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

[Gerald Flaherty]

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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