Sky Guide

Filmy Gauze – ND #7

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Waxing Moon Wrapped in a Filmy Gauze – Photo: L. Weike

Filmy Gauze

It’s only right that I give you an update on my effort to enjoy the Geminids last night. As I mentioned, when I took the pups out to be watered and saw how the moon was wrapped in a filmy gauze, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope. Nevertheless, I persisted.

I published my post and waited until the recommended witching hour (2:00 a.m.) to give myself the best chance of seeing these vaunted meteors. The moon, hanging even lower in the western sky than earlier, remained hazy. But looking directly up? Oh my. A crisp and pure December atmosphere only enhanced the brilliance of the stars above.

(l to r) Sirius, Orion, Betelgeuse (above Orion) and Rigel (below Orion) – Photo: L. Weikel

Clarity Rewarded

I drove to the former horse farm (one of my two favorite stargazing haunts) and, surrounded by fields, turned off the car and plunged myself into darkness. The chill wasn’t too bad – it was only 30 degrees. My Sky Guide app on my phone made it clear the Geminids would be emanating from directly overhead, so I just leaned back against my car and took it all in.

In the half hour I spent there, I saw about 12 meteors. They were zipping here and there – certainly not heading in a dominant direction, nor did they seem to originate from anywhere specific. The majority were sprite-like, similar to most meteoric displays, playfully catching my attention out of the corner of my eye.

But at least three times brilliant yellow arcs blazed across the sky. I felt such a sense of joy when those ‘big ones’ occurred – as if they were heavenly gifts just for me.

Of course, I had to give my other favorite spot a chance to dazzle me. I parked in the rutted dirt of the field’s tractor entrance for about ten minutes. And yet I was rewarded here, too, with a handful of little spritzers and one magnificent beauty. Every large meteor I saw last night all was left a lemon yellow tail, while the little ones were brilliant white.

Screen shot from Sky Guide app – Photo: L. Weikel

Other Sights

The most prominent sector of the night sky that caught my attention contained Sirius and the constellation Orion, which includes Rigel and Betelgeuse. I’m always surprised by how red Betelgeuse appears and how brilliant Sirius can be, although my photos didn’t seem to catch the red hue very well.

I’m including the star map from my Sky Guide for reference.

What a treat it was to converse with the stars. Contemplating the immensity of space always takes my breath away.

(T+7)

Planetary Clarity – Day 703

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Saturn & Jupiter (l-r) – Photo: L. Weikel

Planetary Clarity

As Karl and I neared the final leg of our evening jaunt both last night and tonight, we were treated to some breathtaking planetary clarity. Saturn and Jupiter shone brilliantly and obviously in the southwestern sky, while Mars blazed like a distant, illuminated pumpkin, reddish-orange and glowing as it rose in the east.

I don’t ever remember being so aware of the planets than I have been over the past year or so. And while the Sky Guide app I approvingly muse about so often is wonderful in the way it confirms for me just what I’m looking at, I think the initial awareness and subsequent desire to seek them out is also spurred by the astrological podcasts I listen to while mowing our lawn.

Yes, I realize that’s a rather specific time to pinpoint (while mowing lawn), but that’s actually when I get my most consistent listening accomplished.

Mars – 10/14/20 – Photo: L. Weikel

Mercury Retrograde

Just to add some fun to all the disinformation and misinformation and outright propaganda floating around in our ethers at the moment, Mercury stationed yesterday and is now appearing to move backwards from our perspective here on Earth, or move retrograde, from today until – get this – the morning of November 3rd. Yes. Election Day here in the United States.

So from now until Election Day, we’ll be operating under the influence of Mercury retrograde. When you consider that Mercury Retrograde is often associated with glitches in electronics and miscommunications, it’s easy to see that we just might have some serious shenanigans taking place over the next three weeks.

Mars Retrograde

Adding to the frustrations that may start piling up with Mercury going retrograde, we also are continuing to contend with Mars retrograding in its home sign – Aries – until November 14th. Even a cursory recollection of Greek and Roman mythology will tip us off to the fact that Mars, the God of War, is not exactly an easy going energy. And when moving retrograde? I believe a simmering pot with the lid on it, might be a good analogy.

