“I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
Living in a rural area with clear skies offers us amazing sunrises, sunsets, and star-gazing. For the next month, an added bonus will be an alignment of five planets not seen for over a decade. Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye for a window of time from 6:30 to 7:15 am in the Southern sky. Although binoculars can help, they’re not necessary. As Washington State University astronomer Guy Worthey was recently quoted: “These were the five planets known to the ancients.”
Although this alignment occurs again this summer, Mercury and Venus will be lower in the horizon, making them harder to spot. So take a moment in the morning over the next few weeks and observe a spectacle that has been around since the beginning of time. Experience the same wonder as the ancients and take a moment to dream.
For more News and Views of Nature, visit our web site Nature As Neighbors.
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