Something eternal about the stars

Kudos to Jim Wesch of McCook. In reading last week's column he caught the comment that the sun would be crossing the "equator" on Dec. 21, the first day of winter. The sun is actually on the Tropic of Capricorn on Dec. 21, which is 23.5 degrees south of the equator and as far south as it goes before returning north. Good going Jim, no one else caught it.

Now, for this week's column.

There is something eternal about the stars. While we mere mortals count our years by the tens, perhaps even to 100, the stars count their lives in the millions if not billions of years.

The span of our existence seems so puny when compared to theirs, yet we, with our short span of years, can contemplate and comprehend the stars and galaxies, and star clusters and nebula and all things in the heavens in all their glory. We can appreciate their composure and beauty.

When human beings first turned their eyes from digging in the dirt toward the heavens, they began to notice that the stars seemed to form patterns and certain stars were always in the same place at a certain time each year and the moon seemed to have a repeating cycle each month.

They began to comprehend that these repeating cycles of moon and stars could be put together and recorded and the return of certain stars and groups of stars could be expected at a certain time.

We, in our modern intelligence and ability, have built telescopes, and satellites and even telescopes we can send into space to enable us to get a better look at these things our far distant ancestors were amazed by and wondered at.

I can hear you saying, "This is all well and good, but where are we going with this?" Well, to tell you the truth, I am not sure.

We come to this one point in time where we celebrate the birth of Jesus. A man who entered history at a certain point, lived, accomplished many great things, died on a Roman cross, was buried, and rose again according to the scriptures.

The heavenly things have been there for billions of years. Jesus came at a certain time, yet there are witnesses in the stars to his birth and death. It would almost seem as if they were placed there just waiting for him to catch up with them.

Go outside on Christmas evening at about 6 p.m. MST and look west where you will find our old friend Cygnus, the Swan, also called the Northern Cross. It will be standing upright just above the western horizon.

Then go back out at about 9:30 p.m. MST and look east. The very dim constellation Cancer, the Crab will be just above the eastern horizon. The stars of Cancer are almost too dim to see except from a very dark-sky place.

Right in the middle of its intersecting arms is a star cluster called M-44, the Beehive Cluster. It is best observed with binoculars. Another name for the Beehive Cluster is Praesepe, from the Latin meaning manger. Such as the manger in the stable used to feed the animals where the baby Jesus was laid.

On this one Dec. 25 we can see in one sky from the manger to the cross. People often ask me what is the true meaning of Christmas. I always say the true meaning of Christmas is not found in gifts, tinsel, lights, wrapping paper or credit cards.

The true meaning of Christmas is Easter. Let us remember that as we view the stars as they bear witness, from the manger to the cross.

Merry Christmas.

SKY WATCH:

First quarter moon, Thursday, Dec. 24. Tonight, catch the moon high in the southwest sky about five degrees above a tiny bluish-green Uranus. They will be almost in the same binocular field of view. The planet will be below and slightly left of the moon. Jupiter and Neptune are still together in the early evening southwest sky. Tuesday, Dec. 29, will find an almost full moon right in front of the Pleiades star cluster, again. Binoculars will be needed to pull the cluster's stars from the brightness of the Moon's glow.

NEXT TIME:

More astronomical blathering.