Happy God-blessed August!!

We are now in the 8th month of 2023.

And what an array of heavenly spectacles August has prepared for everyone!

First, we hope you were able to catch August’s first full supermoon?

Called Sturgeon moon in North America because this freshwater fish “are in high numbers this month, it is also known as the grain moon, corn moon and harvest moon.”

Tuesday’s full moon is labeled as a “supermoon” because the moon appeared 8% larger than a typical full moon as it made its “closest pass to Earth in its orbit, known as perigee.”

Come August 31, watch out for the second full, super moon of this month!

“Whenever there is an extra full moon during a month, it is called a blue moon. The next time there will be two full moons in one month will be in May 2026!

August’s blue moon will also be a supermoon, providing a rare occurrence of two such moons appearing in the same month.

Stargazers will have to wait until 2037 before there are another two supermoons in a single month!”

Then, expect the annual Perseid meteor shower next!

Be amazed to see between 50 to 75 meteors in an hour that are visible to the naked eye during a clear night!

For your information, “the Perseid meteors come from leftover comet particles and parts of broken asteroids, according to NASA. Every year, Earth passes through the rocky debris, causing the particles to collide with Earth and disintegrate into bright streaks in the sky.

The meteors appear to come from the constellation Perseus, hence the name- Perseid meteors.”

The supermoons, the Perseid meteor shower, then, Saturn and Jupiter will return to the night sky in late August as well!

Don’t miss these heavenly delights for your happy, free viewing this August!!!

On another recent happy topic - did you read that electricity can be extracted from raindrops?

Yes, that’s right!

Everyone knows about solar panels. Watch out for rain panels soon!

“In a potentially game-changing breakthrough in energy harvesting, researchers have found a way to capture, store and utilize the electrical power generated by falling raindrops, which may lead to the development of rooftop, power-generating rain panels.

Engineers have long known about the potential power generation capabilities of fallen raindrops. The idea is already in practical applications like hydroelectric dams and wave power collection systems, where the movement of the water generates electricity.”

Isn’t God wonderful?

Providing us with free rainwater to be harvested for various uses, then this time for precious raindrops that can be tapped in panels to be utilized as electricity?

Looking forward to less costly or better yet, even free solar and rain energy as alternatives to our present expensive, polluting, non-renewable energy sources!!!

Our own DOST researches may already have tapped alternative/renewable energy sources which are awaiting political will and ample resources for public use and consumption!

Time for national and local government to review our own Filipino scientists’ research outputs on renewable energy!!!

For sure, many of our inquisitive researchers have studied about plants providing electricity!

Yes, that is right!

Aside from the sun, energy may be tapped from plants (leaves, roots) and from the wind as well!

For example, In 2013, the University of Georgia reported that scientists tapped into electricity created through photosynthesis before it’s used by the plant.

A December 12, 2018 report from the IstitutoItaliano di Tecnologia – IIT:

“Researchers have discovered that living plants are literally 'green' power source: they can generate, by a single leaf, more than 150 Volts, enough to simultaneously power 100 LED light bulbs.

Researchers also showed that an 'hybrid tree' made of natural and artificial leaves can act as an innovative 'green' electrical generator converting wind into electricity.”

Expect more amazing delights from God’s wonderful world!!!