The Best Housewarming Gift Ever

I awoke very early this morning, around 4 am, and turned towards the window. Through the lace curtains I could see two very bright "stars" in the southeastern sky. I got out of bed and parted the curtains to get a better view. I knew the "stars" were more likely planets because of how bright they were and how they didn't "twinkle" like stars do.

The stars . . . incredible. In the city, I would go to the hill near the apartment and stargaze, but I always felt a tad disappointed in not being able to really see the stars. This morning, I stood at the window for some time, taking in the view. I could see the stars so clearly. I had the thought of going outside to lie down in the grass to take in the beauty of the early morning sky, but I decided to snuggle back under the covers for a couple more hours.

Curious about the celestial bodies I had seen at 4 am, I did some research and found a site that gives the night sky for the date and time submitted. All I had to do was move the compass to give me the southern sky and wha-la, there it was! The brighter bodies are indeed planets: the big one Jupiter, the small one Saturn. If I had looked just a bit further east as I stood at the window, I would have seen Mars, too! Seriously, how cool is this?!?


Now I'm smitten! I keep playing with this website to see the different constellations, and I'm determined to spend time outside this evening to stargaze (fingers crossed it doesn't get cloudy). I'm also going to set my alarm for 4:30 am to get up and see all three planets.

What a wonderful housewarming gift the universe has given me.

Comments

Thryn said…
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!
April 22, 2020 at 3:39 PM
JK said…
Well, I did do some stargazing before bed, but the sky was cloudy at 4:30 am, so no planet gazing this morning. Bummer. Hope you are well, K.
April 23, 2020 at 3:24 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marigolds

Image
The smell of marigolds isn't completely pleasant. It's not completely offensive either. It's somewhere in between. It's a smell all its own. Hours after my hands have moved their long stems, cupped the blooms in wonder, I have to pause what I'm doing -- making the bed, vacuuming the house, hanging up clothes that had been unceremoniously dropped on the bedroom floor -- when the faint whiff of marigold drifts up to remind me of my time with them. Marigolds are just lovely. Whenever I see a marigold or smell a marigold, I'm taken back to my childhood. To a movie that for some reason became a part of who I am. I was only eight when the movie came out, but I remember having a very strong reaction to it, and every summer when I plant marigolds, I think of that movie: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds. I try to watch it at least once a year, and since the marigolds I planted this summer are blooming, I thought the time is perfect to watch the movie
Read more

Profoundly Sad Today and I Don't Know Why

Image
I'm right at the edge today, fearing I might step off if the just-right reason shows up. What the just-right reason is, I don't know, but I guess if I end up dissolving into the tears that seem to be threatening, I'll know then. I'm trying to be analytical about the feeling pressing against the back of my eyes and through my nasal passages, hoping that analysis will help the feeling go away. It's not really working. Sleep eluded me most of the night. Once or twice a month I have a night sleep just won't come. I go to bed tired, but after an hour or two of sleep, I'm wide awake. Tossing, mostly onto my back and my left side. I don't sleep on my right side since my vertigo incident. I actually prefer my right but I'm afraid I'll trigger another bout of dizziness. Sleep laughed at me and slithered off to bathe someone else in dreamland. I'm pretty sure lack of sleep is part of today's slipping into sadness. That and thoughts of Ado. I miss h
Read more

Night Sky

Image
I had dinner with friends last evening. In their screened-in patio overlooking a wooded backyard leading to a creek. The air cooled significantly as the sky darkened, and at one moment we all enjoyed watching an owl that had taken perch on a tree limb near the creek. While a movie played, we chatted and ate ice pops. I'm pretty sure mine was grapefruit. At least that's what I'm going with.  Not long after the movie ended, I made my way home, which wasn't far. Just a couple of blocks. Cicada, cricket, and frog song drifted on the cool air, and when I looked up, I saw a clear sky full of stars. We've not had a clear night in some time. I stopped in the middle of the street to take in the scene. When I finally arrived home I decided to try and get some night sky photos, something I've never done before. I had no idea what I was doing. I spent twenty minutes or so on the front porch, swaying in my hammock swing as I read an article about astrophotography. What lens
Read more