Latest news with #LunarandPlanetaryInstitute
22-07-2025
- Science
July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, scientists say
Tuesday, July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, as Earth completes a full rotation in less time than usual. The planet on Tuesday will experience a shorter rotation than the typical 24 hours, though not by much: 1.34 milliseconds less than usual, according to Typically, we think of the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere as Dec. 21 or 22, which coincides with the winter solstice – July 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere – which is the point at which the hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun. In those instances, however, it's only the number of hours of daylight that are affected, and not the length of time it takes for the Earth to make a full rotation on its axis. The 1.34-millisecond discrepancy in Tuesday's length is explained by differences in the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon, which causes the Earth to spin more quickly, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. In recent years, Earth has broken its own speed records several times, including on July 5, 2024 – the shortest day ever measured, when the planet's full rotation was completed 1.66 milliseconds faster than usual, according to This year, July 10 was measured as the shortest day of the year, with a full rotation occurring 1.36 milliseconds faster than normal. Aug. 5 is expected to be the third-shortest day of the year, projected to be 1.25 milliseconds shorter than usual. Earth completes one full rotation on its axis in 24 hours, or about 86,400 seconds, plus or minus a millisecond or so, according to Before 2020, Earth's shortest length of day was just 1.05 milliseconds shorter than usual. If current trends continue, a full second may need to be subtracted from atomic clocks in the near future to accommodate for a "negative leap second," according to The system of leap seconds was introduced in the 1970s, according to Time and Date. While there have been dozens of positive leap seconds, in which a second was added, there has never been a negative leap second. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, which monitor's the Earth's rotation, also determines whether to add or subtract a second. In its early days – about 4.5 billion years ago – Earth was spinning at a much faster rate, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. A full rotation only lasted between three and six hours. During the mid-Proterozoic period – between 2.5 billion years ago and 543 million years ago – the Earth had slowed such that a day lasted about 19 hours, according to a 2023 study published in Nature Geoscience. Since then, the length of an Earth day has slowed to its present 24 hours due to the fact that the moon's gravitational pull "steals" some of energy Earth uses to spin, in addition to causing tidal friction, according to the Institute. Additionally, climate change is causing days on Earth to become longer due to the melting of ice at the poles, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As the poles melt, the redistribution of mass from the resulting sea-level rise also is increasing the length of a day, the researchers found.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
June's full moon will be 14% smaller. Here's why and when to see it in Florida
June's full moon is nearly upon us, but skygazers might notice something slightly different about the 2025 strawberry moon. The full moon in June 2025 will make its debut about 14% smaller and 30% dimmer than it typically is because the moon will be in apogee, its farthest point from Earth. You might hear some people refer to this strawberry moon as a 'micromoon,' similar to how it's called a 'supermoon' when in perigee, or the closest point to Earth. NASA says that the strawberry moon will hit its peak around 2:44 a.m. CT on Wednesday, but your best bet to see the moon at its fullest will likely be Tuesday night. The strawberry moon will peak at 2:44 a.m. CT/3:44 a.m. ET on Wednesday in Florida. The best time to view the full moon will be on Tuesday night, according to NASA. The moon's orbit will be in apogee when it reaches its fullest phase early Wednesday morning. Apogee describes the moon's orbit when it is at its farthest point from Earth. During apogee, a full moon is often called a "micromoon" because it will appear smaller than it normally does. The difference isn't likely to be noticed by most people, however. The nicknames used to describe full moons have origins that can be traced back to Native American, Colonial American and European sources, according to the Farmer's Almanac. June's strawberry moon might give people the impression that it will rise with a reddish-pink hue, similar to a blood moon, but the nickname is a bit more literal than that. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the strawberry moon nickname has been used by Native American Algonquian, along with the Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota peoples, to mark a time when strawberries are ready to be picked. The strawberry moon nickname might have prevailed as the most popular in recent times, but it's certainly not the only name given to June's full moon. The Anishinaabe people called it the blooming moon due to the flowering season; the Cherokee tribe referred to it as the green corn moon and the Western Abenaki used the name hoer moon, which suggested that it was time to tend to young crops, according to the almanac. The moon takes about 29½ days to revolve around Earth, which is called a lunar cycle, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. As the moon moves through its various stages, it experiences several phases of partial light. These range from a banana-shaped crescent moon, a D-shaped quarter moon and a nearly full gibbous moon. There are seven full moons remaining this year; three will be supermoons. SOURCE NASA, The Old Farmer's Almanac, University of Arizona, Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, USA TODAY Network and USA TODAY research. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: June's strawberry full moon will be smaller than normal. Here's why
USA Today
08-06-2025
- Science
- USA Today
These are the best times to view June's strawberry moon
These are the best times to view June's strawberry moon A strawberry moon will dazzle skywatchers June 11. This year's strawberry moon will be a micromoon – which means it will appear dimmer and smaller than usual – and will be at its fullest at 3:44 a.m. ET, according to NASA. But because it's so early in the day, the best time to view the moon will be June 10, when it rises at sunset, according to LiveScience. The moon is expected to be a shade of gold rather than a vibrant shade of red like a strawberry, if weather conditions allow. The spectacle marks the last full moon before the summer solstice, when we officially say goodbye to spring. The moon also will appear about 14% smaller and 30% dimmer because it will be near its farthest point from Earth. Why is it called the strawberry moon? According to the Almanac, the name "strawberry moon" comes from the Native American Algonquian tribes, who lived in the northwestern United States. The Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota tribes also used the name, which marked the wild strawberries in June. Where to view the strawberry moon June's full moon will be