Andy’s Astronomy: Did It Turn Cold or What?

It stands to reason that as Earth moves away from the Sun on its elliptical orbit, the temperatures get colder, but that is not the case.

In actuality, Earth is currently moving nearer to the Sun.

Want to be more confused?

The Earth is nearest to the Sun in January, when we experience coldest temperatures and furthest from the Sun in July when our temperatures can be blistering hot.

Seasonal changes are not determined by the distance between Earth and Sun, but rather the tilt of Earth’s axis.

Think of a ball going around a light, with a stick straight through the ball. The natural inclination would be for the stick to point straight up and down as the ball circles the light. But Earth is not straight up and down, instead the stick is angled at nearly 24 degrees. As the ball circles the light, some of the ball is lit by direct rays of sunlight, and other parts of the ball receive indirect light – and that is what causes the seasons.

The Northern Hemisphere is transitioning from receiving direct rays from the Sun which made the summer incredibly hot, to receiving indirect rays and the temperatures cool and then become cold.

Averaged over a year, the Earth is about 93 million miles from the Sun, that varies about 3 million miles between summer and winter.

The Orionids Meteor Shower is now past peak activity and the frequency of meteors will dramatically decrease as the shower comes to an end on Nov. 7

The next significant meteor shower is the Leonids that will begin Nov. 6; more on it next week.

The Coca Cola Space Science Center has a program of “Songs of Love and Faith” scheduled for 5 pm Tuesday, Nov. 3, with various artists performing a variety of music. The event begins with a wine and cheese reception followed by the concert lasting about 45 minutes. Tickets are required. For more information visit www.ccssc.org/events/

CCSSC has daily theater shows covering a wide variety of topics from dinosaurs to astronauts and more. For showtimes and subjects visit www.ccssc.org

The Coca Cola Space Science Center is located at 701 Front Avenue in Columbus.

Spend more time looking at the night sky instead of your phone.

Meteors can flash across the sky anytime, day or night, and they are spotted quite often. Particularly bright meteors are often referred to as fireballs.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, a fireball was reported by five people across parts of Florida. It was seen as far north as Lecanto, as far south and east as Lakeland, and as far west as Tarpon Springs. Skywatchers reported the fireball having different shades of color including green, orange, yellow and white.

Anyone seeing a fireball is urged to report the sighting to https://amsmeteors.org

Going outside and looking at the night sky can be fun and educational for the entire family. There are a number of free apps available to help identify stars and constellations, and some of the apps show satellites.

Happy skywatching!