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| THE COLONY NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2023 | 11 In Memoriam Christa Baroth Marge Beltrame Adele LaCrox Judy Lott Tom Poyorena By Mike Vergara, 951-473-5806 Ready for the seasons to change to anything but summer? Me, too! Have you ever heard of a phenomenon called the "Green Flash"? It's a real thing, but it's also a "right time and right place" thing, too. A green flash happens when the Earth's atmosphere refracts (or bends) sunlight just right so that at sunset there is a bright flash of green just after the sun has dipped below the horizon. For the best chance of seeing a green flash, you need a clear day, a clear view of the horizon, a distant horizon, and an atmospheric inversion helps, too. The inversion adds an extra layer of atmospheric refraction. It's said that green flashes are often seen from mountain tops, westbound aircraft, and even the Empire State building. And please, never look directly at the sun. The only planet for this month is the beautiful Saturn. Starting out low in the southeastern sky, it pretty much dominates the view as the month progresses. While Saturn is easily viewable with binoculars, it's best through a telescope. I will mention again that the Temecula Valley Astronomers host star parties every Friday evening at South Coast Winery, starting around sunset (weather permitting). This month's full moon is on Thursday, the 28th. It's a perigean full moon, which makes it brighter and bigger than average. And it has two names! It was known as the "Corn Moon" since this is the time when that crop should be harvested. It is also this year's "Harvest Moon." This is the name given to the full moon that is closest (either before or after) to the September Equinox, which happens this year on Saturday, the 23rd. To find where the planets and constellations are, visit http://skymaps.com/index.html. From there you can print your own map of the sky for the month. Clear skies! the Night sky the Night sky

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