Throwing Color
On the full moon of the Hindu month of Phalguna, people across India and around the world observe Holi, throwing colored water and powders on one another in joyous celebration. On this one day, societal rankings such as caste, gender and age are eschewed—everyone is fair game to be doused in prismatic hues. Over the past millennia, many Hindu myths have been associated with the festival, but the three most common are of Krishna and Radha, Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada, and Shiva and Kama. The night before Holi is celebrated with bonfires commemorating the destruction of the demon Holika.
How Holi Celebrations Differ Throughout India
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Explaining the Festival of Colors
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The Myths and Stories Behind the Festivities
© Shalini Saran/IndiaPictures—Universal Images Group/Getty Images
This Week in Space
Tonight’s sky will present a rare sight, while Saturn has more neighbors than previously thought.
Tonight a total lunar eclipse will be visible in North and South America, as well as parts of Europe and Africa. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon enters the shadow of Earth, opposite the Sun, so that Earth’s shadow sweeps over the Moon’s surface. In tonight’s total eclipse, the whole disk of the Moon will pass through the umbra, the darkest part of the shadow, in about an hour. During that time the Moon is usually not completely dark—a part of the sunlight, especially the redder light, penetrates Earth’s atmosphere, making the Moon appear reddish-brown.
The many moons of SaturnSaturn already had more moons than any other planet in the solar system, outpacing second-place Jupiter 146 to 95. But the discovery of 128 more moons, announced on Tuesday by the International Astronomical Union, has upped Saturn’s count to 274.
Seventh stone from the SunToday marks the anniversary of the discovery of Uranus by astronomer William Herschel in 1781. The seventh planet from the Sun—which Herschel first described as “a curious either nebulous star or perhaps a comet”—was named for the father of the god Saturn.
© Diane Miller—The Image Bank/Getty Images
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