Growing up on the Space Coast meant more than your average exposure to all things space-related. There were shuttle launches, astronauts talking to school children… and studying of the celestial phenomena that encompasses a wide range of natural events in space and the sky, including astronomical, atmospheric, and space-based occurrences.
You’re probably more familiar with some than others, such as solar and lunar eclipses. Society often makes a big deal of some of these, and encourages observations all across the country during rarer activity.
The following events involve celestial bodies and their interactions:
Eclipses: Occur when one celestial body passes in front of another, such as solar eclipses (Moon blocks the Sun) and lunar eclipses (Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon).
Meteor Showers: Result from Earth passing through debris left by comets, producing streaks of light in the sky; notable examples include the Perseids.
Planetary Transits and Conjunctions: A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of a star, while a conjunction is when two celestial bodies appear close together in the sky.
Supernovae: Explosive deaths of massive stars, releasing enormous energy and often forming neutron stars or black holes.
