Deneb and Vega is shorter, only 24° or 2.5 fist widths. 

Chinese culture celebrates a love story in which Cowherd Niú Láng (牛郎) is the star Altair. He and his two children, (β and γ Aquilae, the stars that flank Altair) are separated from their mother Zhī Nǚ (織女) the "Weaving Girl" (Vega) who is on the far side of the river, which is represented by the Milky Way. Each year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, magpies make a bridge so that the family can be together again for a single night.

(Above: A detailed star map of the constellation Lyra, including the two Messier objects M57 and M56)

Look for a medium-dim star about a finger’s width to the left of Vega. A similarly dim star sits about a finger’s width below it. The three stars form a neat little triangle with Vega at the right. Binoculars or a small telescope will reveal that the triangle’s star to the left of Vega, designated Epsilon Lyrae, is actually a close pair of stars. A really good telescope will reveal that each of the pair of stars is itself a very close together pair! This quadruple star system, or “double-double”, is about 162 light-years from Earth. Even more interesting, each little pair is circling one another, and the two pairs may also be orbiting - in a neat little square dance that takes thousands of years to complete! 

The other corner of our little triangle is the star Zeta Lyrae, and it, too can be split into a double star with binoculars. Both are white and one is slightly brighter than its partner. These stars are about 152 light-years away, and they themselves have partners that are too close to split visually. 

Zeta is also the top right star of a narrow upright parallelogram about two fingers wide and four fingers tall that forms the rest of the constellation. Moving clockwise, we find Sheliak, Sulafat, and Delta Lyrae. Sheliak, meaning “Harp”, is the brightest of a tight little grouping of stars visible in a telescope. Sheliak itself has a close-in dim partner that orbits the main star so that, every 13 days, the brighter star is blocked and the total brightness drops by a noticeable amount. This is called an Eclipsing Binary system. 

Next, at the bottom of the parallelogram, sits Sulafat, meaning “Turtle”, and named for the shell forming the body of the Lyre. Sulafat is a hot blue giant star 620 light-years away. Similar in colour to Vega, Sulafat is much larger - an old star on its way to becoming an orange giant many years from now. 

Finally, at the upper left of the parallelogram is Delta Lyrae. Sharp eyes and binoculars will easily reveal that this is yet another pair of stars – one blue (upper) and one red (lower). The two are not related - the blue star is several hundred light-years farther away than the red one. They just happen to appear close together along the same line of sight. 

So, where’s the doughnut? Train your telescope midway between Sheliak and Sulafat, and look for the little, dim, grey smoke ring known as the Ring Nebula (also known as Messier 57). This little bubble of gas in space is the remnant of a dead star that was very much like our Sun. These common objects are called planetary nebulae because they show a little round disk, like a planet. Finally, using binoculars or a telescope, extend to the lower left the line that joins Sheliak to Sulafat. At about twice their separation (from Sulafat) is a Globular Star Cluster called Messier 56. It will appear as a dim fuzzy patch – a Timbit! 

Let me know how your exploration of Lyra goes. There are lots of double stars in the constellation. 

The Moon and Planets

The Moon reaches its Last Quarter phase in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Last quarter moons rise about midnight and persist into the daytime morning sky, leaving the evenings darker for stargazing. The 90° angle made between the Sun, Earth, and Moon at last quarter cause the moon to be half illuminated, lit on the eastern (left-hand) side. The terms gibbous and crescent are used to describe objects that are more than half illuminated, or less than half. By the way, only bodies that venture between us and the Sun can ever appear as crescents when viewed from the surface of the Earth. Those are the Moon, Venus, and Mercury (and some asteroids). 

The day before last quarter, from midnight to dawn on Tuesday, September 12, the waning gibbous moon will pass through the stars marking the triangular face of Taurus (the Bull). As dawn approaches, the moon moves towards Taurus’ brightest star Aldebaran. You can try using a backyard telescope to see the Moon pass in front of (or occult) the star. In the Great Lakes region, the Moon covers Aldebaran around 8:48 am EDT and moves off it about 10 am (times varies by location). Observers in western North America and Hawaii will see the event in a dark sky. 

