dcwalley.com
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Ancient astronomy explorations, including the Nebra Sky Disc, Stonehenge, the Antikythera mechanism, and Hey Diddle Diddle.
Metonic Number = 8. Birth Moon Phase = Waxing.
Metonic Number = 8. Birth Moon Phase = Waxing.
That's a wrap, but the dish of circumpolar stars that never set, including the "BigDipper", continues turning to get far away from the skies we have been watching. The spoon reaches North at midsummer, when we wish we could have an extra month.
January 3, 2026 at 6:57 AM
That's a wrap, but the dish of circumpolar stars that never set, including the "BigDipper", continues turning to get far away from the skies we have been watching. The spoon reaches North at midsummer, when we wish we could have an extra month.
#HappyYule. It's the big night. Those in the know are expecting bad news, but hey, it's a party out there. Go look! #astronomy #archeoastronomy #lunarCalendar #lunar #leapMonth
January 2, 2026 at 6:05 AM
#HappyYule. It's the big night. Those in the know are expecting bad news, but hey, it's a party out there. Go look! #astronomy #archeoastronomy #lunarCalendar #lunar #leapMonth
There is a breed of #LittleDog known for 2 things - a bark that sounds like a laugh, and a habit of staring. #CanisMinor stares at the area between #Taurus and #Gemini - defining a good line for judging whether the #Moon reaches Gemini or not. #astronomy #archeaoastronomy #Yule #lunarCalendar
January 1, 2026 at 7:49 AM
There is a breed of #LittleDog known for 2 things - a bark that sounds like a laugh, and a habit of staring. #CanisMinor stares at the area between #Taurus and #Gemini - defining a good line for judging whether the #Moon reaches Gemini or not. #astronomy #archeaoastronomy #Yule #lunarCalendar
Happy #Yule! Tonight is a great night for watching the cow jump #OverTheMoon, and for watching #Vega of the fiddle, swoop along the horizon at true North. Kiss someone when Vega kisses the horizon - at #midnight. #stargazing #HeyDiddleDiddle #astronomy #archaeoastronomy
December 31, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Happy #Yule! Tonight is a great night for watching the cow jump #OverTheMoon, and for watching #Vega of the fiddle, swoop along the horizon at true North. Kiss someone when Vega kisses the horizon - at #midnight. #stargazing #HeyDiddleDiddle #astronomy #archaeoastronomy
The #Moon is headed for #Taurus, #Gemini and #Leo, because they are all along the #ecliptic - the Sun's path. We cannot see which #zodiac #constellation the #Sun is in because it is too bright, but we know the Moon is opposite in the zodiac when it is full. #HeyDiddleDiddle #stargazing #astronomy
December 30, 2025 at 7:04 AM
The #Moon is headed for #Taurus, #Gemini and #Leo, because they are all along the #ecliptic - the Sun's path. We cannot see which #zodiac #constellation the #Sun is in because it is too bright, but we know the Moon is opposite in the zodiac when it is full. #HeyDiddleDiddle #stargazing #astronomy
Happy #Yule!
If you watch carefully, you can see stars disappear behind the #Moon. Therefore, early #astronomers thought the Moon divided the Earth below from the heavens and #CelestialSphere with the stars and constellations "over the Moon".
If you watch carefully, you can see stars disappear behind the #Moon. Therefore, early #astronomers thought the Moon divided the Earth below from the heavens and #CelestialSphere with the stars and constellations "over the Moon".
December 29, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Happy #Yule!
If you watch carefully, you can see stars disappear behind the #Moon. Therefore, early #astronomers thought the Moon divided the Earth below from the heavens and #CelestialSphere with the stars and constellations "over the Moon".
If you watch carefully, you can see stars disappear behind the #Moon. Therefore, early #astronomers thought the Moon divided the Earth below from the heavens and #CelestialSphere with the stars and constellations "over the Moon".
Happy Yule!
