#it's part of the constellation lyra and summer is the best time to see it

[coldshrugs]

cosmic lottery

featuring: alma greene/mason word count: 720 rating: T; language note: this is for the 8/19 @wayhavensummer prompt: stargazing! I don't usually write pre-relationship stuff but this is set in book 2 sometime post-carnival.

🌌

"And that one?"

Alma's eyes, half-drooping with exhaustion, don't leave the sky. In the dark, they're dilated, and the brown of her irises turns pitch black and deeper still behind black lashes bunched in threes and fours.

Mason knows the stars. He'd rather look at her. But his gaze follows the direction of her finger.

Their bare knees knock together every time Alma reaches across his field of vision to point out a particularly bright set of stars. She reaches for other things too. For something to learn, something to care about, someone to understand her. Part plea, part demand.

He can't be anything like that for her.

The only thing Mason reaches for is a cigarette from his pocket. He doesn't light it. It's just something to hold onto. A distraction to keep from thinking about Alma's hand an inch away from his.

"That's the summer triangle—"

"Riveting name," she smirks. This time she bumps his knee on purpose.

An hour or so past midnight. Another nightmare. She doesn't mention it—doesn't have to. It's a breezeless 80 degrees and she's shivering. The tang of adrenaline is sharp on his tongue. It's the usual shit anyway; Murphy, blood, fangs, pain. He's not exactly the best source of comfort for that sort of fear.

Best not to bring it up. She wants distraction too.

"If you let me finish, Alma," he says through clenched teeth, but eases at the sight of her drowsy smile, the way her hair seems to double in the humid summer air, "you might learn something."

With a heartbeat like thunder (he should know better than using her name when they're both fully clothed), her fingertips graze his. He won't bring that up either.

She juts her chin toward the sky. "By all means, tell me about the triangle."

He glances over the unforgivingly fragile body of the human sitting next to him on the roof. A fall from this height would end her.

"Sit back, and stop fucking shaking." And she half-way listens.

They don't have much in common. Take the stars, for instance.

Mason knows their names and stories. In a century, he's had time to learn. They creep across the sky in perfect formation, eternally reliable. If they change at all, it probably won't be in his lifetime, and definitely not in hers.

But it's not the stars that keep him coming out here, night after night. It's the unfathomable distance between them, blue-black and still (and not unlike deep brown eyes absent of light), that he enjoys most. Some place that quiet... it's not for him to know, but he can think about it.

If Mason's in it for the immutable vacuum of space between the stars, Alma is drawn to the warmth of the stars themselves.

She looks up at the scattered points of light and sees boundless possibilities. She imagines life around them. Spaceships and technicolor worlds, only half-survivable and overflowing with all kinds of weird shit he never bothered to consider six months ago.

She's ready for change because she has to be. Searching for some connection, even if it's dangerous. Even if it hurts.

"It's an asterism, like the big dipper. And each point is part of another constellation. There's Vega, the bright one, and then Deneb and Altair." He points to each star with the unlit cigarette and places his hand back on the roof.

Half covering Alma's.

An accident, he tells himself. Clumsy.

She asks about the constellations the stars belong to, asks about the myths of Cygnus and Lyra and Aquilla. And he tells her, because with each word, the sharpness polluting her scent fades. Her shaking stops. Each breath is steadier and more comfortable than the last.

Mason pretends not to notice Alma's hand slowly making its way under his. He doesn't stop it either. She's as warm as the night and even softer against his senses.

"Go sleep, or you'll be late to work—again," he advises when a yawn interrupts her latest question.

"You're probably right." There's a breathy laugh, a long pause.

She squeezes his hand.

"Goodnight."

(reaching, reaching, reaching)

He squeezes back.

"Night."

Alma leaves a void in the wake of her nervous thunder. He's alone again, and the endless blue of infinity isn't as dark as her eyes.

Not that he cares.

#azia writes #wayhavensummer #twc #alma/mason #this is my wave of temporary goodbye to these two tbh #i might have one more thing for the hot twc event. we'll see #kinda sad after spending half a year with these fools #i had to kill a darling in this--literally the sentence that made me write the fic in the first place #but i think it's stronger for it

[moonshine-dan]

what would kissing your close friend, kuroo or bokuto, for the first time be like? i imagined that you've been with him since high school and you only realized your feelings for him in college gahhh please indulge this hopeless romantic >.<

I would love to! This is for all the hopeless romantics out there who love Bokuto.

@janellion ... I hear you like stuff like this?

Downtown

Is it really this fun when you're on my mind? Is it really this cool to be in your life?

Bokuto x Reader, fluff. 2.2 K

Warnings: Nothing major. Suicide mentioned as part of a drink title. A little suggestive at the end.

The automatic doors hiss open as you walk into the humid Osaka night, wincing. The AC inside the 7/11 had made it easy to forget how hot it was. The slurpee you just bought is sweet and takes the edge off, but beyond that, you couldn’t say what the flavor was exactly. You let Bokuto take both of your cups to the machine and make suicides out of every option - “So none of ’em feel left out!” - like you always did. 

He was following you out, eyes gleaming in the fluorescent lights of the signs above you.

"It's good to just hang out like this again. We haven't done this in forever!" He was waving animatedly in your general direction, the drink in his flailing hand getting dangerously close to spilling on your shirt.

"Woah! My bad! Nothing got on you, right?"

You nod. He responds with a thousand watt smile that pushes his eyes closed and makes you want to grab his stupid hair spikes and drag him into a kiss.

You’ve got it so bad for your best friend that it’s almost funny, if it wasn’t also completely pathetic. It's only recently that you realized you liked him as more than a friend- but now that you’re reminiscing with him, the signs were very, very obvious. To you, at least. 

The pair of you are moving from the eye-piercing light of the storefront and over to the far side of the parking lot. The plan? To loiter, just like you did in high school when volleyball practice got out. Usually, you'd have 3 or 4 of his teammates with you, eating garbage snack food and joking around on the curb until the manager would chase you away. 

You can see in your mind how you would gravitate towards Bokuto on those nights, sitting next to him in the parking lot, bumping your foot or your knee into his while you talked. How you laughed at his jokes and would ask for his jacket when it got cold. His presence was magnetic, and you got pulled in deep. It wasn’t until after you both had graduated and started down separate paths that you were able to really see what you had. What you missed so deeply. 

It's just the two of you tonight, Bokuto fresh out of practice and talking excitedly about his teammates' antics, just like he used to. The only things that are different now are the names of the players. He’s telling you a story about his germophobic friend, Sasuke? You think? Bokuto talks so fast sometimes he doesn’t really annunciate well - and you sigh at the familiarity of it all. Maybe this would turn out alright; maybe you had been avoiding meeting up with Bokuto for no reason? 

You had thought that seeing him in person again, not just on a grainy phone screen, would be disastrous. It was hard enough to try and keep your feelings inside over video calls and text messages, but having him in front of you? You knew you’d do something to tip him off on how you felt toward him, and even though you knew he would never stop being your friend, the fear of your love being unrequited held you back. 

He'd been asking for weeks to meet up, and you had been successfully blaming college on your schedules not working - until he offered you to meet him late night on Friday, just like you used to. With no excuse and an irrationally heavy heart, you agreed to meet up.

Perhaps it was just a crush? Maybe you sought him out between classes and waited for hours after school just so see him because you just…. Liked him. And you had halfway convinced yourself that's all it was, until he had smiled at you brightly and reminded you just how dull things were without him in your life. 

He’s sitting now on a parking block with his back against a bollard, slapping the spot next to him invitingly. Bokuto whoops when you drop down next to him, slush flying from his cup as he whips it excitedly. "You gotta see this!"

He scoots closer to you, phone in hand. There's a paused youtube video onscreen: a highlight reel someone had made of his spikes. He hits play as soon as you lean in a little, grinning wildly and giving a play by play commentary as you watch. The outside of his thigh presses into yours warmly.

Here's hoping he can’t somehow feel the heat creeping up your neck.

He beams at you from over the phone, looking at you expectantly as the video ends. “Wasn’t I great?” 

You feel like you’ve run a mile and all he did was press his leg to yours. He’s too great. “Yes, Bokuto, you were amazing.”

He’s really grinning now, eyes crinkling shut. “You’ve gotta come to one of my games and see me in action! I promise, it’s waaaay better in person! You could even,” he pauses for a moment, thinking, “bring one of the guys you’ve been seeing? Watching me win would be an awesome date.”

Oh god, your dates. You had tried going on a few recently, another attempt to distance yourself from your best friend. Nothing serious - just coffee shop conversations, but they easily lost a competition they weren't even aware they were in. None of them could even begin to make you feel the way Bokuto did. And the thought of taking one of them to see your best friend and unrequited crush in his element? There’s no way that wouldn't find a way to blow up in your face.

“That’s a great idea, man,” you lie. “I’m not seeing anyone right now though.” Bokuto’s giving you a spectacular double eyebrow raise above his cup. “Oh ho?”

You flick his arm gently. “Don’t be mean, Bo. I’ll just come to a game and hang out in the stands with your date instead.”

Why did you say that. Why did you say that. Why did you say that. 

The eyebrows come down. He’s smiling, but it’s not quite reaching his eyes, which aren’t meeting your own. “Nah, you can’t do that. We broke up.”

You feel terrible for the little thrill that sends through you.

“Oh, Bokuto, I’m sorry.” You are. He’s your best friend. The cruel joy you feel does not go away. 

His eyes flicker to you momentarily. “Nah, it’s fine. They weren’t the one, you know?”

Who is? You want to ask. What comes out instead is, “How did you know?”

Bokuto hums inquisitively. “Know what?”

“That they weren’t the one. How did you know?”

He’s still not looking at you when he replies, “I just know.”

Silence falls. You use the quiet moment as an excuse to turn away as well. This is really unlike him. Had he changed that much in the time since you last saw him? Nothing else about Bokuto seems different - maybe the issue was just you?

Stop it. Don’t think things like that. 

The silence drags on. You pull the straw of your drink into your mouth and chew, trying to think of something not romance-related to talk about. Nothing is coming to mind - Bokuto has been all you can think about for a solid week, and being next to him is NOT helping. It’s just the two of you, alone together in silence. It’s late enough that there aren’t any pedestrians on walks to distract you, the night quiet and dark outside of the strangely illuminated parking lot. Desperate to think of anything else, you look up at the hazy summer sky.

It’s hard to see stars through the light pollution, but you can make out Vega, you think. Some stars were bright enough to see even in the middle of the city. The straw pops out of your mouth as you point it out loudly, getting Bokuto’s attention.

“Check it out Bo, you can see part of Lyra. That star’s got to be Vega. You remember?”

Bokuto jerks slightly before he turns to face you, looking startled. His gaze follows your finger up, mouth still pursed around the straw in his mouth. His smile returns as he tilts his head to peer up at the sky with you. “You told me about that one once! It’s a summer constellation, right?”

You drop your hand as Bokuto starts pointing out the faint other stars of the summer triangle. It may be hard to see stars in the city, but with Bokuto shining next to you, it’s hard to see anything else at all. The weird fluorescence of the parking lot light should have washed him out, but somehow he was aglow, soft shadows instead of harsh lines shading him lightly. He really was a star, and he burned the brightest out of any that you could see tonight.

You were staring at him again. 

It’s no surprise when he catches you this time, golden eyes meeting yours and matching your gaze. The delight is still present on his face but it’s sobering, turning serious. Your heart is racing as Bokuto continues to stare you down in silence. His eyebrows draw together as he raises his hand slowly, reaching for your face.

A finger grazes your cheek. You might have stopped breathing. He opens his mouth.

“You had some slush on your face.” His finger remains there, rubbing at the stuck on sugar.

...

Okay. Something has to change. There’s only so much your heart can take.

You reach up and cup your hand over his, holding it in place. Bokuto stills at the sudden contact, bewildered. You aren’t sure what you are doing, much less how to say what you want, but you hope that somehow he understands. No sound escapes your mouth as you maintain eye contact and slot your fingers together. Bokuto stares, still uncharacteristically silent - but he’s not just looking anymore. His eyes are searching, gaze sharp and analytical. You couldn’t look away from them if you wanted to.

Bokuto blinks first, eyes flitting over to your joined hands as you press your cheek into the heat of his palm. His thumb drags lightly over to your skin, meeting your bottom lip and tracing along the curve of it. He watches, entranced, as they part slightly from the touch. 

Even if this doesn’t work out. Even then. Just having this moment would be enough. Your eyes close as you huff out the breath you had been holding. The hot coil of anxiety snaking through your stomach makes you hesitant to open them again. When Bokuto’s thumb moves from your mouth to pad at your cheek, you steel yourself and open them again. 

You shouldn't have worried. There’s nothing in his golden eyes but understanding when you finally dare to open them again. Bokuto’s remaining hand is impossibly gentle as he places it on your shoulder, leaning into your space. His shoulders shake minutely with barely contained excitement from the breakthrough he’s just had - you like him, just as much as he likes you. There’s no way he can’t feel the heat in your skin rising now as your pulse skyrockets. 

“Kou…”, you whisper into the shrinking space between you.

Bokuto doesn’t bother with a response. His lips are a little chapped when they capture yours, but they're warm and eager and pressing in with the weight of half a decade of unconfessed feelings.

You know immediately what he meant earlier about knowing ‘the one’. No kiss from any of your dates was ever this electric. None of them made you feel like time was stopping when their lips met yours, or made your heart beat like it was about to fly from your chest. None of them made you feel like you were finally home, held in strong arms and with a familiar hand gently running along your cheek. 

There really was no one like Bokuto, and you were so glad there was no one else for him but you right now. 

You push forward until you chests are touching, desperate for closer contact now that you know you’re allowed to get it. The back of his head is cradled in your free hand, fingers tangling in the short spikes at the nape of his neck. Bokuto hums against your mouth, tongue slipping out to trace where his thumb had been earlier. He starts backward slightly as you meet it with the tip of yours, breaking away with a gasp.

“Woah! Not on the first date!”

“You used tongue first.” Your deadpan expression doesn't faze him. He wraps a heavy arm around your shoulders and pulls you close to his side, laughing. 

Wait a minute.

“Did you say date? Is this a date?”