(Above: Between about 8:45 and 10 am Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday morning, the moon will pass in front of the bright star Aldebaran. A telescope might let you see the event, which happens in a dark sky for observers in the Pacific Ocean region.)

For the rest of the week, the Moon wanes and rises later, and passing though the legs of Gemini (the Twins) and then appearing as a thin crescent above Venus in the eastern pre-dawn sky on Sunday morning. 

This week, Mercury is giving us its best appearance of the year for mid-northern skywatchers all over the world, and it’s easily seen with plain old eyeballs. Look for it very low in the eastern sky from the time it rises, about 5:30 am local time, until about 6:30 am. On Tuesday morning, the planet will reach its widest angle west of the sun, and peak visibility. If you want to try using a telescope, Mercury will exhibit a waxing half-illuminated phase. But be sure to point the telescope away from the eastern horizon well before the Sun comes up. 

On Monday morning, Mercury will sit only a finger width below the bright star Regulus and about three finger widths to the upper right of much dimmer Mars. As the week progresses, Mercury will drop away from the star and approach Mars, passing so close that on Saturday and Sunday morning both planets should appear together in a telescope eyepiece (but Saturday is best). While Mercury will pass in a week or two, Mars will become easier and easier to see after it rises about 5:30 am local time. 

(Above: Mercury reaches peak visibility on Tuesday morning when it swings widest of the Sun. Mars, Regulus, and Venus are nearby.)

And don’t forget to check out extremely bright Venus. Recently showing a gibbous phase, It’s much higher than Mercury because it rises in the eastern sky after 4 am local time. This week, the planet continues to descend slowly sunward towards Leo (the Lion).

Jupiter is the bright white object low in the southwestern evening sky after sunset. It sets before 9 pm local time this week. Saturn is the medium-bright, yellowish object partway up the southern sky as the evening darkens. It sets in the west just before midnight local time. Once it’s dark, you can see the fist-sized Teapot-shaped group of stars to the left of Saturn and the distinctive Scorpius (the Scorpion), with its tail curving eastwards low above the horizon, to the right of the ringed planet. 

(Above: The sky at 8:30 pm local time. Jupiter, at lower right sets early, while Saturn at centre persists until midnight.) 

Blue-green Uranus, situated along the eastern (left-hand) string of stars that form Pisces (the Fishes), rises about 9 pm local time and is observable for the rest of the night in binoculars under a dark sky (but not this week!). There’s a medium-bright star about a finger’s width below Uranus. 

Tiny blue Neptune is approximately opposite the Sun in the sky, putting it near its closest and brightest for this year. Also observable all night, it is located about two finger widths to the lower left of the medium-bright star Hydor in Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). It is too faint to be seen with the unaided eye.

Keep looking up to enjoy the sky! I love getting questions so, if you have any, send me a note.

[topworldhistory]

Got history lovers on your list? Stock up here.

If your holiday shopping includes a history lover, HISTORY's editors have carefully chosen gifts and experiences for fans of any era. Whether it's tickets to see two former U.S. presidents in person or a set of the same teas American patriots dumped into Boston Harbor, there's history here to read, watch, listen, use, play and wear. 

HISTORY recommends products our editors think you’ll like, and if you buy something through our links HISTORY may get a share of the revenue. Prices may fluctuate.

History by Mail

BUY HERE: Weekly Historic Letters, from $49.99 for 3 months, Letterjoy

Who doesn’t love getting a letter in the mail? Letterjoy sends your favorite history buff one historic letter weekly from figures like John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, based on monthly themes. Each letter is carefully selected, researched and reproduced on fine stationery, paired with an expertly researched "postscript" that puts the letter in historical context. Plans range from one year for $159.99 ($13.33 per month) down to six months for $99.99 ($16.66 per month) or three months for $49.99 ($16.66 per month). Reduced rates available for educators’ in-classroom use.