A "lunatic" used to be someone who used the #Moon as their #calendar. In an early smear campaign, they were successfully deemed to be crazy. Call me crazy, I like star-gazing and tracking the Moon. #astronomy #Stonehenge #stargazing #Yule
A "lunatic" used to be someone who used the #Moon as their #calendar. In an early smear campaign, they were successfully deemed to be crazy. Call me crazy, I like star-gazing and tracking the Moon. #astronomy #Stonehenge #stargazing #Yule
December 28, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Happy Yule!
A "lunatic" used to be someone who used the #Moon as their #calendar. In an early smear campaign, they were successfully deemed to be crazy. Call me crazy, I like star-gazing and tracking the Moon. #astronomy #Stonehenge #stargazing #Yule
A "lunatic" used to be someone who used the #Moon as their #calendar. In an early smear campaign, they were successfully deemed to be crazy. Call me crazy, I like star-gazing and tracking the Moon. #astronomy #Stonehenge #stargazing #Yule
Call it a half-moon or first-quarter moon, tonight is a good night to check out the moon, and start a count to the full Moon and Yule. Maceo the polar bear astronomer has a lot to say over the next few nights, about the most fascinating object in the night sky.
December 27, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Call it a half-moon or first-quarter moon, tonight is a good night to check out the moon, and start a count to the full Moon and Yule. Maceo the polar bear astronomer has a lot to say over the next few nights, about the most fascinating object in the night sky.
Getting closer to the big Yule party, the cow is sizing up the Moon. Look for the Seven Sisters cluster, and use it to track the Moon over the next few nights.
December 26, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Getting closer to the big Yule party, the cow is sizing up the Moon. Look for the Seven Sisters cluster, and use it to track the Moon over the next few nights.
Happy fifth night of the Moon before Yule. Vega, the "harp star", is brighter than anything in the northwest sky. If seen from the same latitude as Stonehenge, it swoops by and kisses the North horizon, as it traces the rim of the dish of stars that never set.
December 25, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Happy fifth night of the Moon before Yule. Vega, the "harp star", is brighter than anything in the northwest sky. If seen from the same latitude as Stonehenge, it swoops by and kisses the North horizon, as it traces the rim of the dish of stars that never set.
Happy Moon before Yule from Leo the cat. Leo rises while Lyra the fiddle drops, as our polar bear astronomer approaches midnight.
December 24, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Happy Moon before Yule from Leo the cat. Leo rises while Lyra the fiddle drops, as our polar bear astronomer approaches midnight.
"Diddle" used to mean "toddle" or "toddler". What were you thinking?
Diddle Diddle could mean the twin Gemini toddlers. Stay tuned, there's more.
Diddle Diddle could mean the twin Gemini toddlers. Stay tuned, there's more.
December 23, 2025 at 5:27 AM
"Diddle" used to mean "toddle" or "toddler". What were you thinking?
Diddle Diddle could mean the twin Gemini toddlers. Stay tuned, there's more.
Diddle Diddle could mean the twin Gemini toddlers. Stay tuned, there's more.
Hey, Hi, High - could be a word lost in time, or a pun to get you to look up. Happy Yule. Share the word.
December 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Hey, Hi, High - could be a word lost in time, or a pun to get you to look up. Happy Yule. Share the word.
Tonight is the first night of the lunar month "Moon before Yule", and the best time of year to view the constellations of the rhyme "High Diddle Diddle". Look up for 14 nights, and then join the big party!
December 21, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Tonight is the first night of the lunar month "Moon before Yule", and the best time of year to view the constellations of the rhyme "High Diddle Diddle". Look up for 14 nights, and then join the big party!