Bokuto freezes. He glances at you side-eyed and inquires quietly, “Do you... want it to be one?”

It’s much easier to be truthful when you’ve had his tongue in your mouth. “I’d love it to be one.”

Bokuto whoops loudly, the exclamation echoing in the empty lot.

First dates usually sucked. This one, however, was going to stick with you for a long time. You run your tongue over your lips as you bump your head to his shoulder. Who knew slurpees tasted even better on someone else's mouth?

“Y'know, If we don’t leave soon,” you tease, “the manager might chase us away again.”

He hums dismissively and bends to press a kiss to your temple.

“Let’em.”

#haikyuu x reader #Bokuto Kotaro x reader #Bokuto Kotarou x reader #Bokuto x reader #Bokuto x you #Bokuto x y/n #Bokuto kotaro x you #bokuto kotaro x y/n #Bokuto kotarou x you #bokuto kotarou x y/n #bokuto.thing

[refinedbuffoonery]

Quarantine Moments (5.5)

By popular request, here’s QM #5 from Mac’s POV. This idiot is pining so hard and he doesn’t even realize it. 

*****

Mac watches the sun set behind them in his truck’s side mirror as Riley drives, the sky shifting from blue, to pink, then orange, then a dark burning gold, before fading to inky black. In front of them, the rising moon is barely more than a glowing sliver in the sky, and once they leave SoCal’s sprawling metropolis behind, the vast desert darkness swallows the beams of the truck’s headlights. 

Riley rolls her window down, letting the warm night air tug wisps of hair from her messy bun, and Mac can’t help but watch the way she smiles softly and breathes deeply, completely at peace. He rolls down his own window, and the wind ruffles his hair like a lover’s playful fingers. 

Mac is surprised when Riley parks in the empty campground. He assumed other people would have the same idea, but but as far as he can see, the area is devoid of human life. 

Mac turns his gaze to the glittering sea above. His eyes land on Vega and Arcturus—two of the brightest stars in the sky—before trailing the Milky Way to find Sagittarius along the southern horizon. 

Riley’s soft gasp draws his attention back to earth. Her lips part as she smiles, awestruck, and the stars are reflected in her big, dark eyes, almost as if she’s robbing them of their light. Thankfully Riley doesn’t notice his staring, because Mac can’t bring himself to look away. 

He should. He knows he should. But, for some reason, he can’t. 

Mac is still looking, minutes later, when Bozer yells at him to help make their bed. 

It’s not until he’s lying beside Bozer on the mass of pillows and blankets that Mac realizes how small his truck bed really is. In his mind, they all fit perfectly, but in reality, it’s only wide enough for two grown adults, not three. Mac and Bozer scoot to the sides to give Riley as much space as possible, but their shoulders will be overlapping no matter what. 

Riley’s arm brushes Mac’s as she squeezes her slim frame into the space in the middle, her warmth soaking into his skin. Mac likes her this close, likes her steady, reassuring presence at his side. They used to gravitate toward each other more, before he got back together with Desi, and Mac will never admit it aloud, but he misses the closeness he once had with Riley. 

Quarantining with her, there were moments that felt like their old selves—the people they were back when Jack was still around and their biggest problem was Mac and Riley’s respective daddy issues—but then there would be a long, awkward pause in conversation or Desi would come up, and then that weird gap between them would be right back, wide as ever. 

Mac isn’t sure how it even got there in the first place. 

He tries to forget about it, distracting himself by searching for constellations while he waits for the first meteor to appear. Finally, one does, zipping across the horizon in the blink of an eye. 

“Did you see that?” Bozer squeals.

Riley laughs softly. “Yeah, but I have no idea where it came from, or where I should be looking.” 

Mac opens his mouth to explain, but Bozer beats him to it. “For starters, don’t look straight up. Look near the horizon. As Perseus gets higher in the sky during the night, the meteors will appear to come from higher up too.”

“Thanks.” 

They watch the sky in peaceful silence. 

Eventually, Bozer gets up to pee, and while he’s gone, Riley nudges Mac with her knee. “You’ve been quiet,” she says. 

How is he supposed to say that even though their shoulders are literally touching right now, that even though they’ve been locked in his house together for months, he’s never felt farther away from her? That there’s this ever-widening chasm between them that he doesn’t know how to bridge? 

Mac doesn’t look at her as he speaks, his eyes finding Vega overhead. “Ancient Chinese astronomers believed Vega and Altair were lovers, forever kept apart by the Milky Way.” He points with two fingers, one toward each star. “Vega is one of the brightest stars in the sky. It’s in the constellation Lyra, which just looks like a parallelogram. And over there is Altair, which is part of Aquila, the eagle.”

Riley doesn’t say anything. Mac glances at her in his peripheral vision. She’s squinting slightly, the way she always does when she’s focusing on something. She must not be able to find the stars, he reasons. Mac doesn’t think before sliding an arm beneath Riley’s shoulders and pulling her closer so that her head rests on his shoulder. His arm brushes her cheek as he points again. 

It’s odd being this close to Riley without catching lingering traces of her perfume—a warm, dark scent he can’t pinpoint but likes anyway. She hasn’t worn it since quarantine started, and Mac is starting to miss it. 

“I see it,” she breathes. Mac lets his arm drape across Riley’s body. 

She tenses, but she doesn’t try to extricate herself from his side. Part of Mac knows he probably shouldn’t be holding her like this. A bigger part doesn’t care. Riley is his best friend goddammit, and he can cuddle her if he wants to. It doesn’t have to mean anything. 

“Show me something else,” Riley says softly. 

Mac takes a slightly unsteady breath before pointing in a different direction.  “Over there are Sagittarius, which looks like a teapot, and Scorpius, which looks like a hook or the letter ‘J.’ Between them is the supermassive black hole that exists in the middle of the galaxy. All of the matter in the Milky Way orbits around it.” 

Black holes are easy. Black holes make sense. But Riley...Riley doesn’t. 

Especially when the moment passes, and she turns her head away to holler at Bozer. “You good, man?” 

Bozer yells back from the other side of the truck. “Yeah! Got a little performance anxiety from this creepy bug staring at me.” 

Mac imagines Bozer having a staring contest with some random desert bug sitting on the hood of the truck and bursts out laughing. His arm inadvertently tightens around Riley, and the wicked gleam in her eye when she looks up at him makes the moment even funnier. 

He feels it again, that gravitational pull toward her. He’s tempted to let it drag him closer, but he’s afraid of what it might mean if he does. 

Riley squirms when Bozer climbs back into the truck, and Mac hesitates before letting her go. 

The three of them lay together for hours, just looking up at the stars, until Bozer initiates a chain reaction of yawns. “Mac,” Bozer says. “Did you set the alarm?”

Patting the pillow above Riley’s head, he answers, “Yeah. My phone is right here.”

Riley twists to look at him in horror. “Alarm?” 

Mac explains, “The meteor shower’s peak is between three and four am. So unless you’d rather stay up all night...” Riley groans, pulling up a blanket and rolling onto her side. Chuckling at her dramatics, Mac grabs a blanket for himself and watches the stars until he falls asleep. 

~ 

The volume of his alarm is set far too loud for the phone only being inches from his ear, and Mac winces as he’s forced into consciousness. Beside him, Riley growls, “Turn it off.” 

He’s lying on his side with an arm around Riley’s waist, holding her in the curve of his body, but it doesn’t feel weird or awkward. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like the way Riley fit against him. Mac accidentally bumps her face as he silences the alarm, and he mumbles, “Sorry.” There’s no room to move away from her, so Mac just brushes Riley’s hair out of his face and puts his arm back around her. “I hit snooze. You have five minutes.” 

She sighs, absentmindedly brushing her thumb over his hand, and warmth spreads through Mac’s body that has nothing to do with the fact that it’s still nearly eighty degrees outside, even in the middle of the night. He lets himself snuggle closer. If he could live in the calm safety of this moment forever, Mac would. 

But he doesn’t hold Riley for long before feeling like he’s about to explode. Mac rubs her shoulder. “Riles, move. I have to pee.”

Riley groans again, but then her hips press into his as she pushes Bozer away, and Mac scrambles to get up before anything awkward happens. 

“I’m awake,” Bozer slurs.

“Sure you are.”

He’s back by the time the alarm goes off again, and Mac can hear the soft popping of Riley’s joints as she sits up and stretches. The meteors are more frequent now, nearly two a minute. Most are quick, bright flashes, but a few are slower, gracefully crossing the sky before burning up.

“Riley stop blocking the view,” Bozer says, kicking her in the back. Riley flops back down. 

A massive, glowing meteor arcs across the sky in slow motion, lingering for a few seconds before winking out of existence. “Wow,” Riley whispers, smiling. 

Wow is an understatement. Mac would’ve driven all the way out here for that meteor alone. 

Mac keeps his eyes trained on the heavens until the sky lightens and the first rays of sunlight stretch across the desert. The air seems to hum, the way it always does in announcement of the scorching summer sun. 

When they pile into the truck, Mac blasts the air conditioner. He’s already sweating, even though it’s barely six am. As he drives out of the campground and toward the highway, Bozer rattles off suggestions for where to stop for breakfast burritos on the way home. 

Apparently content to let Bozer decide, Riley demands, “Wake me up when you have my burrito. Goodnight.” Mac glances at her in the rearview mirror and smiles; she’s sprawled across the pillows and blankets, already fast asleep. 

#beth writes #quarantine moments #macgyver #angus macgyver #riley davis #wilt bozer #macgyver fanfiction

[warren-lauren]

80s!Brian May x reader pt 2

I may or may not do another part of this. Here’s the first part. Please, if you can donate and support my writing at Ko-fi! Thank you x

Warnings: fluff, mentions of divorce, age-gap (the reader is in about 20′s)

As you expected the aftermath of what you and Brian had started was great. The divorce between Brian and his wife wasn't as messy as you thought it would, it was a quite clean one. Brian didn't want to put her through any more hurt than he had already. It was the media who made everything a hundred times harder.

The moment the journalists got hold of the affair between Queen's guitarist and their PA, they had a field day. For months they followed the pair of you around, taking pictures, asking questions, making rumors. Then there were the fans who had their fair share of words on the topic. And then there was the band and their significant others who at first weren't happy with either of you. Not to mention your family who was beyond disgusted with you, 'he's too old' and 'he's just taking advantage'.

It was a tough year for the both of you, but none of that mattered because you loved each other. One day at a time.

----------

Brian smiled to himself as he watched you dance with Roger, goofing around, smiling brightly like you always do. The sun had been beating down on everyone all day as you enjoyed a 'family' BBQ at Freddie's. It was a cause for a celebration; Queen had finished their last EVER tour a few days ago. You all wanted to remember the time as a happy one. Make happy memories at a sad time.

Your eyes met Brian's over Roger's shoulder, putting a smile on your face as he winked and waved over to you. "Excuse me, Rog," You pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before you made your way over to where Brian was stood. "Hi," You smiled.

Brian grinned down at you, "Hello, love," He whispered as he slipped his arm around your shoulders as you circled yours around his waist. He pressed a kiss to your forehead as you snuggled into his chest. "Enjoying yourself?"

You nodded, "Are you?"

"I am, although, I think I'll be ready for home soon," Brian spoke as he looked at his watch, nodding to confirm his thought.

It was starting to get dark and the temperature was starting to drop, you could feel small goosebumps forming on your bare legs since you were only wearing a short summer dress.

"Me too," You smiled up at him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I'll just go to the loo and then we can get off if you want to,"

Brian nodded letting you go. He watched you leave the garden and head into the house before he let out a heavy sigh walking over to where Roger was. "Oy!"

----------

You let out a small tired sigh as you entered yours and Brian's front door, kicking your shoes off as soon as you could. "Boy, am I pooped,"

Brian chuckled as he followed you, kicking the door shut behind him before locking it. "Not too tired I hope," He took your hand in his, "I've got something to show you, love,"

You raised your eyebrow at him, slowly following him through the house towards the back of the house. "If it's your cock, just say, I've been thinking about it all day,"

Brian shook his head grinning, "I'll keep that in mind, but no, it's not my cock,"

"Shame," You teased.

Brian chuckled as he opened the back door, "Close your eyes," He whispered with a sweet smile.

You did as he said, letting a sharp breath as he began to lead you out the door. He held your hands in his as he slowly leads you to your destination.

"Keep em closed, love," Brian whispered as he came to a stop just before the grass, moving around you until he was behind you. "Okay, you can open,"

You slowly opened your eyes, gasping at the sight before you, "Bri," Your breath got caught as you took the beautiful scene before you.

Fluffy blankets and pillows were covering the grass in the middle, there was an ice bucket with champagne in and a few lit candles to light the way.

"Oh, Bri," You let out a small happy sob as you spin around to face him, pressing your lips against his.

"You like it then?" He grinned.

You nodded, "Yes, I do, but, why?"

"To make up for the lack of anniversary," He let out a sad sigh.

"We had a party, Brian,"

"No, love, the band had a party on our anniversary. This, this is just us, how it should have been," He whispered as he leaned into you, lightly pecking your lips, "C'mon," He smiled as he bent down and scooped you up into his arms making you squeal and giggle as he carried you over to the blankets.

He set you down on top so your feet didn't get cold from the grass before he kicked his own shoes off, taking a seat on the blanket. He tugged you down so you were sat between his legs with your back to his chest.

"This is lovely, Brian, really, but you didn't have to go to all this trouble," You smiled up at him before pressing a kiss to his chin. "Thank you,"

He shook his head grinning, "It was no trouble, honestly," He reached over and grabbed the bottle of champagne along with the two glasses, handing them to you to hold. "The lads helped,"

You let out a small chuckle, "Ah, so that's why I couldn't find Freddie and John for an hour or so?"

Brian nodded. "That's why," He smiled, holding his glass up in the air. "To us. Here's to many more years together. I know, we've not really started out in, the best way but... I hope you know, Y/N, that I do love you, and to me how we started was, our first chapter in many, many to come." He smiled lovingly at you.

You nodded, blinking your tears away as you smiled up at him, "I love you too, Brian," You reached up and kissed his lips, "Promise me, you won't get tired of me any time soon?" You teased making him chuckle.

