Objects In The Sky.

On Sunday evening, as I was talking with that handsome man in Ireland, discussing current events as we usually do, I happened to gaze out of my large living room window. Even though the remains of another magnificent spring sunset still lingered in form of a red line above the horizon in the northwest, the southwest which I was facing, appeared by now dark.

That is when I saw it. It took me a few seconds to piece together the visual information received at that very moment with the one I read online a few days ago. Still, eventually I knew exactly what I was looking at. It was a sight like I have never witnessed before.

A majestic bright object, resembling the biggest star that I have ever seen, was moving across the dark sky. Without a sound, effortlessly and with a constant speed, it was crossing the southwest horizon as the largest object in the jet black heavens. If I did not know better, I could have sworn I was witnessing a UFO sighting.
However, I was seeing the International Space Station (ISS), definitely an 'identified flying object' and a man made one as well. Additionally, right after the moon, the largest orbiter of our Earth. I was holding my breath as it moved in a easterly direction, feeling very fortunate to have gazed out of my windows at the exactly right moment, to watch something that is rare and to me - extremely enticing.

Those of you who have read my many posts in the past know well that I am infinitely fascinated by the evening sky. There is nothing more captivating than watching the dark blanket above us, covered with zillions light specks of varied size and intensity. Knowing they are all part of distant and not so distant galaxies intrigues me. There is no other time, when the space seems more infinite and vast, then under the dark veil of the night.
I fall asleep under the shine of stars, as I watch them in my roof top window. If I gaze at that small part of heavens for a short while, I can witness shooting stars and orbiting satellites. But I have never seen the Space Station until now.

Such a sighting is indeed rare and requires specific conditions to be in place. As stated by the wikipedia: "The station must be above the observer's horizon, and it must pass within about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) of the observation site (the closer the better). It must be dark enough at the observer's location for stars to be visible, and the station must be in sunlight rather than in the Earth's shadow."

Operated as a joint project between the five participant space agencies, the ISS serves as a research laboratory that has a microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology. The ISS is operated by Expedition crews; as of 18 March 2010, the crew of Expedition 23 is aboard.

My sighting of the Space Station the other night is the closest that I have come to observe something out of the ordinary in the skies. Except for one summer afternoon last year, when white, semi transparent globe moved high above me in an organized fashion; constant speed and direction. I gazed at it for a long time trying to solve its origins; perhaps it was a balloon or something else that can easily be explained. But perhaps not. Eventually, the fascination lies in the unexplained.

What about you, have any of you ever seen something infinitely intriguing, either identified or unidentified in the skies?

Halo Around The Moon.

The moon is visible again in the Northern night sky. Our last few evenings have been clear enough to reveal the cool glow of an almost full silver disc.

On Sunday night the sight was obstructed by a few clouds and the weather conditions produced a halo around the moon. This bright effect most likely occurs when high thin clouds containing millions of tiny ice crystals cover much of the sky. Each ice crystal acts like a miniature lens, diffracting the moon light. Science aside, the image appeared unusual and enchanting.

Yesterday night the skies were pristine and as I was returning home from work, I simply had to pause and gaze at the jet black sky, which was filled with millions of stars. This view will never cease to mesmerize me, as it is at night that it truly becomes very obvious to me that our planet floats suspended in space. The evening was bitterly cold and the Orion Belt clearly visible in my view.

I only wish I had a professional camera that could take magnificent pictures of the night sky. All I have to settle for are a few precious imprints in my memory and one really bad shot of the moon.

A Celestial Event.

With todays celebration of Epiphany (from Koine Greek ἐπιφάνεια, meaning "appearance", "manifestation"), the Christmas is officially concluding. This day commemorates the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the child Jesus.
In my culture, the 6th of January is called The day of the Three Kings and I recall that it meant the absolute end to the joyful Holiday time and a return to the routines of daily life.

All of us are familiar with the story of The Three Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar), carrying gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) and following the Bethlehem Star, which finally lead The Kings to the infant.
I am intrigued by this tale. The spiritual me rejoices in this event; the scientific me likes to look back in history, searching for facts that would depict it in the heavens, those two thousand years ago.

Was there really a star, or a glowing, moving object in the skies around the birth of Christ?

I am not the only one asking this question. For centuries, the answers have been proposed by theologians, historians, astronomers and laymen.
The primary reference for the Star of Bethlehem is in the Gospel of Matthew, which was probably written around 80 A.D or slightly later. In modern times, astronomers have offered various explanations for the star. A nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation, and a conjunction have all been suggested.
In 1614, German astronomer Johannes Kepler determined that a series of three conjunctions of the planets Jupiter and Saturn occurred in the year 7 B.C; the nights sky of that event can be seen here.
Halley's Comet was visible in 12 B.C and another object, possibly a comet or nova, was seen by Chinese and Korean stargazers in about 5 B.C. A recent hypothesis states that the star of Bethlehem was a supernova or hypernova occurring in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy.

Of course, to those of faith, the Star Of Bethlehem is a magical event, that needs no explanation nor have to be supported by any facts. The magi seem to have been the only ones who saw the star— this further supports the notion that the star of Bethlehem was a supernatural manifestation from God rather than a common star, which would have been visible to all.