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 25 – “King tide” is a modern term, but has always happened when spring tides coincide with the #Moon at perigee - its closest to Earth. It is gaining use as coastal flooding becomes a global issue. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #stargazing #Lunar
June 25, 2025 at 8:57 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 25 – “King tide” is a modern term, but has always happened when spring tides coincide with the #Moon at perigee - its closest to Earth. It is gaining use as coastal flooding becomes a global issue. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 24 – Bronze Age astronomers would notice occasional novae – new stars. There is one visible in the constellation Lupus, but it is barely bright enough to detect with the naked eye. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 24, 2025 at 9:04 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 24 – Bronze Age astronomers would notice occasional novae – new stars. There is one visible in the constellation Lupus, but it is barely bright enough to detect with the naked eye. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 23 – The Milky Way is visible in summer, but dark sky is needed. Some cultures see birds in its pattern, and it is roughly in the direction of bird migrations, leading to the name ‘the Birds Path’. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #stargazing #Lunar
June 23, 2025 at 8:57 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 23 – The Milky Way is visible in summer, but dark sky is needed. Some cultures see birds in its pattern, and it is roughly in the direction of bird migrations, leading to the name ‘the Birds Path’. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 22 – The newspaper stories of the Great Moon Hoax of 1835 may be plagiarism of an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Poe’s was obviously tongue-in-cheek, but the Hoax fooled many more readers. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 22, 2025 at 8:50 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 22 – The newspaper stories of the Great Moon Hoax of 1835 may be plagiarism of an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Poe’s was obviously tongue-in-cheek, but the Hoax fooled many more readers. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 21 – We imagine looking down on maps, but star charts are meant to be held aloft and viewed while looking up, so East and West are opposite where many people expect them to be. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 21, 2025 at 9:09 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 21 – We imagine looking down on maps, but star charts are meant to be held aloft and viewed while looking up, so East and West are opposite where many people expect them to be. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 20 – Tonight the Sun sets and then rises further north than on any other night of the year. While well-know to ancient astronomers, it was not the basis of most calendars – the Moon was. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 20, 2025 at 8:55 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 20 – Tonight the Sun sets and then rises further north than on any other night of the year. While well-know to ancient astronomers, it was not the basis of most calendars – the Moon was. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 19 – Janis Joplin’s ‘Half #Moon’ was on her ‘Pearl’ album, released posthumously in 1971. The album was at the top of the Billboard charts for nine weeks. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 19, 2025 at 8:49 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 19 – Janis Joplin’s ‘Half #Moon’ was on her ‘Pearl’ album, released posthumously in 1971. The album was at the top of the Billboard charts for nine weeks. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 18 – When the #Moon is half-illuminated, the phase is ‘first-quarter’ or ‘third-quarter’ moon. The word ‘moon’ refers to the #lunar month. Look for imperfections along the lunar terminator tonight. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing
June 18, 2025 at 8:57 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 18 – When the #Moon is half-illuminated, the phase is ‘first-quarter’ or ‘third-quarter’ moon. The word ‘moon’ refers to the #lunar month. Look for imperfections along the lunar terminator tonight. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 17 – #Regulus means the little king, and is also known as the heart of the lion. Important in early astronomy because it is bright and close to the ecliptic. It will soon disappear for the summer months. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Lunar
June 17, 2025 at 7:38 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 17 – #Regulus means the little king, and is also known as the heart of the lion. Important in early astronomy because it is bright and close to the ecliptic. It will soon disappear for the summer months. #Moon #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 16 – In ancient Greek mythology, Selene was the goddess and personification of the Moon. She was depicted driving a chariot with one or two horses, sometimes with wings. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 16, 2025 at 7:09 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 16 – In ancient Greek mythology, Selene was the goddess and personification of the Moon. She was depicted driving a chariot with one or two horses, sometimes with wings. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 15 – Chinese astronomer Gan De may have seen a #moon of Jupiter in -354. A fragment of his work describing an observation, could be about Ganymede or Callisto, centuries before Galileo. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar
June 15, 2025 at 9:09 AM
#Nightly #Lunascope Jun 15 – Chinese astronomer Gan De may have seen a #moon of Jupiter in -354. A fragment of his work describing an observation, could be about Ganymede or Callisto, centuries before Galileo. #BronzeAge #NebraSkyDisc #archeoastronomy #astrology #Antikythera #stargazing #Lunar