"It'll be you getting tired of this old fool first,"

You shook your head, "In possible," You whispered, pressing another kiss to his lips. "I love you, Brian,"

"I love you too, Y/N,"

The two of you sat on the grass with your champagne, talking and sharing a kiss every now and then, just enjoying each other's company. You loved just being with Brian, even if you weren't talking, it filled you with butterflies.

"Talk to me about stars, Brian," You whispered looking up to the sky, smiling as your eyes landed on the little twinkling dots above you.

Brian let out a small chuckle, taking your glass from you as he placed his own down. "Okay, sweetheart," He grabbed the spare blanket and wrapped around his shoulders, pulling you closer to him so you were warm. "Right... See, that really bright star there," He pointed towards the sky, "And then those two really bright stars that are kinda on the same level," He pointed.

You nodded humming as you stared up at the sky, already know which this one was. Whenever Brian spoke about the stars he always seemed to start with this one, perhaps it's because it was the easiest for you to find.

"That's called, The Summer Triangle," He whispered before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"Is that the one that's made of three brightest stars?" You looked up to him.

Brian nodded, "Very good, Y/N, you do listen," He chuckled teasingly, "Remember what they are?"

You shook your head, "Something about a bird?"

Brian shook his head laughing, "Close, but no cigar. It's made up of Altair in Aquila, which is the Eagle, so you were on the right tracks, then Vega in Lyra, and Deneb in Cygnus."

You nodded grinning as he pointed the other constellations out to you. "What's next?"

Brian smiled nervously to himself as he fumbled with his left hand beside him, "Okay... Oh, you see that one, over there," He pointed again, "That one, well that one is an important one... That one is the, will you marry me?"

You creased your brow, "It's called what? Will you marry me," You turned to look at Brian, finding him smiling at you as he nodded his head. "Bri, are you-" Tears slowly began to fill your eyes as his words sunk in.

"Look," He nudged his head in the opposite direction.

You looked over your shoulder, gasping at the beautiful engagement ring he was holding. "Oh, Brian," Your tears began to fall.

"What you say, sweet girl, will you marry an old fool?" Brian whispered softly against your ear.

You nodded, taking a deep breath, "...Yes... Yes, I will, Brian," You let out a happy sob, quickly spinning around and tackling Brian in a tight hug. Your lips crashed against his as the pair of you fell backward onto the grass.

Brian wrapped his long arms around you, holding you tight to his body as he slipped his tongue into your mouth, deepening your passionate kiss.

You pulled back after a while, smiling against his mouth, "I love you, Brian,"

Brian grinned, pecking at your lips, "I love you too, princess," He pressed another kiss to your lips before he rolled the pair of you over, lifting the ring up so he could pull it out of the small red velvet box it had been sat in. "Can I put this on?"

You nodded, giggling, "Please," You held your left hand up, watching in awe as Brian slipped your engagement on. "Oh, wow,"

Brian let out a happy sigh, pressing his lips against your ring, "I promise, Y/N, I'll make you happier than you ever thought possible. I look after you until the day I die and I promise, you're my everything,"

Happy tears made their way down your cheeks. You cupped Brian's face in your hands and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. "You stole the words right out of my mouth,"

#Brian May #brian may x reader #80s brian may x reader #beian may x reader fluff #80s brian may x reader fluff #ko fi page #buy me a kofi

[ohpenelopes]

                    i mean i could be aesthetic but instead i'm just pathetic

ALISHA BOE? No, that’s actually PENELOPE “PENNY” BROWN-PATIL from the NEXT GENERATION ERA. You know, the child of LAVENDER BROWN and PARVATI PATIL? Only 21 years old, this HUFFLEPUFF alumni works as a BARISTA and is sided with THE NEUTRALS. SHE identifies as a CIS WOMAN and is a PUREBLOOD who is known to be SELF-PITYING, A PERFECTIONIST, and INSECURE but also FLEXIBLE, GENTLE and IMAGINATIVE. 

LINKS – pinboard, stats. CHARACTER PARALLELS – jackie burkhart ( that 70s show ), chloe gemell ( my mad fat diary ), mini mcguinness ( skins uk ), engel beekman ( skam nl ), cassie howard ( euphoria ), emaline ( everything sucks! ), gretchen wieners ( mean girls ), caroline forbes ( the vampire diaries -- earlier seasons ), kelly kapoor ( the office ) AESTHETIC – star shaped hoop earrings, drawing hearts all over your notes, needle pricked finger tips, unapologetic femininity, a loud and cheerful laugh echoing through a hallway, pinky promises, heart shaped sunglasses hiding hungover stained eyes, movie nights with popcorn and rose wine, drowning in the sea of your own thoughts HEADS UP – this intro has mentions of anxiety, but i’ve marked all of these with a trigger warning! <3

backstory ( 2008 - 2026 )

penny is born penelope lyra brown-patil --- penelope, for the woman who not only waited faithfully for her husband’s return for years, but who tricked many man in the process; lyra, for the constellation (because the stars are so wise) --- and as the second (and eventual middle) child to lavender and parvati

and she grows up happy. her childhood is peaceful and wonderful, filled with fun days and laughter. there’s not much out of the ordinary --- it’s stable and beautiful, and penny longs for those days quite a lot.

at some point, she learns of the things her parents went through at school, about war and rebellion and fear. penny admires her mothers more than anything --- she’s scared of this world, of this past, but she’s filled with admiration and a bit of fear that she won’t be able to live up to that. (she doesn’t have to, of course --- there’s no pressure or reason to, but still; she wonders about it, and she can’t shake the thought.)

anxiety tw | though life was stable and good, penny has always felt very uncertain about ... everything. insecurity has never been a stranger to her, nor has anxiety or pressure. she has high expectations of herself, expecting nothing short of the best --- and when she failed as a child (whether it was in playing quidditch on toy brooms or when drawing or when trying to sing perfectly), she would throw tantrums. she got help for this as a child after she had her first full-blown anxiety attack, but it never really faded. | end of tw

her interests as a child mostly range from princess stories to drawing elaborate things to cutting out pretty outfits from fashion magazines. she’s gentle and quiet and excitable when she wants to be, a whirlwind of pink and smiles and tangled long hair

at hogwarts, penny is sorted in hufflepuff (though the hat did consider ravenclaw) for her spirit. she doesn’t mind not being a gryffindor like her parents once were (or, at least, she doesn’t later on; at first it just seems like an affirmation that she’s not as brave as they are), likes how yellow compliments her eyes and fits in quite nicely among the puffs.

anxiety tw | teenagedom is a tough time for her. it seems like everyone is able to juggle it all, and then there’s penny: unable to keep up good grades and look pretty and have an exciting social life and have enough sleep. she feels like she’s drowning in all the expectations she has for herself, feels like she’s the only one on this world who is suffering (she’s prone to a woe is me mentality, for sure) and so hides it all behind perfectly curated smiles. her insecurity has always been strong, but it grows. she drowns them out by pretending. end of tw

in those years, she should be learning who she is, but in stead, penny learns how to be what others want. she shifts and shapes and bends herself to match others expectations --- she’s loud and funny and excitable among her peers, grinning widely and flipping her hair, appearing confident and extroverted and completely at ease. sometimes she’s quieter, a more gentle and softer being, lovely and quaint. she’s a model student (minus the amazing grades) to her teachers, a kind older housemate to the first years, a tough bitch when situations call for it. and sometimes it feels genuine, this person she’s showing off, and sometimes it all feels like a play. it depends, on her mood, on the role, on the weather, on the stars.

and you know what? it works. for most of the time. and then sometimes, it doesn’t, and there’s nothing to do but cry endless tears in her bed and be the most melodramatic person in the castle. alcohol tw | this happens when she’s drunk most of the time, to be honest --- penny is such a messy drunk. end of tw 

penny also developed a taste for fuckboys during this time. she wanted to feel loved, she wanted to be touched, to be desired, and part of her was desperate --- but that didn’t make it okay for guys to treat her that way, period. i would get into this more but i don’t feel comfy about doing that akdjssdf. 

when she turned fourteen, she got a sewing machine for her birthday. the next schoolyear, she dragged the thing behind her into the castle, unable to part from it after a summer of sewing. penny had always been interested in fashion, but now she was able to take it to the next level.

the dream to become a fashion designer grows and grows and grows, and penny is quite handy with the sewing machine, and her designs aren’t half bad, but of course it’s a stupid dream --- because penny doesn’t believe in herself, not yet at least.

post-graduation life ( 2026 - now )

penny graduated with one ambition only (see above) and no faith in herself. she became a barista, telling herself that she would work on her self esteem, that she would build herself up and become stronger and ready, that she would work on her portfolio and her design skills and that she would practice and work hard and ... that’s where she’s been for the past few years.

not much has changed, to be honest. penny still feels like that lost teenager, and in a certain sense she is --- she has just gained a slight bit of maturity, has moved out and has started working. her sense of self is still incredibly fragile, as is her self esteem, and while she’s trying to improve it, she just hasn’t found the right way to. 

she feels so stuck. she feels so frozen. she feels like she has no clue who the hell she is, and she doesn’t know what to do about changing that. another part of her doesn’t even want to be thinking about these things, and just wants to have some fun --- once penny graduated, she definitely started partying more sfksjdfhsdkjfh. party girls dont get hurt!!!!! and like, on one hand, that’s all completely fine, because this is the time for fun and self discovery, and who says you can’t do both? 

the timeclash kind of turned everything upside down. it did for everyone, i imagine, but that’s not really how penny sees it (woe is me! why does everything bad always happen to me!!). she’s so scared sakjdf. scared to see her parents and to be a Big Disappointment because she’s scared of the fact that there’s suddenly a war (like, what the fuck?), because she doesn’t want to fight, because she doesn’t even know how to fight!!! 

she’s a coward lmao, but a coward with Standards (lookin at you peter)

i mean, if it came down to it --- if she had to protect her friends or family --- she would fight, of course. she’s just not very good at combatical magic, or at strategy, or at anything war or rebellion-related, really (except for smuggling booze into hogwarts, i guess, but that’s something of the past). and that’s fine, if you ask me, but penny doesn’t think it is --- but that doesn’t mean she’s going to push herself to be braver or to do more

personality & details

jfc i rambled so much up there, time to get a bit more coherent up in this BITCH

penny is such a mess. i have a hard time talking about her sometimes because she’s so messy and because her mood and her energy fluctuate so much --- she can be high energy and extroverted one moment, and completely down and sad the other. 

did i ... project myself .... onto penny?     maybe. partly.

she’s a bit of a chameleon, really. she’s very adaptable and flexible and willing to change for the comfort of others, and she thus feels like she has a small sense of self. this is true, to a certain extent. i think she’s too focused on finding herself that she doesn’t see that she’s already found herself a little, that there are parts of her that are genuine. she’s so hard on herself, expects so much, she’s just ... completely blinded by her own doubts, tbh.

and she’s def a sad bitch and a messy bitch, but she’s so much fun. god. penny just loves laughing and being happy and doing fun and cute stuff! she likes good things! so much! she tries to be such an upbeat person and she can be and agh. i love her like that.

such a romantic. pls stop her. her idea of love makes her so blind and deaf and she always falls for dumb boys :( but skfjshdf she just loves romance! and romantic comedies! and romance novels (tho she struggles to focus on books properly, ngl) and just ... pink hearts and all that fuzzy stuff

when she got her job as a barista, all she thought was that it might just bring her the perfect coffee shop romance

she’s an idiot

she usually just goes by penny, but not because she dislikes the name penelope --- she thinks it’s a really neat name, to be honest (a bit poetic and mysterious), but penny has just been her nickname for so long that she doesn’t want to make people call her penelope. BUT she does want to be referred to as penelope when she gets famous, thank you very much.

regarding that: penny wants to be famous dskfjhdsf. a famous designer, of course --- but she just likes the idea of fame altogether as well!!! 

she takes that dream and ambition seriously, in a way. she plans to take serious steps soon (but she’s been saying that for years), always waiting until she feels ready to put herself out there. the idea of being rejected is just ... massive. the idea of not succeeding, of flopping, is so terrifying, that she prefers sticking with her dead-end job, for now. she has been sewing a lot after graduation, and i imagine she constructs a fair amount of her outfits herself (and does the same for friends), but that’s it, and she’s such a Coward about it

when she buys fashion magazines, she always gets two copies so she can use one for cutouts so she can make collages and moodboards

aEsThEtIc QuEeN!!!!

no really though, she has such a good sense for aesthetics. knows what colours and fabrics and prints mesh well together, always looks on Point, etcetera. 

idk what to say this intro is such a gd mess bc i wrote everything from scratch and i kept changing my mind about things and while penny is a Very old muse, i changed a LOT oops!!! 

#quantum intro #alcohol tw #anxiety tw

[kanasmusings]

[Translation] TsukiPro Special CD - Starry Sky Collection Track 3

Moving on with the Starry Sky dramas, here's Mamoru and Koki's~! I kinda wish there was one with Ken and Ryo, too LOL Or, did they already have one and I just missed it???

Thank you once again to Deea for the files~! Please don't ask her for them as per her request, thank you ^^

The legend for this drama track focuses on the constellation Cygnus and the star Deneb! 

Full disclaimer: My knowledge of stars and constellations is uh... not great and I only translated them as I heard it. I did double-check the facts though and they seem accurate to the legends.  Still, if there’s something wrong with some of the scientific parts (like the light years and stuff) please feel free to tell me ^^ 

※ Please don’t re-post these translations without permission. Instead of reposting, please just like/reblog instead ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~!

Track 03: [宇宙の音楽 -白鳥座 デネブ-] “The Universe’s Music – from the Constellation of Cygnus – Deneb”

Fujimura Mamoru x Eto Koki

[0:00]

  MAMORU: (humming)

MAMORU: Hmm… No, that’s not it… (continues humming)

MAMORU: Hm?

KOKI: Do you feel like it will make for a good verse, Mamoru?

MAMORU: Ah, Ko-kun!

KOKI: Do you want some? I made some mint tea. I think it will help make you feel refreshed.

MAMORU: Oh~! The mint green color looks very beautiful!

MAMORU: It’s so relaxing to the eye and seems so Growth-ish~

KOKI: I thought so too so I made some.

