Whether clear or cloudy, the land is lit by the season’s amazing insect light show. Fireflies! Blinking, streaking lightning bugs elicit in us the wonder of starlight and shooting stars close to the ground and up into the treetops.
On July 1, the Full Thunder Moon rises in the east-southeast at 8 p.m. It is the first of two full moons in July – the next occurs on the 31st. This atypical celestial phenomenon is known as a “blue moon” and occurs once every two – three years.
Nearly a decade of rocketing at up to 47,000 miles an hour, the New Horizons spacecraft, the fastest object to leave Earth, is approaching Pluto, to arrive at closest range on July 14. In the days before, during and after closest approach New Horizons will conduct a schedule of phenomenal, marathon-paced research initiatives.
To participate virtually in the progress of NASA’s historic New Horizons flyby mission to Pluto — which is scheduled to arrive at the icy world on July 14 — download Simulation Curriculum’s free interactive exploration app, Pluto Safari for iOS and Android.
