47
votes
Accepted
Why is the summer solstice night shorter than the winter solstice day?
Why is the summer solstice night shorter than the winter solstice day?
Aside: If you use your sunrise / sunset calculator you will see that day and night are not equal at the equinoxes. The reason ...
- 28.1k
7
votes
Wouldn't the 1054 supernova have temporarily enlightened the Earth like the Sun?
The peak absolute magnitude of a Type Ia supernova is -19.5. The relation between absolute and apparent magnitude for nearby objects ($z \approx 0)$ is
$$m = M + 5\,(\log_{10}(d) - 1)$$
where $d$ is ...
- 28.1k
5
votes
Accepted
Do we get shortest shadow of any object at Solstice time or Meridian time?
At the meridian.
Each day the sun rises, reaches its highest point on that day at about noon (as it crosses the meridian) and then sets. So length of your shadow will change during the day, and be ...
- 88.9k
1
vote
Create an artificial solar eclipse
You can't do this unless your telescope is of a type which has an internal focal plane prior to the last set of lenses. Think of it this way: if you are looking at the sun thru your car's windshield, ...
- 3,578
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