Many of us seek out thrills. When such an experience includes an intellectually stimulating component or an exciting deep space connection, who can resist?
Many websites oblige, but their writers almost never know enough astronomy to make the come-on truthful or realistic. This year has already seen an unusual amount of celestial hype. Numerous websites featured images of planets and eclipses, with headlines warning not to miss the supposedly great sky spectacles in February and March. Like the “planet line-up” and the “Blood Moon,” and urging us to watch “Saturn’s rings disappear!” And to not miss the “rare solar eclipse!”
Some of it was real, but the bottom-line should be whether it’s an actual don’t-miss spectacle. Most of us seek them out widely. In the realm of natural landscapes, these would include the Himalayas and Monument Valley. With human creations, a must-see example would include the Menakshee temple in the south Indian town of Madurai. With the sky, well, just give me a couple of minutes.
Let’s briefly revisit the advertised “spectacles” of the past two months since they’re fresh in our minds. The planet line-up? Yes, all the planets were visible at the same time, which is somewhat rare. But the term “line-up” made people expect some sort of linear configuration. In late February, we had dazzling Venus in the west after sunset, with medium-bright Saturn a short distance below it. But then you’d have to do an about-face and gaze all the way to the east toward brilliant Jupiter and Mars. In addition to requiring observers to connect stuff in vastly different parts of the sky, those four bright planets formed no line, but a zig-zag orientation. Backyard astronomers enjoyed having four planets to observe, but nobody looking for a linear arrangement would have found one overhead, other than Orion’s belt.
The lunar eclipse? Well, calling that event a “Blood Moon” only first began in 2010, but yes, definitely, the Moon turned red as totality approached after two in the morning. Those who set the alarm were probably glad they did. It was our list’s only entry likely worthy of the “spectacle” moniker.
As for the solar eclipse last Saturday at dawn, since it was partial, not total, observers needed eye protection and would not see any of the mind-blowing phenomena that accompany total solar eclipses, and moreover required a perfectly unobstructed eastern horizon, which is enjoyed by very few in our hilly region. And misrepresentation abounded, as when most anticipatory web images showed a crescent-looking Sun, while our region only saw the Sun 20% obscured so that just a small black “bite” was missing from its left side as it rose. Since we see a partial solar eclipse every two or three years, the lack of rarity helps explain their reputation among astronomers as so-so happenings.
This spring’s final goodie: Saturn without rings. Every 15 years, people with telescopes can see those thin rings vanish as Saturn faces edgewise to the Sun and to the Earth like a vinyl record. What nobody has mentioned is that this time around, it happens with Saturn behind the Sun. Observationally, Saturn now hovers near the Sun in the daytime sky. It’s invisible. There’s nothing you can see. Why doesn’t anyone mention that the ringless Saturn is hidden by solar glare?
Saturn’s equinox is May 6, so that’s when its rings stand edgewise to the sun. But at that time (when Saturn will indeed be viewable if you aim a telescope low in the east at dawn) Saturn’s orbit will not be edgewise to Earth, so telescopes will show the rings. If that seems disappointing, don’t let it be. Those rings are the planet’s best feature. Excitedly promoting a ringless Saturn is kind of like endorsing a trip to Niagara Falls when the water is missing. (That really happens when unusually cold weather freezes the river.) It’s a worthy sight for telescope owners solely because it’s rare — I’ve seen it just four times in the half century I’ve been observing that planet. But it’s not visually beautiful.
Okay, so what are the true honest-to-gosh spectacles? The top five: 5) The Milky Way from a truly dark location. (Go to BobBermanTours.com and see if you can join us this November at a luxury site in the high Atacama desert. Let our giant telescopes show you the brilliant southern sky, and watch your own shadow be vividly cast by the Milky Way.) 4. A great comet. We get one every 15-20 years on average, and we had two in the ‘90’s. 3. An exploding meteor, called a bolide. These happen unpredictably. 2. A brilliant, colorful, rapidly animated, detailed display of the Northern Lights. 1) A total solar eclipse. Next one happens optimally in Spain on August 12, next year.
None require a telescope — they’re pure naked-eye wonders. Each has a different frequency, so some people have seen them all at one time or another, while others have never observed any of them. But each is worth making an effort since they are unforgettable to the mind and spirit.
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