Planetary Parade
A Lantern Walk and a whole lot of Planet Drama!
In this issue: I tell you what’s up with this planetary alignment, share a bit about Venus and Mars specifically, and gush a bit about my favorite planetary deity. And at the end, there will be a high-velocity first in sky-connection! But first, here are some details about the lantern walk.
Lanterns on Parade
The earth wends its way around the sun, and we’re quickly approaching the middle of astronomical winter: a time when we begin to wonder about the nature of the coming spring. Cue calling upon the groundhog, attending a sacred well, lighting a candle, and many other traditions associated with early February. In the Celtic neopagan tradition, it is Imbolc. In the Catholic tradition, it is Candlemas. In the eight shields tradition where Hannah and I founded Night Club, this part of the year is the Northeast, both death and conception, the stillness between midnight and sunrise. Is it the deepest, most unknowable part of the night or the beginning of the light that marks the slow ascent out of the long night of the hero’s journey?
We chose this time for a lantern walk because it’s a perfect time to explore the themes of balancing darkness and light for oneself. The invitation is to walk, not alone through the deep dark, but with a flame as a companion.
Luckily, some of our neighbors also honor this time of year with a lantern walk! Every year, March of the Vegetables, a group that celebrates the art, agriculture, beauty, and quirky small-town communities of the Snoqualmie Valley, hosts a lantern walk to celebrate the return of the light. We decided it would be best, especially while we are itinerant, not to create a separate event but to join forces with our friends.
On Saturday, February 1st, they will be hosting lantern-making workshops from 2 pm - 5 pm in Duvall and will begin the lantern walk at 7 pm, moving from Taylor’s Landing to Depot Park in Duvall via the streets in town and the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.
Our group will be meeting up at 6:45 pm at Taylor’s Landing to say hello, and we will walk the Snoqualmie Valley Trail together (loosely) with the rest at 7 pm. Once we reach the depot, we will take stock of who is with us and what the group wants, and we may either continue to wander the trail or play a game or two in McCormick Park. We’ll try to make a Night Club sign so you can find us!
Check out the website in the link above for more details about the lantern-making events and March of the Vegetables.
Planets (Also) On Parade
Once again, the internet is filling with articles about how you need to get outside to see this once-in-a-lifetime event of witnessing all the planets in alignment. And you may have found yourself presented with a very fancy image that looks something like this:
That certainly would be something to see! Alas, too bad nobody ever has or will.
However, what you CAN see outside is also stunning and lovely, and I very much encourage you to take a look because it takes absolutely nothing special besides a clear sky to see.
If you go out about an hour after sunset, what you will see, from west to east, is:
Venus looking absolutely radiant at her “greatest eastern elongation” (Jan 10), meaning that this is the highest she’ll get in the evening sky. She’s also on her way to approaching her greatest brightness on February 14. (Don’t worry, I’ll write ALL about Venus next month.)
Saturn, right next to Venus. This very weekend, they’re officially “conjuncting” and passing within 2 degrees (1 finger’s width-ish) of each other!
Jupiter, big and bright in Taurus, right above Orion. (Jupiter was “at opposition last month, explained below, so it’s still relatively close and, therefore, bright.)
Mars is at opposition (Jan 12), meaning that it is a) as close as it will get to Earth in its 2-year cycle and b) precisely opposite the sun in our sky, perfect for midnight viewing, but up before midnight as well!
This is a bit closer to what you’ll actually see (and feel free to open this image large and zoom in for details):
And if you were to zoom out of the solar system and look at us from the side, this is what you’d see (and what it means for Mars to be “at opposition.”)
It’s worth noting that Uranus and Neptune are also hanging out somewhere between Saturn and Jupiter, but they’re too far away to actually see. But still, that’s seven planets hanging out right in front of you! Unfortunately, Mercury will be on the morning side of the sun and, honestly, too close to the sun to see (as per usual), but this is about as good as it gets for planetary viewing!
Not to mention that gorgeous full moon we had! Some of you MAY have been fortunate enough to watch the moon occulting (or passing right in front of and obscuring) Mars the other night! So even though the sky won’t look just like that fanciful art image with all of the planets lined up in syzygy all at once, the vibe is right for a lunar occultation, Venus/Saturn conjunction, Mars opposition, and planets all in a row along the ecliptic.
Prelude to Venus
I could honestly write about Venus this month, next month, and the one after because there’s just so much going on with her, but as I promised, I will write all about her for February. However, with Venus at peak brightness, I had to leave you with some ancient Sumerian poetry.
Before the Roman Venus was the Greek Aphrodite, and before the Greek Aphrodite, there was the Astarte and Ishtar, and, of course, the Sumerian Inanna. The oldest known author, the priestess Enheduanna, was credited with writing poetry and hymns to Inanna. This is not one of her hymns, but it is one of the seven ancient hymns to Inanna, compiled in Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer’s “Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth.”
In many cultures, Venus is regarded as both the evening and morning star since it circles the sun and is prominent in only one aspect at a time, depending on which side of the sun it appears to us.
As a queen of heaven, Inanna was born to moon gods and had many aspects - one of them as the star of the evening and one as the star of the morning. This hymn is presented in honor of her place right now, high in the evening sky:
The Lady of the Evening
At the end of the day, the Radiant Star, the Great Light that fills the sky,
The Lady of the Evening appears in the heavens.
The people in all the lands lift their eyes to her.
The men purify themselves; the women cleanse themselves.
The ox in his yoke lows to her.
The sheep stir up the dust in their fold.
All the living creatures of the steppe,
The four-footed creatures of the high steppe,
The lush gardens and orchards, the green reeds and trees,
The fish of the deep and the birds in the heavens –
My Lady makes them all hurry to their sleeping places.The living creatures and the numerous people of Sumer kneel before her.
Those chosen by the old women prepare great platters of food and drink for her.
The Lady refreshes herself in the land.
There is great joy in Sumer.
The young man makes love with his beloved.My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.
The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.
Inanna, the Lady of the Evening, is radiant.
I sing your praises, holy Inanna.
The Lady of the Evening is radiant on the horizon.
Ending with a Bang
Did you see this?
A homeowner in Prince Edward Island captured this video of a meteorite striking their patio in July, and after taking some time to confirm all the details, the story is just breaking now. Apparently, this is the first time we’ve ever captured the sound of a meteor strike. What a nifty intersection of culture and the cosmos! Click through the link to watch the video and hear the sound.
A personal note
Alright, stargazers and forest-walkers. That’s about it for this month.
I’m settling into life in the woods on Vashon Island, and there have been plenty of dark, late, foggy mornings and dark, early, foggy afternoons. However, I’ve watched eagles circling the moon, seen breathtaking sunsets, and taken some genuinely dark night walks that send a sort of primal giddy chill up my spine.
I hope you can give me grace as I take this dark season away from formal Night Club organizing to continue organizing my own life. I continue to send venue requests and mull over the reality of event insurance and BOI Reports. And I continue to be passionate about the night, the sky, and the darkness, and I hope to take you all out to the woods again. But it is still dark and cozy in seed land, and it’s important that I spend some of my own time in the dark before taking you back out there.
I officially received my Postgraduate Certificate of Cultural Astronomy and Astrology with Distinction from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David this week, and I’m holding on to that beautiful victory, as I’ve also had to step away from finishing the MA for a while.
However, I can’t ever stop talking about the sky, so this newsletter will continue. Thanks for following along, and hey - if you know someone who might be into my cultural astronomy musings, go ahead and share this with them. :) I’ll see you next month for a deep dive on Venus!