There are a few interesting articles I want to link to in order to provide you with information and insight on the transits that and will be impacting all of us as we navigate these wild times. One of them is this monthly forecast for October by Rick Levine.

From the sound of a lot of different analyses, it would appear that the greatest planetary clarity we’re going to experience in the next couple months is going to be the type we see when we look up and peer directly into the night sky. Nevertheless, it pays to remain aware and awake to the possibilities, because forewarned is forearmed.

Mars – 10/14/2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-408)

AMOs Part 2 – Day 375

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Screenshot of my Sky Guide displaying Monoceros – Photo: L. Weikel

AMOs Part 2

You’ll recall from yesterday’s post that AMO stands for Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower, and the AMOs are scheduled to take place this evening.

Technically, the much vaunted burst of shooting stars in tonight’s sky is supposed to start just before midnight. But the wise ones are suggesting that we get ourselves outside, warmed up and our eyes adjusted to the light, by around 11:15 p.m. (eastern time).

The window in which the most meteors will be falling is predicted to be 15 to 20 minutes long, and take place sometime between approximately 11:15 and midnight. So it would seem best to get out there and simply wait. If we’re lucky, the clouds that were scudding across the sky about an hour ago will have dissipated.

Not Enough Heart

I feel as though my last few posts have been far too technical, emphasizing meteor showers and airport telephone charging kiosks, for instance, instead of the aspects of life that stir my soul.

Sometimes, though, the posts I end up writing are based on expediency. They may be keyed to the depth of my tiredness and ultimately simply reflect my commitment to fulfilling my 1111 Devotion and creating my daily Act of Power.

Lately I’ve been feeling as though my circadian rhythms still haven’t caught up to the fact that it’s getting dark really early. And all of a sudden, at just about 10:30, I hit an invisible force field that’s been causing me to fall asleep at my keyboard.

It’s been disconcerting.

Dragging Myself Outside

So here I am. It’s 11:12 p.m. and I am heading out to see if I can witness the AMOs. Karl is asleep on the couch. He’ll express regret that he didn’t come with me to see them (especially if I get outside and the night sky is clear and I manage to see them), but unlike me, he’ll be fine with having seen them vicariously.

While I won’t be able to take any photos, I will report on my experience before posting and going to sleep. I wonder how many of you will be out there at the same time, gazing upward and outward, trying to capture some wonder.

A Bust (Sigh)

Well, I drove myself to a place close by where we often go to experience an expansive vista for celestial events. This evening, perhaps in punishment for my rant against light pollution, there was just enough of a very high level cloud cover to capture an irritating abundance of reflected light, most obviously from the Doylestown area. Indeed, the light was so noticeable that I was actually able to capture it with my iPhone.

Reflected Light Pollution – Photo: L. Weikel

Indeed, everywhere I looked, circling 360 degrees as I stood in the middle of the remote country road, the orangey-yellow glow of artificial light on the ground illuminated the high clouds.

The biggest disappointment, though, was when I checked my Sky Guide App and saw that the Monoceros (from which direction the Alpha Monocerotids emanate) appears to be visible near the Milky Way (which was not discernible at all), and I also should have been able to see the constellation of Orion.

Alas, no dice. It was only when I fully comprehended that the vast, seemingly clear night sky was not even yielding the usual stars and constellations that I realized the high, thin cloud cover was, indeed, filtering out any chance of a ‘cluster’ experience.

One Little Piece of Magic

Even though the short road trip was to no avail meteor shower-wise, I did end up switching my radio from the news program Karl had tuned it to while I was away back to my iPod. I was surprised (but not) and had to smile when the iPod came on at the very beginning of Elton John’s Rocket Man.

What a perfect accompaniment. Turns out I wasn’t alone as I sought to catch a glimpse of this special celestial event. If nothing else, that sense of presence was enough to make the excursion well worth my while, and – if I’m honest? It feels a bit more significant than just a ‘little’ piece of magic.

Thanks, Karl.

(T-736)

Full Moon – and Jupiter! – Day 218

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Moon and Jupiter – Image credit: Juerg Alean

Full Moon – and Jupiter!

Man, the light of tonight’s full moon is brilliant and powerful. It’s shining in my living room window at the moment, casting blue shadows on the trees and grass across the road.

