astronomy – The Pensive Reverie

There and Back Again

A writer’s journey towards finding purpose

Recently, I have been binging Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings”, and by that, I mean, having it playing in the background throughout the day. Relistening to the familiar scenes made one thing clear to me: the last decade of my life is no different than a Baggins’ adventure.

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Bilbo was right about that one. I have experienced a lot of being “swept off” over the last few years. The latest twist in my journey came right around today except in late 2024: I got laid off from my job.

Now, getting laid off is a dangerous business, and it can do a lot to you. When the Balrog of Unemployment came trotting along, my wife consoled me, and I did my best Gandalf the Grey impression as I fell into a pit of depression:

Unfortunately, the popular mantra of “this too shall pass” didn’t stand a chance in my confrontation with this demon of the corporate world for it certainly “did not pass.” Getting laid off meant a lot of things. For one, it emptied a large portion of my savings. Second, it scrambled my brain and packed a wallop of stress. Sounds terrible, yes. But there was still hope.

So, while I sat there, much like Frodo,

In my case, replace “the ring” with “the lay off”.

I realized something else:

And I did. I got perspective. A year’s worth of bountiful perspective when all I could do was to continue walking and seeking. Being lost was the first step to finding the right path, and this was undoubtedly my eureka moment. Being unemployed helped me realize what I really wanted my day-to-day life to be. To make it happen, I had to wait patiently and bid my time.

It was challenging but I somehow persevered, and a job prospect, much like the esteemed reputation of the wizards of Middle-Earth arrived precisely when it had to.

So, what exactly am I up to?

Well, I’m diving headfirst into a full-time writing career. Freelancing is one way to put it, but I get to try the entire palette, at least from the writer’s perspective. The opportunities that await are multifaceted with a tablespoon of science writing, a teaspoon of script writing, a dash of tutoring, and a boat load of creative writing and art.

The journey up to this point has been very much a “there and back again” tale. Yes, there is a veritable measure of uncertainty attached to freelancing. Still, I’ve realized it offers me the freedom to indulge in my creative spirit as an individual and flexibly juggle my responsibilities as a father. Do enough of it and the savings eventually start adding up too. Further twists may yet come to pass, but for now, I’m more committed than ever before toward my writing and creative aspirations. As such, it felt great to jump into the tail end of the year by sharing with you my latest success in the science writing realm.

I’ve always enjoyed writing about the what and why of science, but now and then, I love taking a deep dive into the how. How did we get to where we are now? Whose contributions have set the foundations for modern-day innovation and knowledge?

Science history allows writers to unravel stories of the past. This year, I got the chance to do the same with a lesser-known ancient scholar, and the first of the major mathematician-astronomers of the Indian subcontinent: Aryabhata. From explaining solar and lunar eclipses to proposing Earth’s rotation, Aryabhata was far ahead of his peers. His contributions to astronomy and mathematics profoundly influenced Middle Eastern and Western thought.

I’m all the merrier to wrap up this year with the opportunity to publish a feature about this great scholar in the December 2025 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. It is now available at your nearest bookstore! You can order your copy here.

Let’s stop here for today. This is just a taste of what is to come. After all, keeping up with the Lord of the Rings metaphors,

All in preparation for what will be a glorious 2026.

Lunar Awesomeness

Having fallen sick the prior weekend, I was hard pressed to be dedicated in my efforts toward a speedy recovery while ruing the lost opportunity of posting a new article on the blog. A sudden cold, and the ensuing fatigue left me out of sorts; the origins of which could be traced back to a persistent cycle of late-night at work along with irregular sleep.

The past week has helped me recover, and now that I’m back, I would like to recapitulate on my original plans for a post dedicated to the lunar awesomeness coinciding with the final and initial weeks of January and February 2018.

The night of January 31st hosted a special treat for amateur and professional astronomers alike with three lunar events coinciding upon the occasion: a supermoon, a blue moon, and a blood moon.

Unfortunately, the weather in Edmonton was less than accommodating with a rapid slew of snowfall enveloping the city at January’s end, and resulting in quite the cloudy forecast on the night of the occasion.

While this was a mild disappointment, I drew delight by watching the video recordings of the event that were made available online the following morning. With that being said, what do astronomers mean when they use the terms supermoon, blue moon, and blood moon? Your friendly neighborhood astronomer is here to explain.

Simply put, the supermoon refers to a full moon or a new moon where the moon is at its closest distance to our planet in its orbit. This makes the moon appear slightly larger and brighter than usual.

A supermoon would be at least 14% bigger and 30% brighter as opposed to a “normal” moon.

The moon’s average distance is 382,900 km from Earth. To get some context, if we were to scale the Earth’s size or diameter (12,756 km) to that of a beach ball (16 inches), the distance from the Earth to the moon would be an equivalent of 40 ft. Thanks to its elliptical orbit, the moon tends to experience both a closest (perigee) and farthest (apogee) distance of approach to our planet.

Now, this doesn’t imply that a supermoon will occur every month as the moon’s orbit changes orientation as our planet revolves around the sun. Thus, a full or new moon won’t always happen at apogee or perigee. 12-13 full or new moons are possible every year, with 3-4 usually being classified as a supermoon. The most recent supermoon occurrence will be followed by another at the year on December 22, 2018. The closest supermoon of this century is set to occur in the relatively far future on December 6, 2052.