MAMORU: It’s amazing how Ko-kun’s repertoire of cooking is getting bigger~

KOKI: I’m doing my best so as to not lose since your list of songs continues to grow as well.

MAMORU: Oh, I see~! Though, I’m in the middle of trying to write a new one to add to that list.

KOKI: (chuckles) You’re in the middle of having a change of pace, correct?

KOKI: Mamoru’s looking at the stars for a change of pace right now.

KOKI: When you’re cornered by something, doing a completely different thing can help.

KOKI: I don’ think that you’re wrong.

MAMORU: Ko-kun’s so nice…!

KOKI: (smiles) I’ve always been nice, you know?

KOKI: Do you know a lot about stars, Mamoru?

MAMORU: Ah… I love watching the stars.

MAMORU: But, I only recently got to be familiar with the names of the stars and constellations.

MAMORU: I got to know more of them ever since I started researching them a bit as motifs for new songs.

KOKI: Since Growth has a lot of songs with stars and space as their focus?

MAMORU: Personally, I think it’s a lot more wonderful to imagine something that’s mysterious and unknown to many people compared to singing about something everyone’s already familiar with, no?

MAMORU: It’s easier to think up a theme for it.

KOKI: Ah…

KOKI: I feel like I can understand. The universe is the shortest thing connecting us after all.

KOKI: No matter where we are, if we look up, it’s just there. It’s a grand and distant mystery.

KOKI: Going on a journey in the world’s bridges. It’s a feeling perfect for Growth.

MAMORU: Exactly! It’s completely a “far-off universe” kind of feel.

MAMORU: What is waiting beyond this darkness? What kind of world will spread-out~?!

MAMORU: Just thinking about it is making me excited.

KOKI: I’m pretty sure that someone felt that thrill long ago, too, and made stories about the constellations.

KOKI: I’m not familiar with them but, they (constellations) each have their own stories, don’t they?

MAMORU: They do~ Some stars have multiple legends but—

MAMORU: Alright~ Big Brother Mamoru will choose one and tell you its story~

MAMORU: I kind of want to teach someone something I just learned, too.

KOKI: You’re in the mood now, huh? Well then, let’s hear it.

MAMORU: Alright~ Though, what should I talk about…

MAMORU: Hmm… Dear audience, do you have something in mind?

KOKI: I’m your audience, huh? (chuckles)

KOKI: Let me see… I know about the Summer Triangle so, how about one of the stars there?

MAMORU: Leave it to me!

[03:39]

  MAMORU: Alright then~! From the three that make up the Summer Triangle, we have: Vega of Lyra, Altair of Aquila, and Deneb of Cygnus. This will be a story about Cygnus.

KOKI: Please, go ahead.

MAMORU: Sure~ (clears throat)

MAMORU: Cygnus is one of the constellations that make up the Summer Triangle and it sometimes looks like it’s in the shape of a cross. As such, it’s also called the “Northern Cross”.

MAMORU: It’s a constellation that lies on the plane of the Milky Way so, imagining it as a swan taking flight is quite wonderful, isn’t it~?

KOKI: I see… Which part of Cygnus is Deneb?

MAMORU: It’s the star that’s right on the swan’s quill feathers.

MAMORU: In the first place, Deneb means something akin to “tail”.

KOKI: Oh~

MAMORU: By the way, among the three brightest stars that make up the Summer Triangle, Deneb’s the dimmest but, that’s because it’s the one that’s farthest from the Earth.

MAMORU: Vega and Altair are 25 and 17 light years away respectively but, it seems like Deneb is 2 thousand light years away!

KOKI: A light year is the distance that light travels through, isn’t it?

MAMORU: Yep, exactly. It’s about 9.5 trillion kilometers away, Ko-kun!

KOKI: 9.5 kilometers… I can’t even begin to imagine it (chuckles).

MAMORU:  (chuckles) You can’t, right?

MAMORU: Though, I can only imagine a 5-minute walk from the station. (laughs)

KOKI: True. (smiles)

KOKI: Though, even though it’s thousands of kilometers away from the other two, we can see it just as brightly as the others, huh.

KOKI: That’s amazing.

MAMORU: Right? I wonder how bright it really is~?

KOKI: I guess I can’t imagine that as well.

MAMORU: (laughs) Me, too.

MAMORU: Now then, continuing with the swan legend, apparently, it’s a form that Zeus disguised himself in.

MAMORU: Though there are a lot of legends about Zeus, I think the most famous one is of him being a playboy who’s only attracted to someone else’s physical appearance.

KOKI: That’s quite a narrow presentation. (smiles)

MAMORU: Long, long ago, there was a woman named Leda who was the wife of the Spartan King Tyndareus.

MAMORU: Leda was a very beautiful woman and Zeus ended up falling in love with her the moment he saw her.

MAMORU: One day, Leda went with her maids to a spring near their palace and began to bathe.

MAMORU: Zeus who was watching from above was captivated by her beauty that he disguised himself as an equally beautiful swan and flew down to where Leda was.

MAMORU: It’s a body-switching technique that stemmed from peeping, you could say.

KOKI: What an unfortunate expression… But, that’s exactly it, I guess (chuckles).

MAMORU: Leda, who was concerned about the beautiful swan that came, approached it without knowing that it was Zeus in disguise.

MAMORU: As a result, the beautiful queen Leda gave birth to two eggs because of Zeus.

KOKI: Th-that’s quite the story…

MAMORU: She let her guard down in front of a cute animal and let it take advantage of her.

MAMORU: This must mean that the technique of using a cute cat to appeal to your crush has been around since ancient Greek times.

KOKI: Your comparison is kind of amazing, too…

KOKI: Tyndareus must have been so surprised when his wife gave birth to two eggs…

MAMORU: (laughs) It would have been good if he was only surprised. But, the gods in Greek mythology are very free and most of them live at the highest peak.

KOKI: Since it’s a legend, it’s completely understandable that gods surpass what humans can understand, huh?

MAMORU: Ah… That’s quite a convincing explanation~

MAMORU: Oh, continuing with the story, the eggs that Leda gave birth to each bore twins.

KOKI: So… there are two sets of twins?

MAMORU: Yup~ One set of twin boys and one set of twin girls.

MAMORU: The twin boys are named Castor and Pollux and are the stars in the Gemini constellation.

[07:54]

  KOKI: You really know a lot about constellations, huh. You’ve surprised me. (smiles)

MAMORU: Fufu~ I want to brag but… I’m not really knowledgeable about all of them.

MAMORU: I only remember what I researched and I do love making up my own constellations.

KOKI: Ah, I do that sometimes, too. It’s when you connect stars into whatever shape you can think of, right?

MAMORU: Exactly! Like a dumpling constellation or a tempura bowl constellation or an edamame constellation and many other stuff~

KOKI: They’re completely all about food, huh? (chuckles)

MAMORU: (laughs) Oh and there’s… sometimes I see music scores, too.

KOKI: Music scores? Like sheet music?

MAMORU: Yeah. The stars look like musical notes. The universe might just be a huge music score, huh~?

KOKI: The universe is the sheet music and the stars are the notes.

KOKI: It’s amazing how you can connect everything to music, Mamoru.

KOKI: The universe is music, huh… It sounds a bit too hopeful that I can’t quite grasp it but, I’m sure that it will make for wonderful music, won’t it?

MAMORU: Definitely!

MAMORU: It’s kind of like the music I aspire for. Even if the score ends, there will still be a continuation.

MAMORU: And then, a new music will be born and it will be so countless that we won’t get tired of it!

MAMORU: Growth’s music is a fragment of that, too… or at least, it would be great if it was.

KOKI/MAMORU: (chuckles)

KOKI: It already is.

KOKI: To us who have accepted your music, each and every song is like a small universe of its own.

KOKI: They could even be like constellations themselves.

KOKI: They have their own world and story. They make me feel excited.

MAMORU: R-really? Do you feel excited about them even now?

KOKI: Yeah, I always am. Even the songs you hesitated on until the last minute.

KOKI: Even then, you always manage to find its light. I think that it’s amazing and I feel like I want to continue chasing after it.

KOKI: That’s why, I think it would be wonderful if a new fragment of music would be born under this starry sky.

MAMORU: Yeah… Yeah, you’re right! Thank you, Ko-kun.

MAMORU: Thanks to you, I feel like I can add another fragment to that music!

KOKI: (smiles) Right now?

MAMORU: Yes! It just came to me right now! It’s here! It’s come down to me~!

MAMORU: I feel like it would make for another great song!

MAMORU: Ko-kun, I shall now head straight for the piano!

KOKI: Go ahead~

KOKI: I’ll bring you another cup of mint tea later.

MAMORU: Ye~s! Alright, I’ll make a song now!

[10:56]

  KOKI: Oh my. I’m glad that he’s got his energy back.

KOKI: I’ll have to report this to Ken and Ryo who were worried, too.

  KOKI: The universe’s music, huh…

KOKI: Mamoru? Sometimes, your way of thinking is so hopeful and so grand that it overwhelms me from time to time but, it charms me just as much.

KOKI: Maybe the people who named the constellations felt this way as well.

KOKI: Unable to grasp it by hand, not even being able to imagine it… And yet, it’s admired so.

KOKI: Someday, I hope that I too will be touched by the universe’s music the same way Mamoru is.

  ==END==

※ Please don’t re-post these translations without permission. Instead of reposting, please just like/reblog instead ^^

If you like this, please consider buying me a ko-fi here to support my work. (o^▽^o)Thank you!!

#tsukipro #growth #fujimura mamoru #eto koki #drama cd #starry sky collection #my translations #growth translations #tsukipro proving once again that koki and mamoru are canon lol #queued post

[astrogeoguy]

Meteors Mount, Gas Giants in Evening, and Touring the Triangle and Celestial Critters!

(Above: Albireo is the beautiful double star that marks the head of Cygnus the Swan!)

Hello, Summer Stargazers! 

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of July 28th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. 

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together! 

Meteor Shower Update

The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower runs annually from July 21 to August 23. It is caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of tiny particles dropped by a periodic comet – likely Comet 96P/Machholtz. The shower peaked before dawn this morning (Sunday, July 28), but is quite active for a week surrounding that date. This shower commonly generates 15-20 meteors per hour at the peak, but is best seen from the southern tropics, where the shower’s radiant, in Aquarius (the Water-Bearer), is positioned higher in the sky. The waning crescent moon on the weekend should not adversely affect the shower very much. 

The prolific Perseid Meteor Shower runs from July 13 through August 26, so keep an eye out for a few of them this week. The moon will spoils the show on the peak nights of August 12/13, so take advantage of the darker skies this week. 

To increase your chances of seeing any meteors, find a dark location with lots of sky, preferably away from light polluted skies, and just look up with your unaided eyes. Binoculars and telescopes are not useful for meteors because their fields of view are too narrow to fit the streaks of meteor light. Don’t watch the radiant. Any meteors near there will have very short trails because they are travelling towards you. Try not to look at your phone’s bright screen – it’ll ruin your night vision. And keep your eyes heavenward, even while you are chatting with companions. I’ll write more about meteors in the coming weeks. For now, happy hunting! 

The Moon and Planets

Keep that telescope handy - the first half of this week will feature dark evening skies worldwide. Late on Wednesday, the moon will pass the sun - giving us a second new moon in July, and then our natural satellite will return to grace the western evening sky after sunset to end the week. Here are this week’s Skylights! 

If you are out under the stars before dawn on Monday, you’ll see a pretty crescent moon in the eastern sky, between the toes of Gemini (the Twins) and the upraised club of Orion (the Hunter). Yes – those winter constellations will return to view before we know it! On Tuesday morning, the moon will be lower, and closer to the sun. 

The moon will first return to view, positioned low over the northwestern horizon, shortly after sunset on Thursday evening. For the rest of the week, the moon’s delicate crescent will grow and the moon will set later – passing through the stars of Leo (the Lion) and landing a few finger widths to the right (celestial west) of the medium-bright star Porrima in Virgo (the Maiden) on Sunday evening. Viewed in a backyard telescope, Porrima splits into a lovely double star - but I recommend waiting until next spring to view it. At that time it will be higher in the sky. 

(Above: The southern evening sky at 10 pm local time.)

With the moon away, Jupiter is the brightest object in the early evening sky. After dusk, look for it gleaming in the southwestern sky. It will set in the west after 2 am local time. On a typical night, even a backyard telescope will show you Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and its four Galilean moons, named Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. The moons always form a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four, then some are in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. 

From time to time, the small, round black shadows cast by the Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. After midnight on Saturday night, Io’s shadow will start to transit the northern part of Jupiter at 12:44 am. Unfortunately, Jupiter will set in the Eastern Time Zone before its passage is complete; but observers farther west can watch the entire event. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet tonight (Sunday evening) from dusk to 11 pm EDT, on Tuesday night from 10:52 pm to 12:30 am EDT, on Thursday from 11 pm to 2:30 am EDT, and after dusk on Friday and Sunday. I posted a calendar of Jupiter’s doings here. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn will remain visible from dusk until almost dawn this month. The ringed planet’s position in the sky is just to the upper left (celestial east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. To find it, look about 3 fist diameters to the lower left (east) of Jupiter. Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s axis), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the upper right of Saturn tonight (Sunday) to the lower left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

For night owls, tiny blue Neptune is in the southeastern pre-dawn sky, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising before 10 pm local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.8 Neptune sitting a thumb’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. The planet is actually moving slowly toward that star! 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising at about midnight local time this week. It is sitting below the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is bright enough to see in binoculars under dark skies. 

Venus is above the east-northeastern sky, barely bright enough to see within the pre-dawn twilight sky that surrounds it. Sinking ever-closer to the rising sun, Venus will be rising at about 5:30 am local time all week. By the end of this week, Mercury will be easier to see than Venus. The swift, innermost planet is climbing away from the sun. Your best opportunity to see it will be at at about 5:30 am local time. 

A Summer Triangle Tour

When you are out on the next clear night, be sure to look for the three bright and beautiful blue-white stars of the Summer Triangle asterism, which shines high in the eastern sky in late July and early August. Once you have it identified, you can find some treasures within it, and follow its progress across the night sky until it finally disappears in late fall. 

(Above: The evening eastern sky features the Summer Triangle formed by the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The Milky Way passes through it.)