Tonight I happened to be driving around the countryside at around 9:30 p.m. and I was astonished to see how huge and obvious Jupiter was in the night sky. It’s in the southern sky, and when I caught sight of it this evening, I knew immediately what it was, as it was the only object within a great swath of the sky.

Sky Guide Pointed Me In the Right Direction

To be honest, when I first started reading last week about how close Jupiter would be over the next several days, I ‘cheated’ and enlisted the aid of my favorite astronomy app, Sky Guide. Karl and I were taking a walk and I was describing how Jupiter was going to be so close to us that its four moons would be visible to us with only the use of a set of binoculars.

For some reason, I thought the planet would be hanging out more in the western sky. So I was surprised when I located it just under the horizon to our south. That stood me in good stead, though, because I knew where to look tonight, when the sky became surprisingly clear – at least for a moment.

I was headed south as I was driving home, so it wasn’t as if I had to crane my neck or even hardly take my eyes off the road, particularly when I got within about two miles of our home. I was driving on a stretch of road that is elevated and provides a remarkably unobstructed view of the sky. And I saw it immediately – it almost looked like a plane coming toward me, it was so bright. But in spite of the illusion of ‘twinkling’ that the atmosphere causes, the object did not move; that’s how I knew for sure it was Jupiter.

Caught Without My Binoculars

Unfortunately, I didn’t have binoculars in the car or I would have pulled over right then and there to see if I could focus in on its moons.

Our moon was not yet up (or it was so low on the horizon that it was obscured by trees and I couldn’t see it), so its brilliant, reflected light was not detracting from the brightness of Jupiter.

Obviously, the main photo I’m using tonight was not taken tonight, since the moon in the photo is not full. It was actually taken on January 22, 2013. But it’s such a cool photo, and the four moons of Jupiter are so clear, I thought I would include it. This only reinforces my resolve to put a pair of binocs in my car so I have them when I need them – perhaps even tomorrow night!

Everyone Seemed to Be Tucked Into Their Homes, Unaware…

As an aside, I took particular notice of how few cars were out and about on this Monday evening after the sun had set. It made me realize just how much of our population rolls up their sidewalks and puts themselves to bed every night, remarkably oblivious to the amazing phenomena that occur above our heads all the time. But this made me all the more certain that I would write about this tonight and urge you all to get yourselves outside tomorrow night to take a look!

Check that Jupiter out – and if you have binoculars, look for its moons. What a cool opportunity to expand our horizons.

Perhaps tomorrow night I’ll give you a taste of the astrological aspects that this Jupiter, transiting Sagittarius, is bringing to our lives.

In the meantime – again – I urge you to get the Sky Guide app! You won’t regret it!

(T-893)

Earth Day Wish – Day 162

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“Hootie” – Photo: L.Weikel

Earth Day Wish       

I had a long day today.

When I walked in the door this evening close to 8:30 p.m., Karl already had the pups dressed for success, their harnesses clicked on and leashes attached.

I love walking at night, especially on evenings when the sky is clear and the constellations pop out against an indigo backdrop. And I have to admit, as I’ve admitted before, I simply love, love, love my iPhone’s Sky Guide app.  Honestly, I cannot recommend this app more enthusiastically.

It’s probably weird that I’m writing about an app that identifies the abundance of celestial (and other) bodies existing ‘above’ us (although in truth, they exist beyond our planet in all directions, not just the ‘above’ defined by our limited perspective) on ‘Earth Day.’

But haven’t you noticed? Sometimes we need to ‘look elsewhere’ to fully, deeply, and lovingly recommit to appreciating what we already have right here at home.

Our home.

We Share Her With So Many

As Karl and I walked our usual route, a screech owl trilled its forlorn song. We saw herds of deer in a number of fields (and heard the occasional stomp of a hoof on the ground, in an effort to ward us away). Karl saw two turkeys crossing the road, and vultures were settling on branches conveniently near the carcass of a deer that had unsuccessfully attempted to cross the road earlier in the day.

I described to Karl the amazing escort I’d had as I traveled (very slowly) along a stretch of road in New Jersey early this morning. An osprey with prey hanging from its mouth seemed to be tracking along right beside me. I slowed down long enough to try snapping a photo, since no vehicles were anywhere to be seen in either direction. I wish I could figure out how to edit my photos so I could post a closeup.