A blue moon refers to an additional full moon that appears among the months of a year. The term can refer to either the third of four full moons in a season or the second full moon over a month of the calendar year. The existence of the second definition is due to an erroneous parallel drawn by amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett (1886-1955). Having misunderstood the measures for calculating the seasonal blue moon, Pruett would publish an article in 1946 in the Sky & Telescope magazine writing instead that the a blue moon was the second full moon in a month. The phrase “blue” has nothing to do with the actual color of the moon. Nevertheless, varying atmospheric conditions may cause the moon to take on a tinge of blue e.g. elevated fires or volcanic eruptions that may result in particles being spewed into the atmosphere resulting in the preferential scattering of red light.

Lastly, the blood moon refers to a lunar eclipse, when the moon passes directly behind our planet and into its shadow. This occurs only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly or at least closely enough, with the Earth smack-dab in the middle.

This is also why a lunar eclipse can only occur on the night of a full moon. January 31, 2018 witnessed a total lunar eclipse, a perfect alignment that resulted in sunlight being completely blocked by the earth’s shadow.

The moon’s “color” is nothing more than the reflection of the sun’s light upon its surface. During a total lunar eclipse, the only light seen is refracted or bent through our planet’s shadow. This light is mainly of a “red” nature thanks to the scattering of its bluer spectrum (an opposite process to what may occur in a “literal” blue moon). Therefore, a total lunar eclipse is also called a blood moon as the moon takes upon a reddish color during the event.

So, what is so special about January 31, 2018?

Well, this was the first time in 152 years that these three lunar events coincided with each other making it a rare gem of a beautiful lunar display. Pretty much everyone in the UK missed out on the spectacle while those in the US, Asia, Australia, and Russia got to see the full eclipse. But not to worry, if you missed this lunar awesomeness of a super blue blood moon, the next one is up for grabs in 2037.

Finishing up with this astronomy treatise for today, unlike the 19 year wait in the case above, I hope to see you all soon again the following week with another interesting story to share.

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Catching Meteors

Meteors or “falling stars” are an annual visual treat for casual observers and amateur astronomers alike, all around the world. I had my first experience of observing a meteor shower with the Perseids last weekend.

In what turned out to be an unforgettable experience, my girlfriend Leina, and I took a late-night road trip to Prairie Gardens, located near Bon Accord, a small town in central Alberta and an International Dark Sky community.

under-the-stars-3 — A sample picture of the night sky at Prairie Gardens.

As a waning gibbous moon rose prominently above the distant horizon, we alighted upon a parking spot near an open field watching the night sky gradually come alive with the familiar band of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the luminous freckles of innumerable stars. Grabbing some popcorn, we would spend the next few hours watching a wonderful show of celestial beauty.

Of course, the night wasn’t complete without a short monologue (thanks to my background in astrophysics) on the phenomenon itself, before the show got underway. I will be treating you, my fellow readers, to the same today while providing further information and resources for all who are interested in catching the next similar astronomical event.

What are meteors?

Meteors are bits of interplanetary material falling through the Earth’s atmosphere. The same objects are also identified as meteoroids while they are hurtling through space, becoming meteors for the few seconds they streak across the sky and create glowing trails. Meteorite essentially refers to the same phenomenon, the major distinction being it is a meteoroid that survives its passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and impacts the planet’s surface.

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It is estimated that about 44,000 kilograms of meteoritic material falls on the Earth every day. Several meteors per hour can be observed on any given night. It is when the number increases dramatically that these events are termed meteor showers.

What causes a meteor shower?

Taking the Perseid meteor shower as an example, the phenomenon we are observing is caused by the Earth’s motion through the dust and debris left behind by the comet Swift-Turtle, the largest object known to repeatedly pass the Earth. The comet last passed our planet during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and its next visit will be in 2126 (I should be 135 years old then, but don’t worry, I will give you all a heads-up). It is Earth’s passage through the leftover comet debris that results in meteor showers. The Perseid meteor shower is particularly popular, and peaks around August 12 every year. Most of the meteors in the Perseids are about the size of a grain of sand, and rarely make it all the way to the Earth’s surface.

Are there others?

Other meteor showers and their associated comets include the Leonids (Tempel-Tuttle), the Aquarids and Orionids (Halley), and the Taurids (Encke), most of which are modest showers. The Geminids, coming up on December 13, are typically one of the best and most reliable of the annual meteor showers with peak rates of about 120-200 (at best) meteors per hour.

greenwichs-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2013-david-kin-e1469754825900 — Photo by David Kingham of the Perseid meteor shower, awarded Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year award in 2013, combining 23 individual stills over several hours.

What do you need to see them?

Very simple. All you need to catch the show is darkness, somewhere comfortable to sit, and a bit of patience. The best thing to do is drive away from the city lights, and go to a nice dark place by the suburbs or countryside. Prepare to sit outside for a few hours, and bring some snacks and bug spray. Finally, let your eyes adjust to the darkness, and enjoy the show!

Where can I follow up on all of this?

The World Wide Web is a wonderful resource. Space or Astronomy, and even more obviously, NASA, all provide wonderful updates and articles on the various astronomical events throughout the year. So, whenever you feel like indulging in your inner astronomer, and something out of this world, just check out these resources.

In that vein, I leave you all with a reminder that we do have a solar eclipse coming up tomorrow. The eclipse will primarily be featured across America where people will have the chance to observe a total solar eclipse, while Canada will see a partial solar eclipse. To all my readers in America and Canada, have your eclipse glasses ready for this! To all my readers elsewhere around the world, for more information and live streams, you can always check out: Solar Eclipse!

Happy observing everyone!

A writer’s journey towards finding purpose

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