Hear from Former U.S. Presidents in New York City

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Be on hand for history-in-the-making at the inaugural HISTORYTalks event at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where prominent leaders and thinkers, notable historians and inspiring performances will offer reflections on the past—and informed insights for our future. This unforgettable day-long experience, focused on the topic of Leadership & Legacy, will culminate with an exclusive conversation between two former U.S. presidents, led by a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. Don’t miss it.

Just in Time

BUY HERE: Chronology 20 Anniversary Edition, about $17, Amazon

Which came first—Isaac Newton’s telescope or Martin Luther’s 95 Theses? Test your knowledge of the past with this Chronology card game where players compete to put historical events in the correct chronological order; the first player to build a timeline of 10 cards wins. Recommended for 2 to 8 players, ages 14+. Includes 429 double-sided cards with 858 events. History is more fun with friends!

Go (History) Camping

BUY HERE: History Camp Gift Certificates, $100, History Camp

History Camp welcomes history lovers from all walks of life for a full day of talks on all eras and aspects of history. In 2020 History Camps will be held in six cities: Boston, MA, Holyoke, MA, Philadelphia, PA, Washington, D.C., Des Moines, IA, and Denver, CO. History Camp Gift Certificates are available for all locations and come with a limited-edition History Camp shirt, along with more information on the programs, so your gift recipient can select and register for the location of their choice. Also included: a gift certificate redeemable for merchandise from The History List Store.

Nerd Out

BUY HERE: History Nerd with WWII Paratrooper Crewneck Sweatshirt, $33.95, HISTORY Store

Every history lover, especially WWII buffs, will appreciate this unique History Nerd with WWII Paratrooper sweatshirt commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Picturing a World War II paratrooper, it also features a special hang tag with the “Orders of the Day” sent to the Allied troops on June 6, 1944 on one side, and a handwritten message from General Eisenhower on the other.

For an even more immersive gift, pair the sweatshirt with a World War II on the Homefront Poster, also $33.95, showing more than 100 WWII patriotic posters that hung in U.S. post offices, railroad stations, schools, restaurants and elsewhere, exhorting Americans to buy bonds, contribute to scrap drives and otherwise support the national war effort.

READ MORE: D-Day: How Allied Forces Overcame Disastrous Landings to Rout the Nazis

New Facts Daily

BUY HERE: This Day in History Box Calendars, about $15, Amazon

Learn something new every day with HISTORY's 2020 This Day in History box calendar, filled with 365 of history’s most influential and extraordinary events, inspiring people and inventions and facts any trivia buff will love.

Also available in This Day in Military History, This Day in Women’s History and–all new in 2020–Unexplained Mysteries for each day of the year.

READ MORE: This Day in History

On the Map

BUY HERE: Atlas of World War II, about $26.50, Amazon

Start with an astounding array of rare wartime maps—some with generals’ scribbled notations, others used by downed airmen to plot their escapes, still others with ominous coffin markers to show where civilians had been exterminated. Add in vibrant new explanatory cartography, related photos, first-person accounts and confidential documents. The result? A coffee-table WWII history book from National Geographic that Greatest Generation buffs will devour.

READ MORE: World War II: Causes and Timeline

Declare It

BUY HERE: Declaration of Independence Print, $28.95, HISTORY Store

For the American Revolution history buff, what could be more inspiring than a hand-printed broadside of the Declaration of Independence that arrived in Boston about July 15th, 1776—and whose lofty vision of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was read to gathered throngs three days later from the balcony of the Old State House? Printed with historic methods on an authentic colonial-era press at the Printing Office of Edes & Gill in Boston.

Pair your copy of the declaration with this “Revolutionary Superheroes” T-shirt featuring George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and Abigail and John Adams.

