8 Wednesday, March 11, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Stars over Sisters By Christopher Lundgren and Jackson Parkins Correspondents At 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, the sun will lie directly above the equa- tor and the spring season will officially begin smiling upon Sisters and all of the Northern Hemisphere. Here on the ground, it can be easy to overlook the astronomi- cal clockwork responsible for the change in season, and how it affects our per- ception of the space around us. However, the motion of our fragile planet whirl- ing through space allows for the way we see the night sky to be constantly chang- ing. In addition to the prom- ise of warmer weather, the arrival of the new season will bring us a fresh perspec- tive of the heavens, and a reminder of the enormity and beauty of the universe we inhabit. Ascending into the north- eastern sky during March evenings is one of the most easily recognized spring- time stellar groupings in the northern celestial sphere. It is, of course, the Big Dipper, which is part of the con- stellation of Ursa Major, a RENTALS: Fewer short- term permits in place Continued from page 1 Regulations require opera- tor licenses for owners of short-term rental properties and a business license for each unit. Operator licenses for new STRs after the ordinances took effect do not transfer with the property when it sells. There is also a 250-foot spacing requirement between STR units. The spacing requirement in particular has rendered some properties in Sisters unable to be used as an STR.