Sunday, February 16, 2025

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THE OTHER SIDE: Witches burning (Part One)

As we have learned over the centuries, when it comes to burning witches, it doesn’t really matter if you have burned a real witch or just someone who, in your fevered, partisan, and paranoid imagination, could easily become a witch in the future. It is the burning that is the message.

EYES TO THE SKY: Night Lights

Every year, from about July 17 through Aug. 24, planet Earth orbits through the debris field of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parent comet of the Perseid meteor shower.

EYES TO THE SKY: Summer nightlife, Summer Triangle, Jupiter’s triangles, Mercury

Whereas Altair’s magnitude remains constant going forward, Mercury dims and, of more significance, sets a minute or two earlier every night this week.

EYES TO THE SKY: Planets, crescent moons, Taurus’ third horn, Eta Aquariid meteors

Even faint shooting stars may be visible in dark skies in locations away from artificial light. The peak of the Eta Aquariids is predicted to be before dawn Sunday morning, May 5.

EYES TO THE SKY: Majestic Summer Triangle tilting west

At this time of year, midway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice, the stars Vega, Altair and Deneb are positioned high in the south at twilight.

EYES TO THE SKY: Summer’s evening sky, morning’s winter sky

Be radical: Awaken in time to see the brightest star in Earth’s sky, Sirius, appear after a long absence.

EYES TO THE SKY: Star wheels, key to constellations; best-of-year meteor shower

The concept of a planisphere -- a chart of the sphere of the sky drawn for viewing in two dimensions – originated centuries ago; its hands-on format makes it an exciting introduction to the night sky.

EYES TO THE SKY: Stargazing starts at 5 p.m. Turn down the house lights!

Like preserving natural landscapes for biodiversity, preserving access to clear skies that allow human contact with the cosmos is crucial to quality of life.

EYES TO THE SKY: Twilight planets, summer stars, waxing moon; midnight meteors

As sunlight fades from Earth’s atmosphere and dusk deepens, the golden light of true star Arcturus, summer’s brightest, comes into view above Jupiter.

EYES TO THE SKY: Tanabata – compelling star festival for all ages

To bring back the Milky Way, which is lost to light and air pollution in most areas, we need Tanabata festivals all over the Earth, times of celebration where the lights are turned down and eyes turned up to the sky.
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