Letters of Ara | 12 months of graphics

Upon launching Letters of Ara in January 2019, the intention was to share a monthly email exploring areas of influence and interest for Ara.

Throughout the year I designed a new graphic to represent each month, focusing on the astronomical or natural world.

Rather than leave them sitting in inboxes, I thought I’d pull them together into one place to capture the unfolding of the year.

L x

On the 12th January 2019, the night sky treated us to the close approach of Mars and the moon.

February brought the second super moon as it reached its closest approach to the earth, or perigee, looking a little larger and brighter than usual.

March traditionally welcomes the first true signs of Spring here in the UK with daffodils, snowdrops, aconites, crocuses and blossom.

In April, the annual Lyrids Meteor Shower, peaking on the evening of the 22nd through to the morning of the 23rd. The shower's radiant point is near the constellation Lyra (depicted to the left of the graphic), but the meteors can appear anywhere in the night sky.

In May, the night sky brought us a 'seasonal blue moon'. It doesn’t appear blue, it is so called as the third of four full moons to fall within one astronomical season (after the March Equinox and before the June Solstice). Usually only three full moons occur during a season, making a seasonal blue moon (occurring every few years) a rarity.

June saw Jupiter at its closest approach to the Earth, with its four largest moons on either side of 'the giant planet'.

in July, as the Full Moon fell almost in alignment with the Earth and the Sun, part of the Moon darkened as it gradually moved through the Earth's shadow, creating a Partial Lunar Eclipse.

In August the night sky brought us the annual Perseid meteor shower.

In the astronomical world, the 23rd of the month saw the Autumnal Equinox, one of two times throughout the year when the sun illuminates the northern & southern hemispheres equally. Here in the northern hemisphere, the second equinox of the year marked the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn.

Candle season! October is one of my favourite months: heather on the hills, wet leaves on the ground, an abundance of seasonal colourful veg, toasted pumpkin seeds and a hint of spookiness in the air.

The season of Ara’s favourite, the humble pear.

A shift in season and time to slow down and find pleasure in a winter walk, a cosy jumper and a mug of something warming to bring joy and a little calm throughout all of the hustle and bustle.