Happy Bealtane
Listen 00:06:41Next Sunday is Beltane or Bealtane, the cross-quarter day between spring and summer. Once upon a time, this was actually seen as 1st day of summer for northern cultures. Shakespeare’s Mid-Summernight’s Dream takes place at the solstice, at what he called midsummer – can only be mid summer if counting starts on May 1, May Day.
Thursday is the 55th anniversary of astronaut Alan Shepard’s suborbital flight making him the first American in space. Yuri Gagarin flew on April 12th, first human in space.
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Skytalk is hosted by WHYY's Dave Heller. Each week he discusses the latest news in astronomy with Dr. Derrick H. Pitts of the Franklin Institute.
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