August 28 - Dark Night

Lunar Eclipse - A full moon is the only time when a lunar eclipse is possible. At this time, it is possible under certain circumstances for the Moon to move through the shadow cast by the Earth. However, because of an approximately 5° tilt of the orbital plane of the Moon with respect to the orbital plane of the Earth, the Moon usually passes to the north or south of Earth's shadow during a full moon.

Today's full moon & lunar eclipse will be visible from Australia, eastern Asia, and the Americas, peaking at 10:37 UT.

August Full Moon: Grain Moon or Sturgeon Moon (Native American)

August 21 - Orchid Cactus

Orchid Cactus - (Epiphyllum) a genus of 19 species of epiphytic plants in the cactus family (Cactaceae), native to Central America. Epiphyllums are very popular house plants, with numerous hybrids and cultivars produced. In fact, the term epiphyllum is commonly used to refer to these hybrids.

In Chinese, there is a saying "tanhua yi xian" which means "to bloom briefly", alluding to the short lifespan of the flower, which only last one night.

August 13 - Sunspots

Sunspot - A region on the Sun's surface (photosphere) that is marked by a lower temperature than its surroundings and has intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection, forming areas of low surface temperature. They can be observed when the Sun is close to the horizon, or when it is obscured by a layer of clouds, mist, or haze.

This closeup photo of sunspots has a super-imposed image of the Earth to show the comparison of their immense size.

This image shows many sunspots over the surface of the Sun.

And this image shows a sunspot that is visible with the naked eye.

August 8 - Fuwa

Fuwa - (aka Friendlies) The Fuwa (Chinese: Pinyin: Fúwá; literally "Good-luck dolls") are the official mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing, China. They were announced by the National Society of Chinese Classic Literature Studies on November 11, 2005 at an event marking the 1000th day before the opening of the games.

The Fuwa consists of five members according to the traditional five elements: Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini. Each of the five names is designed to look like a plausible name for a small child, but when put together, they sound nearly identical to the phrase "Běijīng huānyíng" which means "Beijing welcomes you". Each of the five figures also represents one of the five Olympic Rings. Two of the five mascots represent members of endangered species.

Today marks the one year countdown to the start of the games. You can read about the grand celebration that took place in Beijing earlier today on the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: http://en.beijing2008.cn/

Name: Bèibei
Gender: female
Olympic Ring: Blue
Element: Water
Design: Fish
Personality: gentle, pure
Represented ideal: prosperity
Represented sport: aquatic sports

Name: Jīngjing

Gender: male

Olympic Ring: Black

Element: Metal

Design: Giant Panda

Personality: honest, optimistic

Represented ideal: happiness

Represented sport: weightlifting, judo, etc.

Name: Huānhuan
Gender: male
Olympic Ring: Red
Element: Fire
Design: Olympic Flame

Personality: extrovert, enthusiastic
Represented ideal: passion
Represented sport: ball sports

Name: Yíngying

Gender: male

Olympic Ring: Yellow

Element: Earth

Design: Tibetan antelope
Personality: lively, vivacious

Represented ideal: health

Represented sport: track and field

Name: Nīni
Gender: female
Olympic Ring: Green
Element: Wood
Design: Swallow

Personality: innocent, joyous
Represented ideal: good fortune
Represented sport: gymnastics

August 7 - Jaguar

Jaguar - (Panthera onca) the largest cat found in the Americas. They live in solitude and are skilled hunters. Historically, jaguars ranged from Argentina to the southwestern United States, but hunting and habitat loss has reduced their range by over 50%. They are found in Central and South America, and the arid wildlands of southern Arizona and New Mexico.

Melanistic Jaguar - A condition known as melanism occurs in the species. The melanistic form is less common than the spotted form—six percent of jaguars in their South American range have been reported to possess it—and is the result of a dominant allele. Jaguars with melanism appear entirely black, although their spots are still visible on close examination. Melanistic Jaguars are informally known as black panthers, but do not form a separate species.

August 1 - Meteorite

Meteorite - a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earth's surface without being destroyed. While in space it is called a meteoroid. When it enters the atmosphere, air resistance causes the body to heat up and emit light, thus forming a fireball, also known as a meteor or shooting star.

Hoba Meteorite - the heaviest meteorite in the world and the largest naturally-occurring mass of iron known to exist on the surface of the earth. The meteorite, discovered in 1920 (Namibia Africa) has not been moved since it landed over 80,000 years ago.

Barringer Meteor Crater - a meteorite impact crater located about 35 miles east of Flagstaff, in the northern Arizona desert of the United States. Named for Daniel Moreau Barringer, the mining engineer suggested that the crater had been produced by the impact of a large iron-metallic meteorite. It wasn't until 1960 that research scientists confirmed Barringer's hypothesis by proving the presence of minerals coesite and stishovite, rare dense forms of silica found only where quartz-bearing rocks have been severely shocked by a large meteorite impact.