Time to Soar!

What's up everyone?! It's game day again in Wolfpack Nation and today's opponent should give the Wolfpack a bit less trouble than both FSU and Clemson. Last weekend we couldn't pull ourselves off the ground and instead taxied back to the airport gate. Today, we need to lift off and fly! Not scoring any points against Clemson away was very difficult to watch from the 3rd row. Not scoring any points against the Eagles from Boston College today would be even more disheartening.

Weather is going to be spotty today for the 3:30 kickoff. It looks as though scattered thunderstorms are going to be lingering all day starting around the late morning as a stationary front moves (that doesn't make any sense!) into our area and parks over the mountains. The temperature will be nice today as we should experience a high in the low-mid 80s with partly-mostly cloudy skies with the thunderstorms moving in, and we should see a low around the mid 50s tonight with increasing chances for thunderstorms into the night.

It is probably going to be a poncho day for the Power Sound of the South Marching Band due to the impending weather, but typically when we bring our ponchos it doesn't rain (band weather again sometimes overrules actual weather). It will be interesting to see what happens today. If it is only raining, the game will go on. If there is any thunder or lightning, which the NWS is calling for between 1 pm and 11 pm today, then there will be a postponing of the game or even a cancellation/reschedule. I hope the latter is not the case!

Keys for the Game

1. It was quiet for the Wolfpack at Clemson, so bring your loudest voice to rock Carter-Finley!
2. Rain Gear! It is most likely going to rain at some point and I want people to be able to stay in the stands and continue cheering on the team. We need a victory!
3. Big-Game NC State Game-day Spirit. Typical spirit among fans is rather lackluster so we need to bring the same energy we brought in the first 3 quarters against FSU!

Let's Go Wolfpack! It's Game Day!

October 2014 Lunar Eclipse!

Hello all! We have another fantastic astronomical phenomenon occurring tomorrow morning: a complete lunar eclipse! I will be waking up early to see it, and we should finally have decent clarity in the sky to actually see it! If you guys recall, earlier this year when we had a complete lunar eclipse, the skies were overcast here on the east coast and it was essentially invisible. 

What is a Complete Lunar Eclipse?

A complete lunar eclipse is when the moon is completely in the Earth's shadow which is cast by the Sun. When the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are completely in line with the Earth in between the Sun and the Moon, also called syzygy which is the Greek word meaning "being paired together", the Earth casts a shadow giving the Moon a red tint. Why the red tint? Physics, my dear Watson. When direct sunlight is no longer able to reflect off of the Moon, the only light reaching the moon is the longwave red and orange light refracted by the Earth's atmosphere. This is why the moon appears to have a reddish/brownish coloration to it. The term for this coloration is "Earthshine".

When Will We be Able to See It?

In Raleigh, we will be able to see the Lunar Eclipse between about 4:15 am and 7:15 am. The maximum eclipse will occur at approximately 6:55 am according to astronomers. For best visibility, try to get to the roof of a building, the top of a hill, or a high-level window to get above the tree-line. I will be at Hunt Library myself to witness this annual event. Below is a chart which I found online with a full description of events:

Event	UTC Time	Time in Raleigh*	Visible in Raleigh
Penumbral Eclipse begins	Oct 8 at 8:17 AM	Oct 8 at 4:17 AM	Yes
Partial Eclipse begins	Oct 8 at 9:18 AM	Oct 8 at 5:18 AM	Yes
Full Eclipse begins	Oct 8 at 10:27 AM	Oct 8 at 6:27 AM	Yes
Maximum Eclipse	Oct 8 at 10:55 AM	Oct 8 at 6:55 AM	Yes
Full Eclipse ends	Oct 8 at 11:22 AM	Oct 8 at 7:22 AM	No, below horizon
Partial Eclipse ends	Oct 8 at 12:32 PM	Oct 8 at 8:32 AM	No, below horizon
Penumbral Eclipse ends	Oct 8 at 1:32 PM	Oct 8 at 9:32 AM	No, below horizon

* The Moon is below the horizon in Raleigh some of the time, so that part of the eclipse is not visible.

