Buenas tardes, oddlings!
It’s Cinco de Mayo, and while many of you think that means tequila shots and pinatas, the fifth of May actually commemorates the Battle of Puebla. This 1862 battle was a Mexican victory during the Franco-Mexican War, which took place from 1861-1867.
The holiday is a fairly minor one in Mexico, but here in the United States it has become quite the event, celebrating the Mexican culture and heritage.
The Battle of Puebla is an interesting story, and I highly recommend reading more about it on Mexonline.com.
Aside from mariachi music, you might hear oohs and aahs tonight over the Super moon. The term “super moon” simply means that a full moon occurs at or near the time when the moon is closest to Earth on its non-circular orbit. This is called perigee, and it places the moon at 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) away from Earth.
Added bonus tonight? There’s a meteor shower from Hailey’s Comet that is set to peak as well! This is the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower and promises up to 60 meteors per hour for skywatchers with clear weather and away from city lights. Brooklynites might have a tough time peaking the Eta Aquarid, since we have so much light pollution and today’s weather makes the sky look like a gauzy grey curtain. But Bubo promises that the Super moon’s 30% brightness increase will shine through.
If you’re in a similar situation, fear not! You can access views from NASA’s all-sky cameras for the Eta Aquarid meteor shower remotely here: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/allsky.html
Our last Super moon was in March 2011, so get outside tonight and tilt your eyes to the skies. Bring a margarita outside with you and toast those brave Mexican fighters who won the Battle of Puebla. Silas is making us sizzling fajitas and we are dining on the Widow’s Walk by Super moon light.