Find an open area and face east. The very bright star Vega will be almost straight over your head. It’s the fifth brightest star in the entire night sky and one of the first stars to appear after dusk. Now look for the other two corners of the triangle. Altair, not as bright as Vega, sits about 3.5 outstretched fist diameters (34°) to the lower right of it. The third star, Deneb, is about 2.5 fist diameters (24°) to the lower left of Vega, and is higher up than Altair. It’s a very big triangle! 

Can you see the four fainter stars forming a small, upright parallelogram just below Vega? That shape is about a thumb’s width wide and a few finger widths tall. This box is the body of the musical harp that makes up the constellation of Lyra (the Lyre). Vega marks the top of the instrument’s neck. Vega’s visual magnitude, or brightness, is the zero reference point for the scale we use to define stars’ brightness values. Objects brighter than Vega have values lower than zero, and vice versa. Antares, the reddish star near Jupiter this summer, has a value of about 1, making it 2.5 times dimmer than Vega. (It’s a logarithmic scale.) 

(Above: A detailed view of Lyra, the Harp. The constellation features many double stars, including the Double Double, located a finger’s width from Vega)

Vega also forms a little triangle with two other dim stars, each about a finger’s width apart. The star to Vega’s upper left is Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double. Can you tell it’s actually two stars crammed tightly together? Try using binoculars. When magnified in a telescope, each star splits again! 

Deneb marks the tail of great Cygnus (the Swan). Look for a modest star sitting about two fist diameters (22°) to the right of Deneb. That’s Albireo, a colourful double star that marks the swan’s head. (I like to think of Albireo as the centre of doc Brown’s flux capacitor. The Summer Triangle stars are the gadget’s corners!) Albireo was given a single star name before telescopes revealed that there were two stars there! 

A widely spaced string of medium-bright stars aligned up-down traces out the swan’s wings. (Look closer to Deneb than Albireo for them – swans have long necks!) The brighter star in the middle of the wing span is Sadr, marking the swan’s belly. If you are in a dark location, you should also be able to see that the Milky Way runs right through Cygnus, as if she is about to land for a swim on that celestial river! 

The most southerly of the triangle’s corners is marked by Altair – the head of the great eagle Aquila. In fact, its name translates from “the flying eagle”. At only 16.8 light-years distance, Altair is one of the nearest bright stars – so close that its surface has been imaged! The star also seems to be spinning 100 times faster than our sun, probably generating an equatorial bulge. Like Cygnus, the Aquila the eagle is oriented with its wingtips up-down. The tail bends to the lower right. Two little stars named Terazed (above) and Alshain (below) sit on either side of Altair, like a balance. As a matter of fact, those two little stars’ names derive from an old-fashioned scale balance. 

Grab your binoculars and look about midway between Vega and Altair for a little grouping of stars called The Coathangar. (Hint: For North American observers, it’s oriented with the hook downwards to the right.) Finally, have a look for two little constellations in the area. Sagitta (the Arrow) comprises five faint stars running left-right, above Altair. The three on the right (west) end form the feathers. Below Sagitta, and about 1.3 fist diameters (13°) to the left of Altair is cute little Delphinus (the Dolphin). Four stars form a diamond-shaped body and another star to the lower of that right marks the tail flukes! The star names for Delphinus include a very interesting story. Look it up! 

There’s one more small constellation inside the Summer Triangle, but its dim stars make it difficult to make out. It’s called Vulpecula (the Fox), and it sits about a palm’s width above and parallel to Sagitta. I’ll post a star chart for the entire area here. Two birds, a dolphin, and a fox! (And – there’s the lizard Lacerta just to the east and a little foal Equuleus below Delphinus!) Enjoy your tour of the triangle and visit to this celestial zoo! 

(Above: The Summer Triangle neighbourhood includes a dolphin, a fox, a foal, and a lizard.)

Touring the Dark July Southern Sky

If you missed last week’s tour through the scorpion, the teapot, and the shield, I posted it with sky charts here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Taking advantage of dark, moonless evening skies this week, astronomers with the RASC Toronto Centre will gather for dark sky stargazing at Long Sault Conservation Area, northeast of Oshawa on (only) the first clear evening (Monday to Thursday) this week. You don’t need to be a RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them. Check here for details and watch the banner on their homepage or their Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

At 8:30 pm on Wednesday, July 31, the High Park Nature Centre will host a free public Urban Bat Walk followed by stargazing (weather permitting). Check here for details. 

On Thursday, August 1, starting at 11 am, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be a Kids Summer Break Show. Find tickets and details here. 

On Thursday, August 1, starting at 9 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present a talk entitled A Brief History of Everything, followed by stargazing and a planetarium show. Find tickets and details here. 

Eastern GTA sky watchers are invited to join the RASC Toronto Centre and Durham Skies for solar observing and stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario in Millennium Square in Pickering on Friday evening, August 2, from 6 pm to 11 pm. Details are here. Before heading out, check the RASCTC home page for a Go/No-Go call in case it's too cloudy to observe. The rain date is Saturday. 

On Friday, August 2, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Find tickets and details here. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, August 10. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

#astronomy #planets #stars #space #Summer Triangle #Lyra #Cygnus #Altair #Great Red Spot #Jupiter #Perseids Meteors

[a-fangirl-writes]

And all these stars, they bring me back home to you

Also on Ao3

(To celebrate this joyous occasion and quite frankly, historic day for Supercorp and our precious Lena Luthor, I present to you this random piece of fluff. Enjoy!)

Summary: AU. Kara and Lena met at summer camp and over the years, they had become close friends, harboring romantic feelings for each other. Until one fateful summer night, the truth came out to the surface and there was no going back from that point.

Lena almost forgot how much she loved looking up at the sky. She almost forgot how magnificent the world above her could be, how the child inside her would gaze innocently at the infinity she had always pondered upon. She almost forgot…until she met Kara. Lena really had no words to explain how Kara had completely changed her for the better or maybe she hadn’t necessarily changed and Kara had just managed to encourage her best side to come out.

Lena admired the blue-eyed girl for that, for inspiring her to be brave, for reminding her that she needed to slow down to just appreciate life. Growing up a Luthor, slowing down to take in the moments was never an option. It was cliché but Kara had reminded her to live her life to the fullest, to breathe in the air as if it was her last breath; to take on new adventures and challenges so she wouldn’t end up with regret of not doing something, or the agony of all the what ifs.

Kara had a brilliant mind, no doubt about it. Lena was already used to being surrounded by the brilliance that was her brother, but the way Kara’s mind worked was different. Lena knew how much Lex thirsted for knowledge and when he already mastered something, he would move on to another uncharted area to conquer, but along the way, his sense of wonder was lost.

But Kara? The girl’s eyes still sparkled with adoration and excitement every time she learned something new, as if it was something magical and not just something that could be explained through scientific theories and methodological researches. At that moment, those sparkles were once again evident in her eyes, like a spell binding Lena not to look away.

“Oh, oh, I found it! Look, Lee!” Kara pointed her finger out to the sky. “You see that three dots over there?” She glanced over to her left, making sure that Lena was paying attention.

Lena hastily turned her face toward the sky, hoping that Kara wouldn’t realize that she had been staring. “Uh, um… Where?” She stammered slightly, Kara had that affect on her, turning her into a mumbling mess. Lillian would be furious had she known.

Kara noticed how flushed Lena looked, amused by the reaction she got from the girl. But not quite understanding why that was. “Here, let me show you.” She scooted closer, leaving less than a fraction between their heads. In all honesty, she had been dying to get closer to Lena, for reasons she had only admitted to herself.

Lena gulped, still not used to being so close with the girl but she couldn’t deny her growing attraction. She wasn’t confused anymore, well not as confused as before. She knew she liked Kara more than a friend should and she wished she could read Kara’s mind. She wished she would find that Kara felt the same way. She shook her head inwardly, focusing her gaze toward the direction Kara pointing at with her finger. “Yeah, I see them now…” Lena nodded, a smile slowly settling on her face.

“The brightest one is called Vega…” Kara shifted the direction of her finger slightly before she continued, “…and to the east of Vega, the one that’s a bit dim is called Daneb and…” She moved her finger once again, following an invisible pattern. “That one in the south, it’s Altair.” Kara completed her explanation with a hint of pride in her voice, as if she just made some miraculous discovery.

Lena couldn’t help but steal a short glance at the girl, she wanted to know every bit of her and didn’t want to risk missing even a single thing. She wished she could swim in the depth of Kara’s soul and just stay there to unravel the girl that had opened up a whole other universe within her. Lena flicked her eyes up on the vast sky once more. “So, that’s the famous Summer Triangle?” She quirked her left eyebrow, admiring the marvelous sight.

“Yeah, it’s fascinating right?” Kara turned her head to see the look on Lena’s face. She lightly gasped at the beauty before her. Lena surely is the most beautiful girl, at least for Kara she is. And the way her face seemed to be illuminated by the night’s caress, it was breathtaking beyond words could ever tell. Kara braced herself to lean even closer, wanting to drown all of her senses in everything that was Lena. But she stopped, berated herself internally for being foolish. So she just settled on looking at the girl that had managed to captivate her mind and heart.

“So it’s a constellation?” Lena abruptly turned her face toward Kara, surprising the other girl. She caught on to the way Kara was looking at her. Lena wasn’t necessarily clueless about the stars and galaxies, on the contrary, she knew a lot about it but she wouldn’t miss the chance to listen to Kara ramble about something the girl was clearly passionate about.

“Oh…Um…” Kara cleared her throat roughly, avoiding Lena’s eyes by looking straight up. “Um… It’s- It isn’t a constellation. It’s an-an asterism…” Kara spluttered, unable to hide her nervousness.

Lena smiled slyly, enjoying the sight of Kara getting flustered. She thought it was the most adorable thing ever. “What’s an asterism?” She prodded. She didn’t want to make Kara uncomfortable so she thought she should just show more interest in the topic.

Kara seemed to ease up a bit. She collected her thoughts to give Lena an appropriate answer. “Asterism is more like an unofficial group of stars, it’s merely a pattern of stars and it either links one constellation to another or is a part of a constellation. Summer Triangle links the three constellations of Lyra, Cygnus the Swan and Aquilathe Eagle. But I’m afraid we can’t really see them with naked eyes so…” Kara trailed off, still afraid of making eye contact.

“That’s okay…” Lena smiled softly, she wanted Kara to look at her again so she began to move her right arm to touch Kara’s arm. But before she made contact, Kara unexpectedly shifted her arm up a bit, causing their hands to graze each other for a split second. But it was long enough for Lena to have shivers crawling through her spine.

Kara noticed this, but she thought it was caused by the cool air of summer’s night. “Are you cold, Lee? Do you want me to run back to the cabin and get you a blanket?” She asked in concern.

“No, no!” Lena answered quickly. “I’m fine, really…” She assured Kara, smiling brightly.

Neither of them realized that they were facing each other again and they seemed to have shared an unspoken agreement to conveniently stare at each other. Lena’s smile slowly faded as she gazed at Kara’s eyes. She then unconsciously looked down to her lips for a brief moment.  

Kara was thinking hard, her signature crinkle forming between her eyebrows. She never felt like this before and this uncharted territory intrigued her to no end. Her gaze landed on Lena’s eyes and it felt like she was finally anchored to the shore she had been struggling to get to. Being with Lena felt so comfortable, so familiar. But at the same time, it was frightening and exhilarating.

It was everything a crush supposed to be like. But deep down she knew, what she felt for Lena wasn’t just a silly crush. It was something a lot more.

“Can you maybe-?” Lena trailed off. Kara stayed silent but her eyes never left Lena’s, urging her to go on. She saw how Lena was growing restless and nervous, which was a rare sight to gain from the green-eyed girl.

“Maybe you can just, um, hold my hand?” Lena continued, her gaze dropping, hiding her true emotions. Her heart thumped in her chest, her mind raced. She didn’t know where she found the courage to ask the question, but she didn’t regret it, not even a bit. She wanted to let Kara know. She wanted Kara to know how she had longed for her.

Kara was taken aback. She didn’t expect Lena to be so blunt. From all the years she had known Lena, the girl was rather reserved. Lena rarely voiced out her thoughts, unless it was something logical and technical. But when it comes to her emotions, Lena was a fort of mazes and layers. Kara had promised herself to be patient, to wait until Lena would let her in. Kara tentatively reached out her hand, resting it over Lena’s. She tightened her grip, it wasn’t too hard, but it was firm and certain. She felt Lena gradually relaxed at her touch.

Lena sighed in relief, she didn’t dare to look up at Kara, instead her gaze focused on their hands. She focused on how warm Kara made her feel, not only physically, but also emotionally. She let her eyes lingered on their joined hands. She slowly moved her hand inside Kara’s grip, hoping that Kara got her intention.

She did, and soon Kara opened her palm as Lena interlaced her fingers between Kara’s. Everything fell in place perfectly. Having Kara’s hand in hers had only confirmed her feeling even more. She let herself fall into the unknown, but she wasn’t afraid. Somehow she knew Kara would catch her.

“Lee?” Kara breathed out silently, wanting the girl to look at her. She was so close to hyperventilating. What she was about to do was beyond her comprehension. “Can I-?”

Lena braced herself to catch Kara’s eyes once more. But she didn’t expect to see such intensity in the girl’s eyes; it was something she had never seen before. She froze when she realized Kara’s intention. She nodded ever so slightly because that was all she could afford to do. As Kara’s face inched closer and she felt her breath on her face, Lena instinctively closed her eyes.

Their lips brushed for a brief moment. The kiss was innocent; it was sweet and gentle. But it said everything both girls had wanted to say. Lena felt Kara moved her lips tentatively, she could sense how nervous Kara was. Lena tried to reciprocate, but she didn’t even know what she was doing. All she knew was that simple kiss sent jolt of electricity through her entire body.

Much to her dismay, she felt Kara pulling back. She instantly missed Kara’s lips on hers. But she knew they had to stop, they needed to at least try to figure out what it meant. She opened her eyes at the same time Kara’s lids fluttered open.

