Saturn Behind The Moon : What’s That Next To The Moon? Saturn. In Its Monthly Trip Around The Earth

Saturn Behind the Moon : What’s that next to the Moon? Saturn. In its monthly trip around the Earth – and hence Earth’s sky – our Moon passed nearly in front of Sun-orbiting Saturn earlier this week. Actually the Moon passed directly in front of Saturn from the viewpoints of a wide swath of Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. The featured image from Sydney, Australia captured the pair a few minutes before the eclipse. The image was a single shot lasting only 1/500th of a second, later processed to better highlight both the Moon and Saturn. Since Saturn is nearly opposite the Sun, it can be seen nearly the entire night, starting at sunset, toward the south and east. The gibbous Moon was also nearly opposite the Sun, and so also visible nearly the entire night – it will be full tomorrow night. The Moon will occult Saturn again during every lap it makes around the Earth this year. via NASA

An Astronaut’s Tips For Living in Confined Spaces

One thing astronauts have to be good at: living in confined spaces for long periods of time.

Nearly 20 years successfully living on the International Space Station and more than 50 flying in space did not happen by accident. Our astronauts and psychologists have examined what human behaviors create a healthy culture for living and working remotely in small groups. They narrowed it to five general skills and defined the associated behaviors for each skill.

For many of us in a similar scenario, here are the skills as shared by astronaut Anne McClain:

Skill 1, Communication

Share information and feelings freely.

Talk about your intentions before taking action.

Discuss when your or others’ actions were not as expected.

Take time to debrief after success or conflict.

Admit when you are wrong.

Skill 2, Self-Care

Balance work, rest, and personal time. Be organized.

Realistically assess your own strengths and weaknesses, and their influence on the group.

Identify personal tendencies and their influence on your success or failure. Learn from mistakes.

Be open about your weaknesses and feelings.

Take action to mitigate your own stress or negativity (don’t pass it on to the group).

Skill 3, Team Care

Demonstrate patience and respect. Encourage others.

Monitor your team (or friends and family) for signs of stress or fatigue.

Encourage participation in team (or virtual) activities.

Volunteer for the unpleasant tasks. Offer and accept help.

Share credit; take the blame.

Skill 4, Group Living

Cooperate rather than compete.

Actively cultivate group culture (use each individual’s culture to build the whole).

Respect roles, responsibilities and workload.

Take accountability; give praise freely. Then work to ensure a positive team attitude.

Keep calm in conflict.

Skill 5, Leadership/Followership

Accept responsibility.

Adjust your style to your environment.

Assign tasks and set goals.

Lead by example. Give direction, information, feedback, coaching and encouragement.

Talk when something isn’t right. Ask questions.

We are all in this together on this spaceship we call Earth! These five skills are just reminders to help cultivate good mental and physical health while we all adjust to being indoors. Take care of yourself and dive deeper into these skills HERE.

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cozy-airlessness

4 years ago

Peripheral vision. Anna Lee Fisher prepares for the 14th mission in Space Shuttle history & the 2nd of Discovery, Nov 1984. Dr. Fisher spent 8 days in space during her career & also assisted in the development of the Canadarm & the design of spacesuits for women. Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1978, her other accomplishments include being a Doctor of Medicine & a Masters in Science graduate.

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