Osprey with Prey – Photo: L.Weikel

A Bold Long Arc of Gold

But the best part of this evening was a special gift to us from the cosmos: a bold and brilliant shooting star that fell straight down in front of us, framed by the shadows of the ‘tree tunnel’ we walk through toward the end of our walk. The meteorite tonight, falling precisely as I was describing the astonishing number of license plates I’d seen earlier bearing Karl’s initials, was not one of those quick slips of faint light flitting across the sky. No, it was a bold long arc of gold taking its time as it fell before us, as if some huge giant was writing something in the sky and this was the downward stroke of a capital letter.

We were filled with delight and stopped in our tracks, looked in awe into each other’s eyes, and held each other in a long embrace, celebrating the magic all around us.

I don’t need to tell any of you how precious it is to experience life here on Mother Earth. I just wish we could care for her more generously while we’re still here to enjoy her.

(T-949)

Sky Guide – Day Ninety One

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
dariustwin.com

Sky Guide

I want to tell you about a really cool app I have on my iPhone. Given the title of this post, you’ve probably already guessed. It’s called Sky Guide.

It is, quite literally, the manifestation of dreams I would have as a little girl gazing up at the wide open sky, especially in the summer. You know the feeling. Wishing you could put a name to the star or the cluster when we’re walking under the stars, when the moon is new and the sky’s only lights are the stars.

How Many Times Have You Wished You Could Name Them?

As I sit here writing this, I’m having flashes of moments throughout my life when I’ve lain on the ground (usually on a blanket or comforter, sometimes a sleeping bag, a couple of times directly on sand or grass) and tried to take in and comprehend the vastness of “Above.” The times I’ve thrown my head back so I could stare straight up, usually wide-eyed and open mouthed as I let out a continuous, breathless, “Wow…,” as I tried to hold the visible Universe within my heart.

I can access surprisingly precise memories of wanting to drink in the sky with my open heart in so many places around the world…and wishing I could identify more of what I was looking at than the Big Dipper (when I was in the Northern Hemisphere, obviously). I almost started ticking off the locations of those memories – they’re so vivid – and then realized it might sound pretentious.

Indeed, it surprises me myself to consider the many different places I’ve been fortunate to visit and have the chance to observe the night sky. Looking up, no matter where you are, can be both profoundly humbling and reassuringly unifying.

Suffice it to say, no matter where I’ve gone, I’ve always managed to feel infinitesimally insignificant as I gazed upward, regardless of whether I found myself looking at stars and constellations that were comforting in their familiarity (even if I couldn’t name them) or a tad bit quease-inducing in their unfamiliarity. (Sort of like being in a dream and feeling like you should recognize the place you’re in, but nothing looks quite right.)

Well, I’m ready to return to some of the more exotic places I’ve been – only this time going armed with my phone and this app.  It. Is. So. Cool.

Cool Options That Enhance the Experience

Not only can you point the phone toward any star, planet, or constellation and have it identified, you’ll also be alerted to cosmic events, satellites, and other phenomena you might find attention worthy.

There’s an option for music to play softly in the background when you turn the app on and point it wherever. Obviously, you’ll instantly recognize it as ‘celestial’ in the ambiance it creates. It just fits. And in my opinion, enhances the experience. (And if you disagree, you can turn it off.)

Since the app knows what is below the horizon, you can now see ‘through’ the Earth too. This makes it possible to see what will be rising later. For instance, as I look at the app right now, I can see Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter hanging out just below the horizon.

There are a variety of options in the settings. One particular favorite of mine is how objects in the sky are not only identified, but also placed into their mythological context. It still boggles my mind that our ancestors had such vivid imaginations!

Full disclosure: I have very few apps on my phone. So the fact that I’m actually taking the time to write about this app has to tell you something. And no, I do not receive anything for this endorsement. (Other than you’re enthusiastic gratitude, that is.)

Sky Guide costs $2.99.

In my book, it is worth every penny. I bet you’ll agree with me – and discover it’s an answer to your childhood dreams, too.

 (T-1020

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