Ratha Sapthami purappadu 2019 # Chandra prabhai @ thiruvallikkeni

First Man is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Damien Chazelle and written by Josh Singer starring Ryan Gosling alongside Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, and others.  First Man had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States in Oct  2018, by Universal Pictures. Wonder its relevance here !!

Today,  12^th Feb 2o19  (29^th  day of Thai masam) is  Ratha Sapthami.   Ratha means chariot. Sapthami is a thithi in a lunar month falling on the 7^th  day of both sukla and Krishna paksha.   Ratha Sapthami also Surya Jayanthi is celebrated on 7th  day after Thai Amavasai-  Shukla paksha (waxing phase of moon)  dedicated to God Surya. 

சந்திரன் குளிர்ச்சியானவன்; சந்திரனுக்கு நிலா, அம்புலி, வெண்மதி,   என பெயர்கள் உண்டு. முழுமதி மிகவும் சந்தோஷத்தை தர வல்லது.  நிலவை  நோக்கி  கைநீட்டி,தன் குழந்தையுடன் விளையாட வருமாறு அம்புலியை அழைக்கும் பருவம் - அம்புலிப்பருவம். புவியிலிருந்து மிகத் தெளிவாகத் தெரிவதாலும் முறைதவறா பிறை சுழற்சியாலும் தொன்மைக்காலத்திலிருந்தே மனித  சமுகத்தின் பண்பாட்டுக் கூறுகளில்,   குளிர்ச்சியான சந்திரன்  மிகுந்த தாக்கமேற்படுத்தி உள்ளது. பூமியின் ஈர்ப்புச் சக்தி காரணமாக, பூமியைச் சந்திரன் சுற்றிவருகிறது. மனிதன் உயரே அனுப்பியுள்ள எண்ணற்ற செயற்கைக்கோள்களும் இதே காரணத்தால் பூமியைச் சுற்றிவருகின்றன. பூமியைச் சந்திரன் சுற்றுவதுபோலவே வியாழன் கிரகத்தை 64  சந்திரன்கள் சுற்றிவருகின்றன. சூரிய மண்டலத்தில் உள்ள கிரகங்களில் வியாழன்தான் மிகப் பெரியது. எனவே, அது மற்ற கிரகங்களைவிட அதிக ஈர்ப்பு சக்தி கொண்டது.

நிலாவையும் வானத்து மீனையும் காற்றையும் நேர்பட வைத்தாங்கே : பாரதியார் வரிகள். பெரியாழ்வார் கண்ணனை வளர்க்கும் பருவத்தில், தனது 'பெரியாழ்வார் திருமொழியில் 'பத்து பாடல்களில், சந்திரனை வளரும் அழகு கண்ணனுடன்’ விளையாட அழைக்கிறார். மேகத்தில் மறையாமல் விளையாட வரச் சொல்லி  "மஞ்சில் மறையாதே மாமதீ மகிழ்ந்தோடி வா" என்கிறார்.  திருவல்லிக்கேணி பிரம்மோத்சவத்தில் ரத சப்தமியான இன்று  காலை பெருமாள் சூர்யப்பிரபையில் புறப்பாடு  கண்டருளினார். மாலை, குளிர்ச்சியான வெள்ளி நிறமுடைய சந்திரப் பிரபையில் புறப்பாடு கண்டு அருளினார்.

The Moon (or Luna) is the Earth’s only natural satellite – considered to have been  formed 4.6 billion years ago around some 30–50 million years after the formation of the solar system. The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth meaning the same side is always facing the Earth.  In reality both sides of the Moon see the same amount of sunlight however only one face of the Moon is ever seen from Earth. This is because the Moon rotates around on its own axis in exactly the same time it takes to orbit the Earth, meaning the same side is always facing the Earth.

Though our moon is alone – there are many more of other planets. Jupiter's moon Europa doesn't look like a particularly inviting place for life to thrive; the icy satellite is nearly 500 million miles (800 million kilometers) from the sun, on average – beneath its icy crust lies a liquid ocean with more water than Earth contains. Away in USA, for  two years, the Trump administration has made various noises about returning humans to the Moon. There have been bill signings with Apollo astronauts such as Buzz Aldrin and Harrison Schmitt. Vice President Mike Pence has traveled to NASA facilities around the country to make speeches; and the president himself has mused about the Moon and Mars. However, beyond talk of returning humans to the Moon, much of the country's civil space policy and budgeting priorities really hadn't changed much until late last week. On Thursday, NASA released a broad agency announcement asking the US aerospace industry for its help to develop large landers that, as early as 2028, would carry astronauts to the surface of the Moon.

Private companies have been eagerly awaiting this solicitation since the Trump administration announced its return to the Moon.  NASA will hold an "industry day" in Washington, DC, to answer questions about these solicitations. While this was not unexpected, it is nonetheless significant that the agency is now moving forward with its plans to actually put humans on the Moon, with uncrewed demonstration missions coming as early as 2024. 

Moon has enamoured mankind for ages – in our literature and in Divyaprabhandnam too, there is mention of moon in many a places.  Moon is characterised as a cool, pleasant one.  On Ratha Sapthami day – in the evening Sri Parthasarathi Perumal had  purappadu in cool Chandra prabhai.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

PS  :  The first man to set foot on the Moon in 1969 was Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission, while the last man to walk on the Moon in 1972 was Gene Cernan on the Apollo 17 mission. Since then the Moon has only be visited by unmanned vehicles. All the 12 to set foot on man have been American males.  There was another man – Michael Collins for whom it was so near and yet so far.   He flew into space twice but  stayed in orbit around the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left in the Lunar Module to make the first manned landing on its surface. He is one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon.

First Man is a 2018 American biographical drama film based on the book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, the film stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong.  Steven Spielberg is an executive producer.  The project was originally announced in 2003, with Clint Eastwood slated to direct. After that rendition fell though, Chazelle, Gosling and Singer all signed on by 2015, and principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia in Nov 2017.  It had  two nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Foy) and Best Original Score (winning the latter) at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and seven nominations at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards.

Biblio : ~ news on moon research -  accuweather.com