After searching for the facts myself, I eventually realized that facts matter very little in this subject. What matters is what we believe. Sometimes a belief is the ultimate proof.
After all; "There where science ends, faith begins."

Stardust.

Ever so often I post beautiful images from an intriguing book, entitled Astronomy, 365 Days. This work contains 365 photographs, all linked to our universe. One for each day of the year. I received it as a gift and considering that this year is the International Year Of Astronomy, I find it fitting to share some of the most stunning images with you.

For the 20th of August, the image couldn't be more appropriate and appealing to the painter in me. Entitled "Elements Of The Swan Nebula", also called Omega Nebula, it depicts clouds and dust, the very elements from which new stars are born. The colours each represents known chemical components; red indicates emission from sulfur, green from hydrogen and blue from oxygen.
A talented painter could have not created a more formidable masterpiece...

Stars In Motion.

I do not know if anyone recalls, that one of the lovely Christmas gifts I received this past year from the Irishman was a book filled with stunning pictures of the stars and other celestial objects. Entitled "Astronomy, 365 Days", it depicts a year with images from the endless universe.
I like to look through it once in a while and often get intrigued by the photographs of our earth and the skies above. Considering that this year is the "International Year Of Astronomy", I like to continue to share with you some of the images that move me.

For the 8th of July, the image in my book depicts the most famous constellation in night sky; Crux, the Southern Cross. Taken with a tripod positioned camera where the shutter is left open, the image created is a stunning one, depicting stars in motion. A true cosmic art, painted with natural colours on a canvas of black velvet, the night sky.

Venus And The Moon.

Yesterday evening, while driving home, I experienced a magnificent celestial sighting - the planet Venus was positioned in an unusual convergence with the almost new Moon. The crescent moon was lying under the bright shining Venus on a completely cloud free evening sky. It was a mesmerizing sight, visible in most parts of the world; however the position of the two objects in relation to each other vary slightly, depending on the location.

Venus has been emerging as an evening star for quiet while now here in the north. If the sky is clear, it is visible as the first star of the evening in the far south, almost southwest. I am trying to enjoy the sight as much as I can, as Venus does move in an orbit around the sun and will, soon enough, disappear and become the morning star instead.

Astronomy Picture Of The Day.

I have always been fascinated by the night sky. At no time am I aware of the vastness of space more, then when looking at stars on a clear night. During the day, the blue atmosphere above us feels almost as a blanket, or a lid confiding us here. However, on a cloudless night, thousand of stars on the jet-black sky make me aware of the immense dimensions of the universe. In that moment it becomes very obvious that our planet is truly suspended in space.

This Christmas I received a fantastic book as a Christmas gift. It contains different pictures related to astronomy, one for each day in a year.
Today’s beautiful photograph is called "Big Dipper Castle". It depicts a castle in the Swabia Albs in Southern Germany, on a clear night, with the constellation of Big Dipper above on the velvet blue sky. I think that is the only constellation that almost everyone recognizes. It goes by many names, for example in Swedish and Danish it is called "Karl's Wagon" and in Slovak and Czech, "The Big Wagon".

On a warm summer night when I sit outside on my terrace, this well known assemblage of stars is clearly visible. It looks the same it has always looked, ever since I was a child. Gazing at it makes me feel as if time stands still.

International Year Of Astronomy.

2009 has been selected as the international year of Astronomy. Partly due to the fact that it is 400 years ago (1609) since Galileo gazed at the night skies through the first, primitive telescope, making significant observations.

To the scientist in me this is an intriguing prospect, appreciating the fact that a man in my distant past was driven by the knowledge for the unknown. I like the thought of the existence of such men or women, who dedicate their lives to be different, in order to move the frontiers of science, even if it is ever so slightly.
The skies, the stars and the cosmos have always intrigued me. The mystery of our past and our place in the universe is ultimately an enigma. The never-ending questions of whether we are alone or not. Where do we come from and why are we here?

Sometimes I like to look at the big picture. I have heard that many astronauts change their view of the Earth and their own lives on it, once they have been in space. Seeing it from such a distance, they claim to undergo an almost spiritual experience. They see this small, beautifully coloured object in the jet black sky, realizing suddenly their own – and all ours - insignificance, forgetting all about the drawn borders, conflicts and differences. They see Earth, the whole planet, as their home.

And we might be alone. Or at least separated from other intelligent life through such vast distances, we truly can just as well say we are alone. Not to mention that other intelligent life might look nothing like us. This notion should be significant enough for us to try to appreciate that, which connects us all, not focusing one what makes us different. I often think about this and other subjects, such as the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecrafts, which are hurdling through the space as we speak. They are the longest travelled, man-made object ever; carrying information about us, engraved in plaques and disks. One of them is just about to leave our solar system. Pioneer 10 is destined for the star Aldebaran, which it will reach in 2 million years.

I have received another gift from - you know who, right? It is filled with wonderful pictures of space and our planet, one picture for each day of the year. I will try to post the most alluring ones here, during the course of the this year, "the year of Astronomy".