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

[MexicoDoug at aol.com]

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