[meteorite-list] Ceres, Luna, Jupiter, and ancient astronomers

From: Gerald Flaherty <grf2_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed May 18 18:15:24 2005
Message-ID: <009f01c55bf7$126e85d0$2f01a8c0_at_Dell>

Cool Doug as always. If the skies clear here I'll set up my new meade etx125
and check it out! Jerry
----- Original Message -----
From: <MexicoDoug_at_aol.com>
To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 4:07 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Ceres, Luna, Jupiter, and ancient astronomers


> Hola List,
>
> Down here we have terrible haze and also lately cloudy skies, so I
> haven't
> had a chance to see Ceres, the largest Asteroid, during the brief but
> remarkable appearance. Ceres is thought to be of carbonaceous chondrite
> composition -
> and if so is probably the biggest Carbonaceous Chondrite in the Solar
> System, though it is pretty likely that there has been some
> differientiation early
> on. Ceres is currently at her brightest (opposition just passed) at
> about
> 7.1 magnitude now in the Constellation Libra. That's just a tad dimmer
> than
> the most eagle-eyed stargazers can see with the unaided eye under the
> best
> circumstances.
>
> Unfortunately for the Chondritic types on the List, the Moon is now
> waxing
> and has surpassed 50% illumination, which also means Luna is closing in
> on
> Ceres in the sky viewingwise - which will complicate a casual gaze with
> off the
> shelf binoculars to get a quite nice view of Ceres. I guess this could
> be
> good news for the Lunatics on the List:)
>
> JUPITER-MOON SHOW: As I was trying to see the optimum times to gaze upon
> Ceres from my rooftop, I noticed that tomorrow (May 19, Thursday evening)
> in the
> early evening other very interesting business will be going on at the Girl
> Next Door's, Virgo, Jupiter will Mooning about soooo closely (maybe some
> parts
> of the world down South will have a Lunar Jovian occultation, I didn't
> check). But it should be a real beautiful spectacle to see Jupiter and
> the Moon
> so intimately together, especially around 19:30 universal time (14:30
> CDT).
> And I don't doubt that the active imaginations of some will report UFO,
> and a
> meteorite of two, seeing the two brightest objects in the sky so
> coincidently placed. They will still be darn close by the time of Sunset
> in the
> northeastern America's. Even New Yorkers won't need more than their eyes
> and no
> cloudcover to casually look up and appreciate the sight.
>
> Two days later, the Moon will also visit Ceres in Libra, but no where
> near
> as close as her intimate encounter with the King of the starry nights,
> who was
> also know to be eagle-eyed for maidens and romantically devious with
> wives
> of sleeping earthly kings.
>
> While I am rambling in case anyone has made it this far, I guess it is
> worth
> commenting that according to a well-researched Rutger's University
> Astronomer who wrote a book about it, close encounters of Jupiter
> foretell the birth
> of a King, and ancients believed the Moon amplifies that. Specifically,
> he
> commented, that the best "scientific" explanation of Star of Bethlehem
> was that
> on April 17, 6 (BC), there was a Lunar occultation of Jupiter that was
> interpteted by the Zoroastrian wisemen, who were astronomers, to foretell
> the
> birth of a great king in Judea (since it was happening in Aries the Ram,
> the
> Constellation believed to control their destiny), and the images of a
> star
> standing still or moving, were not of supernovae or meteoric in origin,
> but rather
> indicated when Jupiter resumed its cyclical prograde motion, on December
> 19,
> 6 (BC), appearing to be stationary in the same key constellation, Aries,
> or
> when it was Retrograde between August and December of 6 (BC). This
> theory is
> more than conjecture in its author's mind as he has found independent 4th
> centry "proof" to back him up in addition to crafting a very convincing
> story,
> first based on a period Roman coin from Antioch which shows a Ram
> considered
> to be Aries, and a star he considers the Star of Bethlehem.
>
> Either way, I hope interested List members and family and friends can
> have
> the opportunity to see this wonderful gibbousized symbol of ancient
> Byzantium
> forming in the sky!
>
> Getting back to Ceres - we need to be quick as it will fade very quickly
> and
> unfortunately the next few days are poor due to the bright and close pass
> to
> the Moon. Trivia: Ceres, the Goddess of Agriculture in Libra is
> currently
> Retrograde, and her retrograding period actually coincides quite well
> this
> year with the Spring Solstice and Vernal Equinox - starting Mar 21 and
> ending
> near Jun 21. On June 5 Jupiter once again will stand still (switch to
> prograde
> in the Virgin), I predict a bumper crop by November 30 when Jupiter
> arrives
> at balances, who knows what miracles will happen when he settles his
> accounts...!
>
> Hazeless skies, Doug
>
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Received on Wed 18 May 2005 06:15:16 PM PDT