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Saturday is ‘International Observe the Moon Night’

By Greg Redfern

WASHINGTON — Tonight is “International Observe the Moon Night,” an annual worldwide event dedicated to getting people outside to gaze at the Moon.

Be sure to check the website for local celebrations in the D.C. area and beyond.

The Moon is approaching full phase and will be another Supermoon on the nights of Sept. 8 and Sept. 14, as well as the Harvest Moon. I’ll have more on that next week.

But go outside tonight and look at the moon. We did this last night at Big Meadows Shenandoah National Park as part of my “Let’s Talk About Space” program.

If it’s clear after my talk, we go out and observe the sky.

Here are the main points I discussed about the moon last night:

  • The moon is big. It would span coast to coast in the U.S.
  • When you look at the Moon, what colors do you see? White and gray. The white is the original lunar crust made up primarily of a mineral called Anorthosite. The gray marks impact basins: places where a comet or asteroid slammed into the moon billions of years ago, and was flooded by the flow of lava from fractures within the lunar crust.

These impact basins are large and the South Pole-Aiken Basin is one of the largest in the solar system spanning 1,600 miles across and almost 10 miles deep!

We’re also pretty sure the Moon formed due to a huge impact event involving the Earth and a Mars-sized planet called Theia billions of years ago.

Our planet had a ring system like Saturn’s for about a million years or less while all of the debris from the impact orbited Earth. The debris eventually coalesced into possibly two moons, which then collided to form the large Moon we have today.

Our Moon was much closer to Earth after it formed, and would have been at least 50 percent larger in the sky long ago. What a sight that must have been!

The tides on Earth would have been amazing with the moon being so much closer; our planet would have rotated faster with the day being only hours long instead of our 24-hour day we enjoy.

The Earth and the Moon are described by the European Space Agency as a double- planet system because of their relative sizes to one another and their gravitational influences upon each other.

Do a Google search on the Moon and you will find many websites dedicated to our neighbor in space. Be sure to visit Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and see the wonderful pics it has taken.

NASA Goddard in Maryland is hosting an LRO event tonight.

Oh, and wink at the Moon tonight in remembrance of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon. Neil has been gone for 2 years now and his family wanted people to do this in memory of him.

Finally, watch this video in the quiet of the night after you have looked at the Moon — it always brings tears to my eyes because it is so beautiful.

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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