Kara’s eyes were searching for something, some sort of reassurance. She observed Lena’s face, trying to find any hint of remorse or maybe even anger. But she found none of those. She found Lena watching her with adoration, the way her eyes pierced through hers was honest. She let out the breath she was holding; a sense of relief engulfed her. She saw the corner of Lena’s lips starting to form a smile. She couldn’t help but smile herself, a shy smile that Lena had come to love so much. They both continued to stare at each other with matching wide grin on their faces.

Lena reached up to cradle Kara’s cheek, she brushed her thumb over the flesh gently. “I really, really like you, Kara. And for a while it scared me. But now I realized that I wasn’t scared for the way I feel about you. I wasn’t scared of how people would think of it as wrong or unacceptable. I’ve never felt something as right as what I feel for you. But-I was scared for how fast and hard I am falling for you knowing that you might not catch me…” She let tears flowing down; she finally admitted the one thing that had tortured her for so long.

“Oh, Lena…” Kara brushed off the tears gently, her gaze piercing through Lena’s. She looked at Lena earnestly, reverently. She wanted to convey sincerity in her every word. “With you, it has always felt like I’m coming home. I would always catch you, Lena. These arms are always meant to do just that. And my heart, it has loved you from the start.”

#supercorp #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #first kiss #summer camp au #stargazing #karlena #kara danvers #lena luthor #writings #one shot #drabble

[leatherbooks-and-inkwells]

Draco Headcanon

I’d like to think that Draco got remarried after awhile.

Like not immediately after and he originally had no plans to marry after Astoria because he loved her but it happens rather suddenly when he meets a  French-Canadian muggleborn witch by the name of Adelaide Levesque. 

She’s everything his parents would of disproved of.

She muggleborn, she is mixed raced (Let’s be far the Malfoy’s were probably racist too)  and she defiantly isn’t a ‘proper’ lady.  

No Adelaide is loud, eccentric, kind and often very hyper.  She never wears dresses unless absolutely necessary, refuses make-up with a passion,speaks her mind with almost no filter to what comes out her mouth and she’s seven years his junior.

Draco, surprisingly, meets her through Scorpius (after the events of the cursed child )  when she takes up the new founded postion of student counselor at Hogwarts. 

She pulls Scorpius into her office to speak about his mother.

She doesn’t ask how he is coping or how he feels- no, she asks him about her

What was she like? What is his favorite memory of her? Her favorite colour, her favorite song, etc. She lets Scorpius just talk about her and soon, on his own, he talks about how he misses her and how he worries that his dad is lonely. 

She tells him that her door is always open, and it is.

It’s a few weeks later that Draco hears about her from Scorpius and he is relieved knowing that there is someone there looking after his son.

Scorpius tells him about how she lets him talk about losing Mum, about the rumors about him being Voldemort's son and about lessons.

He talks about having tea with her when his is stressed or upset, and how she’s taught him a little french.

It’s not till going it’s before the next term that he runs into her in Diagon Alley

She is short, with a mess of frizzy dark brown curls with tanned skin and bright hazel eyes.

She wears old jeans, tennis shoes and a white blouse with a black cardigan over top. 

She greets Scorpius with a smile, asks about his summer and his what classes he has for the new term.  Scorpius rambles on about transfiguration, potions and Care of Magical creature (His favorite class) and she listens to every word with a smile.

It isn’t till Scorpius spot Albus does run off and leave the adults together.

They get to talking, mainly about Scorpius, and they eventually end up in a small coffee shop in Diagon Alley.

She praises Scorpius for his good grades and his strength in dealing with his mothers death, she tells him how Scorpius has a good support system with Albus, how Scorpius has thought about becoming a teacher at Hogwarts and how he sometimes worries about his dad.

Like with Scorpius, Adelaide gets Draco talking about Astoria.

Eventually they talk about her schooling back in Canada, on how most wizarding kids in Canada go to  the MacDonald institute of Magic, named after not only the first Prime Minister of Canada but also the first Minister of Magic of Canada.

They do part their ways but not before promising to exchange letters.

It’s slow at first, a budding friendship.

It isn’t till Adelaide mentions to Scorpius during one of their sessions that she doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with, and has no plans.

Scorpius tells this to Draco and practically begs to invite her over for Christmas, regardless if she is technically his counselor  because she doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with!

Also Scorpius has picked up on their growing fondness for each other, he is supportive of this and thinks it good his Dad won’t be alone anymore.

Christmas is great, they visit the Potter-Weasley-Granger  clan who is a bit confused on why the student counselor is there with Draco but don’t say anything.

It’s not till summer that Draco formally asks her on a date.

He talks to Scorpius about it thoroughly and Scorpius is more that happy because he loves Adelaide and how she makes his dad happy, plus she makes really good homemade sweets that he can’t get enough of so it’s a win-win.

It’s the middle of summer when they go over to the Burrow for Albus’ birthday party and everyone finds out they are indeed a couple.

More than a few people are shocked because she is muggleborn and also seven years younger than him.

Her and Hermione talk about being muggleborn and stuff, Draco sits by her side with his hand in hers and this love-struck smile on his face.

Now, to make this clear, Adelaide will not replace Astoria to either of the Malfoy boys and they will always love Astoria but they also adore Adelaide.

She eventually moves into the Malfoy manor, travelling back on the weekends and breaks when school starts back up. 

Scorpius now drops in whenever he can, sometimes with Albus in tow.

She lets him into her office whenever, even if it’s only to steal a few sweets which she obviously doesn’t leave out on purpose. 

It’s a year later in Scorpius sixth year that Draco proposes to her over Christmas break and she gleefully accepts. 

The wedding is small, homely and quaint. It’s the first time he has seen in a dress of any kind and he nearly cries from happiness. Scorpius is his best man and Hermione, who Adelaide has gotten very close to, is her bridesmaid.  They have it at the Manor and couldn’t be more happy.  They have their first dance to Claire de Lune because Adelaide loves the song. She then dances with Scorpius, who is now taller than her and looking just like his father, to  Elvis Presley’s Can’t help falling in love which was Scorpius’ pick. He often heard her humming it around the manor. 

It’s three months later when they announce that she is expecting.

It was a surprise because they weren’t trying nor did they expect to have children at all but they are both happy, Scorpius is over the moon.

She eventually brings Draco to see the muggle doctor so they can have a sonogram in which they find out they are having twins.

Draco is in shock, happy but in shock because he remembers the Weasley twins.

Again Scorpius can’t help but brag that he is going to be a big brother to twins.

Adelaide eventually goes on maternity leave cause she’s gotten too big to move around Hogwarts safely.

At this point Draco is fretting about everything because he remembers how hard the pregnancy was on Astoria when he had Scorpius but Adelaide is having TWO babies so he is hovering at this point.

Hermione and Ginny come over every once in a while.

Eventually they day comes when they welcome one little girl and one little boy into the world.

Narcissa Lyra Malfoy

and Castor Perseus Malfoy.

Adelaide likes the tradition of naming children after constellations and such.  

They have her eyes, curly hair and tanned skin but somehow manage to have Draco’s hair colour. 

The two grow older and go to Hogwarts.

Narcissa goes into Slytherin, no surprise, but Castor is sorted into Hufflepuff and Draco couldn’t be happier.

All in all, Draco finally gets a happy ending.

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy headcanon #hp headcanon #scorpius malfoy #Hogwarts headcanon #hogwarts au #harry potter headcanon

[blade-revolutions]

A Sign Of Wish

A beyblade one-shot, pairing Kai (I’m using his purple eye color of his G Rev appearance) with my OC Lyla Hart. Inspired from the ending theme song. I hope you enjoy it!

——

Her arms are folded on the windowsill as her eyes gaze at the starry sky, the stars illuminating it with their soft glow and she finds herself mesmerized, unable to tear her eyes away. Although the sight is the definition of simplicity, she can’t deny that it’s utterly breath-taking. A relieving rush of summer wind chills her spine and her lips curl into a satisfied smile.

She tunes out the negativity and the chain of thoughts that occur along with it, embracing the tranquility of the night during summer time.

For once she feels carefree - as if pain is a non-existent emotion and content with her life. She feels that the whole universe has come to a standstill only for her, time freezing for her to indulge in this moment of pure hapiness in this mad world.

Lyla abandons briefly all the negative thoughts which occur to her on a daily basis, she tunes out every hint of pain that wants to clench her heart painfully. She’s too absorbed and content for once to let all this peacefulness slip from her fingertips.

She doesn’t remember the pain in her heart and the utter betrayal she felt when her best friend decided she didn’t want to associate with her for a ridiculous reason to Lyla’s eyes - a boy that Lyla had a crush on and the fact he was enjoying her company more than her best friend’s. And making an effort on starting from the very beginning has proven to be a major trial since none of the people she knows are eager on allowing new members within their group, not because there’s something personal which seperates their lines, but because they’re reluctant to do so.

However, Lyla has come to terms with the fact she has chosen to follow a difficult path from now, the path of being intelligent enough to not hang around people who are absorbed and consumed by their outside person, neglecting thoroughly their inner self. Although this indicates she has closed the walls even more tightly around her, it’s the only way to keep her heart safe and preventing it from aching more.

Lyla wants all the pain to fade, to fly away and never return. And even though there are times in which she wishes for her life line to shape into a flat form, she reminds herself she has to get stronger and to evolve.

After all, she’ll bloom again, eventually.

Lyla shuts her eyes and her mind instead of travelling her elsewhere like her dreams, take the shape of him, her lips forming unconsciously a grin. She remembers vivdly the first time she met him in her dreams. His muscular and well-built body captures her attention, but it isn’t the only thing that matters. His two toned hair and fierce purple eyes send a pleasant shiver down her spine, but it’s those two triangles painted on each cheek of his which astonish her the most. She loves the thought of a symbolic reason behind their existance.

In all of a sudden, Lyla can’t feel the sound of the leaves rustling to the wind’s rythm or anything else around her, as her soul is travelling far away, in a life that wasn’t hers.

She was sitting on the edge of a cliff, swaying feet back and forth as her heart beneath her chest raced. Tears were escaping her eyes, cascading down her rosy cheeks while images and flashbacks of her harsh reality accompanied by her terrible past hunted her thoughts. She wanted everything to stop. She wanted for the ink to dry thoroughly so she could be unable of resuming that diary of a so called life.

Lyla heard footsteps approaching her and she immediately shielded her tear-stained face with her hair. The person sat beside her without uttering a word or questioning her with looks and words of sympathy - something she couldn’t have been more grateful for. Finally somebody understood her need for a simple presence by her side.

His cologne embraces her nostrils, an intoxicating, elegant scent filling her senses. As much as alluring the thought of pushing everything aside and reveal her face in a crumbled psychological state was, she continued to stare on her laced fingers resting on her lap.

The boy didn’t make an effort on speaking and from the corner of her eye, Lyla realized he was staring at the sky above her. Intrigued by his actions, she removed her hair slowly out of her face to have a better view of his features.

Her breath hitched inwardly in her throat for the second time today. He was handsome, but not only in looks. He was handsome for the way his eyes were staring at the veil of stars - similar to hers minutes ago, how they were being reflected in his eyes. His gaze was mesmerized from all of it, from all the beauty in the simplicity which surrounded them.

His stare was hopeful, slightly dreamy, with faint sadness obscuring them. Fortunately, she wasn’t alone and assumed he had come here to clear his mind, to space out everyone and everything and lose himself for a moment or two. A tiny smile tugged at her lips at that thought.

Perhaps Lyla was staring for longer than necessary, and her lips parted in shock when he turned his head towards her abruptly, tilting his brow.

“Sorry,” Lyla muttered hastily, averting her eyes from him, a blush dusting her cheeks. She fixed them on the stars again, burying any negative emotions of disappointment or anger, not letting them to seep through her. Her guard had fallen and she was too torn to deal with anything else.

Lyla wished she could put her finger on whether her stares at the boy had irritated him or not. On the other hand, she didn’t want to find out.

With eyes solely on the night she made an attempt on speaking again. “What’s your name?” She asked calmly, masking her sad tone as effectively as she could. Although Lyla wanted to mentally kick herself for not coming up with something more intelligent, she didn’t feel very embarassed about it. Part of her wanted to be real around him.

The boy next to her didn’t respond and her shoulders hunched lightly with disillusionment. Lyla sighed deeply; she had failed on socializing in the most pure way. It wasn’t the first time she had to confront a situation like this, but the fact this was adding to her list of failures became too much to tolerate.

“Kai,” he responds eventually, his tone as soft as a whisper, yet rough and raw, with the necessary amount of masculinity.

A weight had been lifted off her chest automatically and she relaxed visibly, the overwhelming tension she had been feeling for two minutes had finally evaporated in the atmosphere, relief lingering within her.

“I’m Lyla,” she introduced herself but didn’t raise her hand from her lap, afraid he might not shake it and use it to his advantage - to humiliate her.

Kai gave her a small nod of acknowledgement without letting his attention to slip from the endless sky. He was finally relieved from the rough day he had to face, and his shoulders relaxed. Leaving BBA Revolution for Tala and the Blitzkrieg boys and confronting Tyson days later had drained that one small part of him that still cares for his former teammates and wasn’t too blinded by his determination to beat Tyson in a World Championship match and claim the title once and for all.

His gaze then made its way slowly towards her. Though he was determined on not displaying emotions or affection, the burning desire to ask that girl something was too strong to die down.

“Why are you here?” Kai questioned bluntly, never lacking his straightforwardness.

His question caught Lyla off guard. “I’m here because I want to escape,” she said sincerely.

Kai nodded, Lyla’s answer satisfying his guess.

“And you?”

“For the same reason,” he breathed and finally decided to look at her too.

Kai was taken aback thoroughly. Not because Lyla was too beautiful (thought she was stunning) but how broken and truly shattered every fibre of her being was. Judging from her voice, she seemed hurt but not at the degree her brown eyes were. In fact, her tone could be considered misleading under these circumstances.

Lyla shifted uncomoftably in her spot, fearing his eyes would pierce through her and see her soul if he continued to stare at her. Then she cleared her throat and Kai blinked.

“Do I have something on my face?” She asked with a nervous laugh, hoping her eyes had calmed and weren’t clouded with a red color.

Kai shook his head and let his eyes fall from the girl in front him to the constellations he was able of detecting. Summer had undoubtedly some of the best ones.

