Latest Newscasts. About Us. Submit a News Tip. Investigate TV. Gray DC Bureau. USM astronomer: No need to fear rare planetary alignment. By Charles Herrington. Updated: Sep. Share on Facebook.
Email This Link. But could this type of rare astral grouping really have been what propelled the three oriental gift-bearing kings to traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, while following yonder star? To answer this question, one must first ask, why would the three magi astrologers follow a star to Bethlehem in the first place?
Born out of Judaism, early Christian tradition was well acquainted with the biblical verse. There, 20 cross-departmental scholars presented papers discussing new theories, including that of Prof.
Michael R. Molnar wondered, could the coin have been issued as a response to the Great Messianic Portent, the Star of Bethlehem? Oops - comment typo - July 9 not 8. The diagram is correct for July 9. Constant Contact Use.
Emails are serviced by Constant Contact. Comments feelie75 September 5, at pm Finally, a real answer! The waning gibbous moon will be rising near local midnight in the eastern sky, when it will glide through the constellation Taurus, the bull.
That will bring the moon near the bright orange star Aldebaran, which marks the eye of the mythical bull. For lucky sky-watchers across North America, the pair will be so close in the sky that Aldebaran will appear to slip behind the lunar disk in an event known as an occultation. Look for Mercury this morning teaming up with its fellow planet, Mars. Both worlds will appear like faint orange-hued stars low in the eastern sky about 45 minutes before your local sunrise.
Of course, this proximity is an illusion: Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is about 48 million miles from Earth, on average, while Mars is roughly 55 million miles away. Morning twilight in the east will show off a stunning lineup of cosmic gems, starting with the thin crescent moon perched just above brilliant Venus. Continuing in a diagonal line, viewers will see Regulus followed by Mercury and Mars.
Binoculars may help you hunt down all the members of this celestial alignment and cut through the increasing glare of the rising sun. Starting on this day and lasting for the next two weeks, observers in the Northern Hemisphere will have their best chance to see an ethereal display called the zodiacal lights, thanks to a near-moonless sky in the predawn hours.
The phenomenon is caused by sunlight reflecting off countless dust particles scattered between the planets along the plane of the solar system. In the dark countryside far from city lights, look for a pyramid-shaped glow fainter than the Milky Way rising above the eastern horizon. Early risers looking toward the eastern sky about an hour before sunrise can catch the brilliant planet Venus parked very close to the star Regulus.
The two celestial beacons will appear to be separated by less than the width of the full moon. The September equinox marks one of the four major turning points in the seasonal cycle. But during an equinox, the tilt effectively vanishes, and both hemispheres experience equal amounts of sunshine. Act fast on the equinox if you want to get your last glimpse of the king of planets before it disappears in our evening skies.
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