This table was found at http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2014-october-8

Lunar Eclipse Terminology

We have already learned about syzygy and Earthshine, but what else is there to learn about lunar eclipses? The Earth's shadow actually has three different parts: the Penumbra, the Umbra, and the Antumbra. The Penumbra is the outer part of the Earth's shadow. When the moon crosses through the Earth's Penumbra, it is given a slight reddish/orange coloration but still appears relatively bright in the sky. The image on the right is a picture of a partial lunar eclipse. The Umbra is the darker central part of the Earth's shadow. During the transition phase into the Full Eclipse, the Moon will appear dark with a white edge and the opposite edge appearing red. When the moon is at Maximum eclipse, it will appear entirely red, and the red portion, which is the deepest portion of the Earth's shadow, is called the Umbra. The Antumbra is the portion of the Earth's shadow beyond the moon. It is not actually visible because of the massive shadow that the Earth casts, but is much more visible during a Solar Eclipse. During a solar eclipse, when the moon is far enough away from Earth that the actual shadow does not reach the Earth, the axis of the Moon's shadow continues to portray a partial shadow on the Earth. 

I hope all of you can go out and witness the Eclipse!

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/total-lunar-eclipse.html

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/annular-solar-eclipse.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=lunar+eclipse&espv=2&biw=2133&bih=1008&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=rhg0VIbVDI6lyATshYLoCA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&dpr=0.75

Fall Has Arrived!

After a long, cool summer, the temperature and weather feels like fall here in NC. Leaves are changing in Western NC, acorns and hickory nuts are falling in Central NC, and it's getting to be too cold to go into the ocean. I have friends going out to Boone, NC next weekend for fall break and the weather is going to be perfect! Cold temperatures are moving in fast though. There were hard freeze warnings, freeze watches, and frost advisories in Tennessee, Western NC, Western VA, and Eastern KY last night and this morning. Winter is coming.

Cooler Temperatures!

We are going to have fantastic weather today though here in Spartanburg, SC! The high for the game today is going to be around 67 and the skies are going to be sunny. The same can be said for Raleigh! Today in Raleigh the high is going to be in the mid 70s but due to clear skies tonight the low is going to drop to about 40. Bring your jackets tomorrow morning to church! Freeze warnings and frost advisories have also been issued for almost the entire states of North and South Dakota and parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado.

Red Flag Warnings!

Aside from the seemingly persistent wild fires in California, the entire state of Mississippi and part of the panhandle of Florida are experiencing the effects of wild fires right now and are under a red flag warning.

Out in CA, there are only a couple counties under a red flag warning but with the warmth and dry air currently being experienced by the region, it is possible that these fires could spread.

Tropical Activity!

It's the beginning of October and I'm telling you that there is more tropical activity?? Yes! The hurricane season which began on June 1, continues through the month of November and ends on November 30. This is because the Tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are warm enough throughout this period for cyclone formation and sustenance. What is the update for today? Although there is very little to no chance for tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic for the next 48 hours, Hurricane Simon has now been named in the Pacific. It does not look like Simon will make landfall, but I will be keeping a watch on it.

GAME DAY!

It's game day in Wolfpack Country again! Well, this time it's not IN Wolfpack Country, but hopefully we can pull out a win! NC State has struggled against Clemson in the past....12 years. That was the last time we beat them IN Death Valley (Clemson's Stadium). 2002 was a long time ago but I am confident that we have everything we need to beat Clemson today and turn history around! The last time we beat Clemson in Carter-Finley was in 2011 for homecoming, and we were so close to beating them last year.

The key to the game today is hydration! It's not going to be very hot, actually it's going to be quite cool, but dehydration kicks in quickly when energy is being exerted.

That's all for now! I'll have another couple of posts next week. Have a great weekend!