“Which constellation are you seeing?” Lyla scooted closer to him, following his gaze with excitement. She loved designing constellations on her notebook at an early age, but had sometimes trouble on spotting them on the sky.

A small part of him told him to push her away, but Kai wanted to relax desperately, to the point he was willing to abandon his proud and confident façade for once.

And he did.

He pointed his index finger to the sky, tracing slowly the stars with it for her to see. “Aquila.”

“Wow! It’s beautiful,” Lyla breathed, amazement written over her eyes.

Kai hadn’t noticed their proximity, his eyes widening lightly when Lyla lied her head on his shoulder. He didn’t complain though. He knew she needed to find peace, to find heaven on earth and that she didn’t have any bold purposes or motives.

“I think that’s Lyra,” Lyla snapped him out of his reverie, pointing to a smaller group of stars which shaped the constellation, relieved she had this one correct.

“And that’s Sagittario,” Kai showed to his left.

Lyla hummed, her eyelids feeling heavier than before. Kai’s corners lifted to a soft smile as he took his black jacket off and carefully lied her down along with him. He was studying her serene expression which made her fragile as realization dawned on him. Lyla was the first girl who didn’t have a fangirl attack when she saw him. She seemed to have no clue of his identity.

It didn’t matter anyway.

Slightly more confident, Kai wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her petite body closer to his. A small blush crept on his cheeks, drowning him in a burning sensation he had never felt on his face.

He always considered girls a waste of time since all of them were too busy purchasing dozens of different lipsticks to care about their souls. And he wasn’t going to admit this one begged to differ.

However it was true.

Lyla opened her eyes slowl, travelling from his neck to his face as she saw Kai’s perplexed expression. “Is everything alright?” She said with concern.

“Yeah,” he whispered, his brows not furrowed anymore, his face more at peace.

Lyla laughed silently at his wild heart beat, hers being no difference. She wanted her playful side to surface but was scared she’d ruin the moment for both of them. Instead, she pursed her lips in a thin line to prevent her mouth from making teasing remarks.

For once her heart couldn’t stop beating rapidly and a wave of new emotions washed over her. She knew exactly what it was and decided to make it everlasting.

“Kai?” Lyla asked shyly.

“Hn?”

“Thank you,” she mumbled grateful and wrapped her arm around his stomach, burying her head at one of his sides with a tiny smile blooming on her lips.

Kai couldn’t hide his surprise. “For what?”

“For everything.”

***

She opens her eyes and smiles widely, her eyes meeting the sky once more, the stars shining playfully down at her. As long as there’s a sign of wish to hold onto, a sign to secure her dreams into, enduring loneliness will always be more sufferable.

#beyblade #bakuten shoot beyblade #kai hiwatari

[friendlyneighborhoodwhateve-blog]

The Hogwarts Revolution  // A next gen story

For @hamiltimedaadadada​, who is, like, one of the kindest people I’ve talked to on this website. You’re super cool! 

And for Marian ( @friarsshortstack​ ), who edits my chapters and forces me to write. Thank you, peaches.

word count: 1500 

Part 2/?

Part 1

-

The one where it begins

People say the best things come in threes.

Like friends, dreams and memories, some would say but Luna Lovegood would say “like Scamander children”.  These things were often surprises too. After Hogwarts, Luna decided to travel the world to study magical creatures. She didn’t expect to fall in love with Rolf on a trip to Brazil, much less getting pregnant so early on her travels. Lyra, Lorcan and Lysander were born on a rainy autumn day, in New York City; all of them had inherited the trademark Scamander coppery blonde hair and the Lovegood blue eyes. For a few months, they lived with Rolf’s great grandparents, who despite their advanced age, found renewed energy in caring for the children. Their days were filled with magic and their nights with stories of their grandparents’ younger days. When the triplets were two, their parents resumed their travels, leaving the children to live in New York. Luna was always getting pictures from Queenie and sending letters telling her children all about her latest adventures. When they were three, Lyra accidentally turned her brothers’ toys purple, just so they would match her favorite plush pillow. The boys would only show signs of magic a couple of years later, when the kids would try to make a cake for Queenie’s birthday. Needless to say that they were never allowed in the kitchen by themselves again. The summer after they turned seven was the first one they went back to England. There they stayed in a house near The Burrow, which resulted in way to many children running around.  Lorcan and Lysander quickly made friends with Fred, George’s eldest son. They reminded George of himself and his late twin, always causing trouble and confusing their mother. Lyra, on the other hand, bonded fast with Victoire and James, the three did cause just as much trouble as Lorcan, Lysander and Fred, they just weren’t caught as often. On one afternoon, while Lyra was running from her brothers after being on the receiving end of a rather nasty prank, she met the strangest boy, his hair changed colors as fast as she could blink and he even helped her get revenge the next day. His name was Teddy Lupin, and he lived nearby with his grandparents.  Two years later, Teddy began his first year at Hogwarts. Lyra looked forward for summer, because she would finally be able to see her friends again, and even more for the month of July, when Teddy would come to spend the rest of the summer with them.  That was the year Victoire spent the entire summer in France, visiting her mom’s family so it was just Lyra and James for three months, in that time the boy developed what he would later recognize as a crush. However when July came around, Lyra only had eyes for Teddy; it went without saying that James was jealous. All of a sudden he had to share his friend, and he didn’t like the thought of sharing one bit. He may or may not have put itching powder in the boy’s sheets. The year the triplets received their Hogwarts letter was the year Luna and Rolf decided to end their travels and settle in England. One particular night, after the kids were supposed to be in bed, Lyra sneaked out to the backyard, she got so distracted stargazing that she failed to notice blue haired boy that laid down in the grass beside her. He knew that whatever was in the girl’s mind, prying would be useless so they just watched the sky in silence. Until he heard a small sniffle. “Teddy, do you think we still are going to be friends in Hogwarts? All of us?“  "Is that what’s bothering you?” At that he turned to face her. “Ray, I wouldn’t have had the trouble of writing letters almost daily these past two years if I was just going to ditch you once you started Hogwarts.” The girl turned her head to look at him in the eyes. “Even if I’m in Slytherin?” “Specially if you’re in Slytherin.” He gave her hand what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze and they turned back to look at the stars, every once in a while Lyra would tell the story of one constellation or Teddy would speak about something extremely funny that had happened during the school year. They stayed like that until the early hours of the morning, not even realizing that their hands were still linked.                             *** “Lyra, calm down. You’re going to rip my arm off."  "But Tori, there’s so much to see, so many things to buy. Look, ice cream!"  While Lyra got easily excited about pretty much anything, Victoire was usually the voice of reason in their friendship; though their personalities were very different, the girls could easily pass for sisters, being the only girls close in age amidst so many boys added strength to their bond.  While Victoire marveled at the many pets in a display, Lyra took James’ hand to drag him along to get their books, the boy was extremely happy with her undivided attention, Lorcan and Lysander didn’t fail to notice the way his cheeks blushed slightly upon the contact. "Come Tori, Cas, Andy. Come on, come on! Mom says if we get everything we need quick we can meet up with Teddy and his grandparents for ice cream before they leave."  The adults chuckled seeing the girl grab onto Victoire’s hand and enter the pet store. She came out with a dark blue furred cat named Blue, a few months later she would discover that the cat was actually black; Lorcan and Lysander got twin tabby cats, named Castor and Pollux respectively; Tori got a kitten named Benny and James just got an owl named Wizzy. They were all glad for the magical enlarged bags their parents had given them (it was Hermione’s idea though), it made going from shop to shop much easier.  As the group approached Olivander’s, it was James’ turn to pull Lyra along, it had been the store he was looking forward to the most, the pair was soon followed by everyone else, which in turn made the small store quite cramped. The young man behind the counter smiled upon seeing the faces of the eager children. "I’m first!” James shouted, in turn Ginny gave the boy a reprimanding look. “I’d like to be the first one please.” “Sure try this one,” The man said giving him a wand “it’s ten and a half inches, made from oak wood and it has a unicorn hair core, go on, give it a try.” The boy took the wand and waved it around, shooting a green spark that went on to start a small fire. Three broken lamps and another small fire later, it seemed James had finally found his wand.  “This one is ten inches, made of wood from the Whomping Willow and it has a core made of unicorn hair.” By now James knew the drill and waved around a bit with the wand, instantly the boxes that had been marred by the fire were repaired, the boy and his parents giving way for Luna, Rolf and the triplets. “Can we go together?” Lyra asked. “Of course, here try these.” The man gave each one a wand, they copied James’ movements but unlike him, it seemed those were right wands, a stream of golden light shot out of the tips and circled the kids before vanishing out of the window. “Oh my, this only happened once before. You must be careful, these wands are very old; their cores are made of heartstrings from the same dragon, there’s a fourth one to the set, it should find the three of you soon enough.” After paying for their wands, the group left for the ice cream parlor, Lyra racing her brothers (and winning).  “Hey guys, over here!” Teddy waved them over to where a lot of tables had been clustered to accommodate the large number of people, his hair the natural shade of brown. He had a warm smile on his face, and tried to ease the minds of his younger friends.  “So what house do you want to be in?” “GRYFFINDOR, the best one of course.” Harry and Ginny smiled upon seeing their son’s enthusiasm. “What about you, Ray?” “I don’t know, I know that I don’t want to be in Gryffindor. Sorry James, I love you but I’d never be able to handle an entire house of people like you.” James had stopped listening after I love you. “And I don’t think I’d be fit for Hufflepuff as much as I would love to be one, so it’s either Ravenclaw or Slytherin. What about you, Tori?” “Anywhere is fine by me, really, so long as I don’t have annoying roommates.” “Amem to that.” Lyra agreed. As the day turned to night, it was only a couple of days before they went to Hogwarts. 

#next gen harry potter #harry potter #nymphadora tonks #newt scamander #albus severus potter #james sirius potter #writing #fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #lysander scamander #hp #next gen

[shytumblarain-blog]

Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events for Calendar Year 2018

January 17 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 02:17 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

January 31 - Full Moon, Supermoon, Blue Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 13:27 UTC. Since this is the second full moon in the same month, it is sometimes referred to as a blue moon. This is also the last of two supermoons for 2018. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

January 31 - Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of western North America, eastern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

February 15 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 21:05 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

February 15 - Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun's reflection. This partial eclipse will only be visible in parts of Chile, Argentina, and Antarctica. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

March 2 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 00:51 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

March 15 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 18.4 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

March 17 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 13:12 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

March 20 - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 16:15 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.

March 31 - Full Moon, Blue Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 12:37 UTC. Since this is the second full moon in the same month, it is sometimes referred to as a blue moon. This year is particularly unique in that January and March both contain two full moons while February has no full moon.

April 16 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 01:58 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

April 22, 23 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861. The shower runs annually from April 16-25. It peaks this year on the night of the night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd. These meteors can sometimes produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for the what could be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

April 29 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 27 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

April 30 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 00:58 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Full Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

May 6, 7 - Eta Aquarids. The Eta Aquarids is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 6 and the morning of the May 7. The waning gibbous moon will block most of the fainter meteors this year, but you should be able to catch quite A few good ones if you are patient. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

May 9 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.

May 15 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 11:48 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

May 29 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 14:19 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.

June 13 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 19:44 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

June 21 - June Solstice. The June solstice occurs at 10:07 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.

June 27 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons. A medium-sized or larger telescope will allow you to see Saturn's rings and a few of its brightest moons.

June 28 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 04:53 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Strawberry Moon because it signaled the time of year to gather ripening fruit. It also coincides with the peak of the strawberry harvesting season. This moon has also been known as the Full Rose Moon and the Full Honey Moon.

July 12 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 26.4 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

July 13 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 02:48 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

July 13 - Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun's reflection. This partial eclipse will only be visible in extreme southern Australia and Antarctica. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

July 27 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 20:22 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Buck Moon because the male buck deer would begin to grow their new antlers at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Full Thunder Moon and the Full Hay Moon.

July 27 - Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, Africa, western and central Asia, the Indian Ocean, and Western Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

July 27 - Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars. A medium-sized telescope will allow you to see some of the dark details on the planet's orange surface.

July 28, 29 - Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by comets Marsden and Kracht. The shower runs annually from July 12 to August 23. It peaks this year on the night of July 28 and morning of July 29. The nearly full moon will be a problem this year, blocking out all but the brightest meteors. But if you are patient, you should still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

August 11 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 09:58 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

August 11 - Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun's reflection. The partial eclipse will be visible in parts of northeast Canada, Greenland, extreme northern Europe, and northern and eastern Asia. It will be best seen in northern Russia with 68% coverage. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862. The Perseids are famous for producing a large number of bright meteors. The shower runs annually from July 17 to August 24. It peaks this year on the night of August 12 and the morning of August 13. The thin crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Perseus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

August 17 - Venus at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation of 45.9 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Venus since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the bright planet in the western sky after sunset.

August 26 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 11:57 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Sturgeon Moon because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.

August 26 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 18.3 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

September 7 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

September 9 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 18:01 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

September 23 - September Equinox. The September equinox occurs at 01:54 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.

September 25 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 02:53 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.

October 8 - Draconids Meteor Shower. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 8th. This will be an excellent year to observe the Draconids because there will be no moonlight to spoil the show. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

October 9 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 03:47 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 to November 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. The nearly full moon will block some of the fainter meteors this year, but the Orionids tend to be fairly bright so it could still be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

October 23 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

October 24 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 16:46 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon.

November 5, 6 - Taurids Meteor Shower. The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the the night of November 5. The thin crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for viewing. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

November 6 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 23.3 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

November 7 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 16:02 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

November 17, 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is an average shower, producing up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak. This shower is unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. The Leonids is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865. The shower runs annually from November 6-30. It peaks this year on the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th. The waxing gibbous moon will set shortly after midnight leaving fairly dark skies for what could be a good early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

November 23 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 05:40 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon and the Hunter's Moon.

December 7 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 07:20 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. The Geminids is the king of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

December 15 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 21.3 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

December 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 22:23 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.

December 22 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 17:49 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long and dark. This moon has also been known as the Full Long Nights Moon and the Moon Before Yule.