READ MORE: 9 Things You May Not Know About the Declaration of Independence

The Civil Rights Movement, in Graphic Novel

BUY HERE: March, about $33, Amazon

The Mississippi freedom summer. Selma’s “Bloody Sunday.” The signing of the Voting Rights Act. Experience the most epic moments of the Civil Rights Movement through the intimate lens of Congressman John Lewis, one of the key figures in the struggle to end racial segregation. Winner of multiple awards, including the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, this trilogy of graphic novels comes as a commemorative edition housed in a handsome slipcase. Also available as an ebook.

WATCH MORE: John Lewis - Civil Rights Leader

Brewing Up Revolution

BUY HERE: Boston Tea Party Tea Sampler, about $15, Amazon

Fans of tea and American history will cozy right up to this Boston Tea Party sampler set from Solstice Tea Traders. Complete with six 4-ounce assorted loose-leaf teas (oolong, bohea, congou, souchong, singlo and hyson)—the same types thrown over the side of British ships during the famous revolt—it also includes reusable tins and a fascinating history fact sheet.

READ MORE: The Boston Tea Party

Build the Rooms Where It Happened

BUY HERE: Lego Architecture U.S. Capitol Building Kit, about $100, Amazon

Bills! Amendments! Filibusters! Add a little political history to your gift-giving this year with Lego Architecture’s U.S. Capitol Building kit, a detailed 1,000-plus-piece model of the home of America’s Congress. When built, it measures 6 inches high, 17 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Ages 12 and up.

READ MORE: The Capitol cornerstone is laid

A Navy SEALs Deep Dive

BUY HERE: Navy SEALs, The Covert Missions of the Military’s Elite Fighting Force, Amazon

Go inside the adrenalized world of the U.S. Navy SEALs, some of the most storied soldiers on the globe. This HISTORY special edition publication on NAVY SEALs gives military history fans an in-depth look at this elite fighting force, featuring interviews with former SEALS, insights into their grueling physical, psychological and spiritual training and up-close accounts of some of their most heroic missions.

READ MORE: Navy SEALs: 10 Key Missions

Gods’ Gift

BUY HERE: Pop-Up Book of Mythological Gods and Heroes, about $30, Amazon

A 3-D Thor swings his hammer. Spider Woman weaves her celestial web. And the Greek Gods hang out—where else?—on Mt. Olympus. Percy Jackson fans will appreciate Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes, this gorgeous pop-up book from Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda. Filled with dimensional tales of Ra-Atum, Zeus, Odin, the Jade Emperor and more, it’s a wonderful introduction to mythological divinities from around the globe. Ages 5 and up.

READ MORE: Greek Mythology

Coffee & Campaign Slogans

BUY HERE: Presidential Slogan Coffee Mug, about $16, Amazon

Politics fans will love this 12 ounce mug featuring 29 classic presidential campaign slogans, from William Henry Harrison’s "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" to Dwight Eisenhower’s “I Like Ike” to Ronald Reagan’s “Let’s Make America Great Again.” Dishwasher safe, comes in a decorative box.

WATCH: Why Do Presidential Campaigns Use Slogans?

Hundreds of Hours of History

BUY HERE: HISTORY Vault Subscription, $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, HISTORY Vault

For the documentary and video buff, a HISTORY Vault subscription offers documentaries and series exploring the events and people that shaped our world, from ancient empires to modern warfare. Stream hundreds of hours of acclaimed series, probing documentaries, and captivating specials commercial free.

The Road to Freedom: A Biography of Harriet Tubman

BUY HERE: Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, about $16, Amazon

For the history buff who loves a deeply researched, thrilling—and true—story, try this biography of Harriet Tubman, who led many former slaves to freedom in the North and worked behind Confederate lines during the Civil War as the head of an espionage and scout network for the Union Army.

READ MORE: Harriet Tubman

Walk with Greatness

BUY HERE: American leaders socks, about $12 for a pack of four, Amazon

What to get the guy—or gal—with a truly historic sense of style? Cool history-themed socks sporting images of George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Abe Lincoln and Ben Franklin. The colorful unisex footwear guarantees the wearer will always be in inspired company.

from Stories - HISTORY https://ift.tt/2OJb5oH November 26, 2019 at 05:29AM