Nan at Night by Nancy Hoyt
-Thursday the 18th: Early risers tomorrow will get a special viewing treat; the crescent moon, Mars and Venus will be lined up in that order creating quite a lovely image.
-Friday the 19th: Get up sleepy heads, and look to the east! The glorious “morning star” Venus is lined up with Mars and the crescent moon. Little Mercury is also visible below the Moon if you have a clear horizon.
-Saturday the 20th: Tonight is Midsummer’s Eve, look to the sky and make some “magic” happen!
-Sunday the 21st: Happy first day of summer! Today is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. We should have around 14 hours of sunlight as it is the longest day of the year! Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there as well!
-Monday the 22nd: New Moon today at 12:35 p.m. as it crosses the line between Earth and the Sun. Currently it is lost in the Sun’s glare but it will return as a thin crescent in the southwestern sky shortly after sunset on Wednesday.
-Tuesday the 23rd: The Milky Way is never more magnificent than on a moonless summer night like tonight. Look to the heavens as it arcs overhead, emulating a band of “spilled milk” just as the ancient Greeks and Romans perceived it. Today, we know that is the collective glow of endless stars in the disk of our galaxy.
-Wednesday the 24th: Look high in the eastern sky late this evening and locate the constellation Hercules. It in itself is not that impressive, but within that constellation is a fuzzy patch of light known as M13. Turn a telescope on this star cluster and you will be amazed as thousands of stars resolve into points of light.
-Thursday the 25th: Regulus, in Leo the lion, and Saturn, the “Lord of the Rings,” line up near the Moon at nightfall. Regulus is to the upper left of the moon, with Saturn about twice as far to the upper left of Regulus.
As the years flow by in our lovely mountain hamlet, it’s extraordinary to realize how significant celestial days have become in our life. The summer solstice is always a magical time of year but for some reason, the movements of our sun and the Earth around it are more poignant than ever lately. Perhaps we are all retreating to a simpler way of life and once again opening our eyes and actually taking the time to become aware of the universe around us. Consider the significance of this day to peoples of ancient civilizations who created extraordinary observatories such as Stonehenge to revere these exceptional days. It just seems right to acknowledge these deep-rooted beliefs, which were the basis of many cultures and their way of life. In our home, we don’t have a celestial observatory such as Stonehenge (I wish!), but we do mark where the Sun rises and sets on this special day. The “marks” are actually trees lined up with these points on the horizon. It is fun to watch as the sun slides across the sky in the opposite direction to “mark” once again the points of sunrise and sunset on the winter solstice six months later. We refer to these trees as the “solstice trees” throughout the year, which has established a fun tradition in our home. So, if you happen to be up and about early Sunday morning and late Sunday evening, you too may want to start this time-honored ritual. Here’s to a super “starry” summer, and remember to turn off those porch lights!