December 21, 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1790. The shower runs annually from December 17-25. It peaks this year on the the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd. This year the glare from the full moon will hide all but the brightest meteors. If you are extremely patient, you might still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

#astronomy #stars #sky #2018

[astrogeoguy]

The New Moon brings Delightfully Dark Nights - Perfect for Looking at Lyra’s Lights!

(Above: This image of the Ring Nebula in Lyra was produced by combining images from the Hubble Space Telescope with infrared data from the ground-based Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona. In the image, the blue color represents helium; the green, oxygen; and the red, hydrogen. hubblesite.org)

Hello, Late Summer Stargazers! 

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of August 25th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. 

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together! 

The Moon and Planets

This is the favorite week of the lunar month for skywatchers worldwide. The nights between Last Quarter and the New Moon are delightfully dark, and the mild temperatures will entice you outside to see the sights. Here are your Skylights! 

The moon will begin the week as a pretty waning crescent that rises in the wee hours among the stars of Gemini (the Twins). That late-rising moon will remain visible during the daylight hours – well into the afternoon, in fact. Low in the east-northeastern sky, just before dawn on Wednesday morning, the delicate crescent of the old moon will land on the outskirts of the large open star cluster known as the Beehive and Messier 44 in Cancer (the Crab). The best viewing time will occur between about 4:30 and 5:30 am local time. If you place the moon in your binoculars, the cluster’s stars will be sprinkled below the moon (or above it, if you live south of the equator). 

(Above: Two views of the old crescent moon’s encounter with the Beehive open star cluster aka Messier 44 in Cancer on Wednesday morning, shown here at 5:30 am local time.)

You can look for the very slim moon sitting low in the eastern sky before sunrise on Thursday morning. On Friday morning at 6:37 am EDT, the moon will reach its new moon phase. When new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight is only reaching the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon will be completely hidden from view - from Earth. 

The moon’s 27.32-day orbit around Earth is not circular, but elliptical – causing the moon to vary in distance by up to 6% (closer and farther) from the average Earth-moon distance of 385,000 lm. (That variation is responsible for producing occasional “supermoons”.) Because the moon’s closest approach to Earth (perigee) will occur only 5.5 hours after the moon’s new phase, the combined gravitational tugs of the sun and moon pulling from the same direction in space will generate large tides on Earth for several days. 

The moon moves across the sky at a pretty high rate of speed – shifting by its diameter every hour. The fresh, young crescent moon will re-appear, low in the western evening sky after sunset, on Saturday evening.  If you miss it, try again on Sunday, when the higher and thicker crescent will sit a fist’s diameter to the right (celestial northwest) of the bright star Spica in Virgo (the Maiden) before setting at about 9:30 pm local time.

(Above: On Sunday evening, September 1, the pretty, young crescent moon will appear low in the western post-sunset sky, to the right of the bright star Spica, as shown here at 8:35 pm EDT.) 

Jupiter will continue to be the brightest object in the evening sky this week. As the sky begins to darken, look for the giant planet sitting less than a third of the way up the southern sky. Hour by hour, Jupiter will sink lower – then set in the west just after midnight local time. Jupiter is spending this summer above Scorpius (the Scorpion), in the southern part of Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Bearer). I described Ophiuchus, which resembles a huge Dalek from Doctor Who, here. 

On a typical night, even a backyard telescope will show you Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and its four Galilean moons - Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede looking like small white dots arranged in a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four dots, then some of them are in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. Good binoculars will show the moons, too! 

(Above: The bright planets Jupiter and Saturn will continue to dominate the evening sky this week, as shown here at 9 pm local time. The distinctive Teapot and Scorpion are below the planets.)

Over the next few nights, Jupiter will be passing very close to a dim, fuzzy patch of stars - a globular star cluster named NGC 6235 (from the New General Catalogue of deep sky objects). This collection of several hundred thousand stars, arranged by their mutual gravity into a densely packed sphere, is one of many such objects known to orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is located 38,000 light years away from our solar system! When you see it, you are looking into the distant past. The light from those stars began traveling towards us around the time that Neanderthals died out! Jupiter is overwhelmingly bright compared to the cluster, so try hiding Jupiter just beyond your optics’ field of view. Remember that most telescopes will flip the view around - so check both to the left and right of the planet. 

From time to time, the small, round, black shadows cast onto Jupiter’s surface by those four Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. On Wednesday night from dusk to 9:30 pm EDT, observers in the Americas can watch Io’s small shadow transit Jupiter - with the Great Red Spot! On Thursday night from dusk to 9:40 pm EDT, observers in the Americas can watch Ganymede’s shadow transit the northern hemisphere of Jupiter. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet on Monday evening from dusk to 10 pm EDT, on Wednesday night from 8:40 pm (in twilight) until 11:45 pm EDT, on Friday from 10:20 pm until Jupiter sets, and on Saturday after dusk. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn is prominent in the southern evening sky, too - but it is less bright than Jupiter. The ringed planet will be visible from dusk until almost 2:30 am local time. Saturn’s position in the sky is just to the upper left (or celestial east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). To find Saturn, look about 3 fist diameters to the left (east) of Jupiter. The Milky Way is between them. 

Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s axis), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can arrange themselves above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the right of Saturn tonight (Sunday) to the upper left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

Tiny, blue Neptune will rise at dusk this week, and then it will climb the eastern sky until it reaches its highest point, due south, at about 2:20 am local time. The planet is among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer), sitting less than half a finger’s width to the left (celestial east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. Both objects will appear together in the field of view of a telescope. Neptune is actually moving slowly toward that star and will “kiss” it in early September.

(Above: The ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune will soon become evening targets. this view shows them at 11 pm local time.The asteroid labeled (15) Eunomia at upper right is a little bit dimmer than Neptune, but within reach of backyard telescopes.)

Blue-green Uranus will be rising in the east at about 10:30 pm local time this week; and it will remain visible all night long. Uranus is sitting below (celestial south of) the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is actually bright enough to see in binoculars and small telescopes, under dark skies – and it really does look blue! You can use the three modest stars that form the top of the head of the whale (or sea-monster in some tales) to locate Uranus for months to come – that’s because that distant planet moves so slowly in its orbit. To help you find it, I posted a detailed star chart here. 

Bright and speedy little Mercury is very low in the east-northeastern pre-dawn sky – but it is descending sunward. Your best opportunity to see it comes early in the week in the minutes surrounding 6 am local time. Venus and Mars are out of action for now. They are snuggling up together in the sun’s glare. 

August-September Stargazing Suggestions - Lyra

With the Moon out of the evening sky this week and evening darkness arriving a bit earlier, it’s a good time to tour the night sky. 

(Above:The region around the zenith on late August and early September evenings, features the Summer Triangle and the constellations Lyra, the Harp, Cygnus, the Swan, and Aquila, the Eagle. The sky is shown for 10 pm local time.)

Once it’s dark, tilt your head back and look waaay up. Or set out a blanket, gravity chair, or chaise. Point your finger directly overhead. That’s the zenith - the point of the sky directly above you. During the night, various stars and constellations will pass through that patch of sky as the Earth’s rotation carries them from east to west. While objects occupy that position, they will always appear at their best. That’s because you are looking through the thinnest blanket of intervening air. (Light from objects near the horizon has to pass through as much as ten times more turbulent air – making the objects a blurry mess!) 

In early evening in early September every year, the constellations of Lyra (the Harp), Cygnus (the Swan), Hercules, and Draco (the Dragon) occupy the zenith. Over the next weeks, we’ll tour them, pointing out some objects you can look at with binoculars and small telescopes. Up first is Lyra. In Greek mythology, Lyra was the musical instrument created from a turtle shell by Hermes and later used by Orpheus in his ill-fated attempt to rescue his lost love Eurydice from the underworld. We Canadian astronomers call Lyra the “Tim Hortons Constellation” because it contains both a doughnut and a double-double coffee! 

Facing south and looking just to the lower right of the zenith, you’ll easily spot the very bright star Vega, also known as Alpha Lyrae - the brightest star in the constellation. Vega, the fifth brightest star in the entire night sky - partly because it is only about 25 light years away from us, and partly because it is a very hot, luminous star. The name Vega arises from the Arabic "Al Nasr al Waqi", or the "swooping eagle". Traditionally, the Lyre was pictured as being grasped in the talons of an eagle. 

Vega is moving towards the Sun and will continually brighten over time, becoming the brightest star in the night sky a few hundred thousand years from now. Meanwhile, the wobble of the Earth’s axis will also cause Vega to displace Polaris as the northern Pole Star. That will happen around 14,500 AD. It was previously the pole star around 12,000 BC. This star is a star! 

Vega is also the brightest, highest, and most westerly of the three beautiful, blue-white stars of the Summer Triangle asterism. Moving clockwise, Altair is about three fist widths below and to the left of Vega. Deneb, slightly dimmer than the other two, completes the large triangle at the upper left. The separation between Deneb and Vega is shorter, only 24°, or 2.5 fist widths. 

Chinese culture celebrates a love story in which a Cowherd named Niú Láng (牛郎) is the star Altair. Long ago the Cowherd and his two children, (β and γ Aquilae, the stars that flank Altair) were separated from their mother Zhī Nǚ (織女) the "Weaving Girl" (Vega). She is now on the far side of the river, which is represented by the Milky Way. As the story goes, each year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, magpies make a bridge across the Milky Way - so that the family can be together again for a single night. Some astronomers believe that the magpies are actually Perseid meteors, which travel parallel to the Milky Way every August. 

(Above: A close-up view of Lyra)

Look for a medium-dim star about a finger’s width to the left of Vega. A similarly dim star sits about a finger’s width below it. The three stars form a neat little triangle with Vega on the right. Binoculars or a small telescope will reveal that the triangle’s star to the left of Vega, designated Epsilon Lyrae, is actually a close pair of stars. A really good telescope will reveal that each of the pair of stars is itself a very close together pair! This quadruple star system, or “double-double”, is about 162 light-years from Earth. Even more interesting, each little pair is circling one another, and the two pairs may also be orbiting - in a neat little square dance that takes thousands of years to complete! And that’s your Tim Hortons coffee! 

The other corner of our little triangle is the star Zeta Lyrae, and it, too can be split into a double star with binoculars. Both are white and one is slightly brighter than its partner. These stars are about 152 light-years away, and they themselves have partners that are too close together to split visually. 

Zeta is also the top right star of a narrow, upright parallelogram about two fingers wide and four fingers tall that forms the rest of the constellation. Moving clockwise, we find Sheliak, Sulafat, and Delta Lyrae. Sheliak, meaning “Harp”, is the brightest of a tight little grouping of stars visible in a telescope. Sheliak itself has a close-in, dim partner that orbits the main star so that, every 13 days, the brighter star is blocked and the total brightness drops by a noticeable amount. This is called an Eclipsing Binary system. 

Next, at the bottom of the parallelogram, sits Sulafat, meaning “Turtle”, and named for the shell forming the body of the Lyre. Sulafat is a hot, blue giant star located 620 light-years away. Similar in colour to Vega, Sulafat is much larger - an old star on its way to becoming an orange giant many years from now. 

Finally, at the upper left of the parallelogram is Delta Lyrae. Sharp eyes and binoculars will easily reveal that this is yet another pair of stars – one blue (upper) and one red (lower). The two are not related - the blue star is several hundred light-years farther away than the red one. They just happen to appear close together along the same line of sight.

(Above: The famous Double-Double, also known as Epsilon Lyrae sits a finger’s width from the very bright star Vega in Lyra. This view simulates what a telescope will show.) 

So, where’s our doughnut? Train your telescope midway between Sheliak and Sulafat, and look for the little, dim, grey smoke ring known as the Ring Nebula (also known as Messier 57). This little bubble of gas in space is the remnant of a dead star of a similar mass to our Sun. These common objects are called planetary nebulae because they exhibit a little round disk, like a planet. Finally, using binoculars or a telescope, sweep to the lower left the line that joins Sheliak to Sulafat. At about twice their separation (from Sulafat) is a Globular Star Cluster called Messier 56. It will appear as a dim fuzzy patch – a Timbit! 

Let me know how your exploration of Lyra goes. There are lots of double stars in the constellation.  

Public Astro-Themed Events

Taking advantage of dark, moonless evening skies this week, astronomers with the RASC Toronto Centre will gather for dark sky stargazing at Long Sault Conservation Area, northeast of Oshawa on (only) the first clear evening (Monday to Thursday) this week. You don’t need to be a RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them. Check here for details and watch the banner on their homepage or their Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Tuesday, August 20, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Find tickets and details here. 

If the skies are clear on Thursday evening, September 5, local astronomers will set up their telescopes in Old Thornhill Village. This free event starts at 8 pm and everyone is welcome to come out for a look at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn, and a variety of deep-sky treasures. The viewing location is Thornhill's very own “dark-sky oasis,” the Pomona Meadow - situated north of the cemetery on Charles Lane, and east of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. Volodymyr. Park for free at the church and just follow the paved path. The rain or cloud date is Thursday, October 3 at 7:00pm. Dress warmly, and we’ll see you there! 

On Wednesday, August 28 at 6 pm at U of T’s Bahen Centre for Information Technology, 40 St George St, the Iranian Association at University of Toronto (IAUT) will present A Thousand Nights Under Stars - a lecture by science journalist and NatGeo photographer Babak Tafreshi. To register for this free event, click here. 

The next RASC-hosted Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, September 14. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through the 74” and lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

This Fall and Winter, spend a Sunday afternoon in the other dome at the David Dunlap Observatory! On Sunday afternoon, September 15, from noon to 4 pm, join me in my Starlab Digital Planetarium for an interactive journey through the Universe. We’ll tour the night sky and see close-up views of galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters, view our Solar System's planets and alien exo-planets, land on the moon, Mars - and the Sun, travel home to Earth from the edge of the Universe, hear indigenous starlore, and watch immersive fulldome movies! Ask me your burning questions, and see the answers in a planetarium setting - or sit back and soak it all in. Sessions run continuously between noon and 4 pm. Ticket-holders may arrive any time during the program. The program is suitable for ages 3 and older, and the Starlab planetarium is wheelchair accessible. For tickets, please use this link.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

#space #astronomy #stars #planets #Jupiter #Lyra #Epsilon Lyrae #Double Double #Ring Nebula #Cygnus #New Moon