Of Matters Celestial

By Marilyn Moore

The sun is slipping toward the horizon this afternoon at 4:30, on the eve of the Winter Solstice.  Each day for the past six months, sunrise comes a minute or two later than the day before, and the sun sets a minute or two earlier than the day before.  Barely noticeable from one day to the next, but obvious over the course of several weeks, and in the past ten days or so, it seems darkness is settling in.  Tomorrow will be shortest day of the year.  Coupled with generally colder temperatures, and the first significant snowfall of the year….winter is here.

 

It must have been truly frightening to people who lived thousands of years ago, as they watched the daylight and the warmth of the sun gradually diminish, and with it, the light and warmth upon which they depended to grow crops, to nourish forests and prairies, and to protect themselves from the cold.  If it kept getting darker and colder, life could not sustain.  Rituals and ceremonies and traditions developed around appeasing the gods who controlled the sun and offering gifts to the gods in supplication for the return of the sun.

 

Those who had lived through many winters knew that the sun would return…the gods would be kind to them, and bring back light and warmth.  Still, even with the wisdom of the elders for assurance, there was great celebration when the shortening days seemed to stop, and gradually, the daylight advanced, and the dark diminished.  Those celebrations occurred in cultures in all parts of the world, except for those on or near the equator, celebrating the return of light and warmth.

 

Today, of course, we know that it is not a pantheon of angry or unpredictable gods who must be appeased to bring back longer days and warmer temperatures.  We know that the tilt of the Earth in its revolution around the sun results in the seasons of the year.  At the time of the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere is in its tilted position farthest from the sun.  As the Earth continues on it journey around the sun, the relative position of the northern hemisphere to the sun changes, and we experience early sunrises and later sunsets.  

 

This year, of course, we have the added wonder of the conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, which will occur on the night of the winter solstice.  The two planets have been moving closer together, and tomorrow night, it will appear as if they have merged – creating one incredibly bright star.  You can see it in the low southwest sky, an hour or so after sunset.  Some call it the Christmas Star, because of its proximity to Christmas in the calendar.  This last happened nearly 400 years ago, observed by Galileo, and it last happened at night some 800 years ago. 

 

People have always watched the stars – sailors and explorers used them for navigation, storytellers brought the constellations to life with tales of their formations, and philosophers and dreamers looked to the stars for meaning.  What must those early stargazers have wondered, as they watched the two bright stars come closer and closer together?  Did they fear an explosion?  Did they see it as a sign of an impending disaster, or an impending miracle? 

 

Today, of course, we know that it is neither a disaster nor a miracle.  In fact, we know that what appears to be two planets so close they seem to be one is actually a function of the angle from which we view them; the two planets will be 450 million miles apart – and they will look like they have merged.  (Note:  I’m still trying to wrap my mind around 450 million miles!  And how that distance is measured….)

 

So, the winter solstice is not caused by angry gods, nor is the reversing of diminished light caused by appeasing the angry gods.  We know the cause of the shortest day of daylight, and we know that it will reverse.  The conjunction of the planets is not a sign of doom or miracle; it’s caused by the natural movement of planets in the universe.  But the fact that we know the science that explains these phenomena doesn’t make them any less awesome.  What could be more awesome than knowing that the Earth will continue its revolution around the sun, returning light and warmth to our days and our lives?  What could be more awesome than knowing (knowing!) that Jupiter and Saturn will look like they have merged when they’re 450 million miles (450 million miles!) apart? 

 

The fact that we know it is the most awesome of all, that human minds have begun to understand the Mystery of Mysteries in the universe and beyond…and the questions that are raised from what we know causes us to raise our eyes to all that we do not know…and that is truly awesome.

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