among the lowest in the sky of the year because of its low arc. Its moonlight will reflect the Earth's atmosphere, giving it a yellow or orange tint. On June 11, the full moon rises in the east shortly before sunset, which makes it the best time to see it from North America. Check the moonrise and moonset times in your location, then pick a site where you can see the eastern horizon at a low angle. You can use an online tool from The Old Farmer's Almanac to determine the local moonrise and moonset times. Try searching your city or ZIP code here. June's phases of the moon The moon takes about 29½ days to revolve around Earth, which is called a lunar cycle, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. As the moon moves through its various stages, it experiences several phases of partial light. These range from a banana-shaped crescent moon, a D-shaped quarter moon and a nearly full gibbous moon. When are the full moons in 2025? There are seven full moons remaining this year; three will be supermoons. SOURCE NASA, The Old Farmer's Almanac, University of Arizona, Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, USA TODAY Network and USA TODAY research
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
When is the next full moon? What to know about June's Strawberry Moon
June's full moon will be the last full moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. A full moon happens about once per month — or every 29.5 days — and occurs when the moon is aligned in such a way that Earth is "between" the moon and sun, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Full moons rise around sunset and set around sunrise and are visible for a few days, according to NASA. A full moon will happen at 12:43 a.m. PT on June 11, 2025, according to Time and Date. This full moon is often referred to as the Strawberry Moon. The Strawberry Moon got its name from Native American tribes in the northeastern U.S. that used it to "mark the ripening of 'June-bearing' strawberries that are ready to be gathered," according to the Old Farmer's Almanac website. The name doesn't have anything to do with the moon's color, according to the website. The Maine Farmer's Almanac began printing Native American moon names in the 1930s, according to a 2024 article by NASA. Indigenous tribes "gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year," according to Western Washington University. The June full moon has alternative names, such as Leaf Moon, Green Corn Moon and Hoer Moon, according to the university. These are the moon phases in June 2025, according to Moongiant: 🌓 First Quarter: June 3. 🌕 Full Moon: June 11. 🌗 Last Quarter: June 18. 🌑 New Moon: June 25. The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will occur on June 20, 2025, according to The summer solstice is the astronomical start of summer. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Next full moon 2025: What to know about June's Strawberry Moon
Voice of America
09-02-2025
- Science
- Voice of America
Study: Asteroid Hit Created Two ‘Grand Canyons' on Moon
A new study suggests an asteroid strike on the moon billions of years ago left two huge valleys about the size of Earth's Grand Canyon. Researchers from the United States and Britain said their research shows the two steep valleys, or canyons, likely formed in less than 10 minutes. They noted the crash, or impact, happened near the south pole on the far side of the moon. That is the side of the moon which always faces away from Earth. The area is known as the Schrödinger impact basin. The speed of the incoming object – which the team said might have been a comet – was estimated to be around 55,000 kilometers per hour. The strike likely happened about 3.8 billion years ago. The researchers used data collected by a spacecraft operated by the American space agency NASA. That vehicle, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has been capturing lunar data since entering orbit around the moon in June 2009. One main goal of the orbiter's mission was to create a highly detailed, three-dimensional, or 3D, map of the moon. The data has been used by NASA to learn more about lunar resources and to plan for future missions. The agency noted that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter had 'already collected as much data as all other planetary missions combined.' The team studying the canyons used the orbiter's map data to simulate the path of the incoming object, as well as material that was displaced by the crash. The scientists recently published a study describing their results in Nature Communications. The group's simulations suggested the space rock passed over the south pole before hitting. It then created a huge basin and launched rocky materials at speeds up to 1 kilometer per second. The researchers said material was sent flying and struck the lunar surface like missiles. This resulted in the creation of the canyons. The team said the canyons appear comparable in size to the Grand Canyon, in the U.S. state of Arizona. The study's lead writer was David Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. He told the Associated Press that findings suggest the asteroid strike was a 'very violent' geologic process. Kring and his team estimated the asteroid was 25 kilometers across. They estimated that the energy needed to create the two canyons would have been more than 130 times greater than the power of all the world's current nuclear weapons. Kring said most of the rock and debris was thrown in a direction away from the south pole. That finding is good news for NASA which plans to land astronauts in that area in the future. Kring noted it should improve the exploration possibilities of future astronauts. "Because debris from the Schrödinger impact was jettisoned away from the lunar south pole, ancient rocks in the polar region will be at or close to the surface…,' Kring told Reuters news agency. This should make it easier for future American astronauts to collect them. NASA's future lunar exploration plans are known as the agency's Artemis program. The program aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The agency's current plan is to send astronauts on a trip around the moon next year. That would be followed a year or so later by a landing attempt on the lunar surface. The researchers said older rocks in the area can help scientists gain a better understanding of the moon's past history. They could also help answer questions about the formation of Earth. Kring noted it is currently not clear whether the two huge canyons are permanently shadowed like some of the craters at the moon's south pole. 'That is something that we're clearly going to be reexamining,' he said. I'm Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, The Universities Space Research Association and Nature Communications. Quiz - Study: Asteroid Hit Created Two 'Grand Canyons' on Moon Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz __________________________________________________ Words in This Story asteroid – n. a rocky object that goes around the sun like a planet comet – n. an object in space that leaves a bright line behind it in the sky three-dimensional (3D) –adj. having height, width and length simulate – v. to do or make something that behaves or looks like something real but is not basin – n. a low area of land from which water flows into another body jettison – v. throwing material from one place to another shadow – n. a dark area made by something blocking the light
