Applegater Winter 2016
7
THE STARRY SIDE
Imagine what you like
BY GREELEY WELLS
People sometimes ask me how I
came to my fascination with the stars.
It’s a fun answer for me to think about,
filled with warm memories. It started
with Donna McCutcheon, wonderful
grandmother to me and many cousins.
She owned a three-mile-long island off
Nassau in the Bahamas. For most of my
young life, during spring breaks from
school we flew south to Nassau (I’m east
coast born and raised) and sailed off on
a 30-some-foot schooner five miles or so
to Mrs. McCutcheon’s island.
Often after dinner Donna
would gather all the children
who were visiting, take us out to
the veranda or down to a beach, spread
us out, and tell stories. She showed
us constellations, weaving tales and
descriptions that totally enthralled me.
Once again the winter panorama
unfolds for us. Put on those warm clothes
and boots, grab a visorless hat and maybe
a blanket and a chair to lean back in.
Then get comfortable, and just look up.
It’s so simple and rewarding.
You’ll probably see Orion with his
belt of three stars, his sword hanging at
an angle below that. Two bright stars
above are his shoulders, and a little
triangle—a bit hard to see—is his head.
His right arm is raised, with a club in
it. His left arm holds a curved shield
defending him from Taurus the bull (that
distinctive V shape called Hyades, which
is inside the larger constellation of Taurus
along with Aldebaran, the bright star).
This is all not far off to our upper right.
Below Orion’s belt I see his two legs in a
sort of running position.
Beyond Taurus
Illustration: Guy Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar 2016.
is the Pleiades star
cluster, also known
as the Seven Sisters;
some say it looks
like a tiny dipper.
This is also in the
large constellation
o f Ta u r u s . T h i s
wonder ful group
in a row rises in the
east each night. The
first one up is the
Pleiades, followed by
Taurus. By midwinter
all should be showing
up as you go to bed
(or even earlier).
Now go in the
other direction for
one more. (I like the
way all these line up
together; finding one
is finding them all!)
To our lower-left of
I was hooked. Since then, I have never
been able to not look up at the night sky
if there is any chance to see it. I often
make special trips out under the stars to
see some event or meteor shower, bright
planet or the space station going by. I
just can’t help myself and I’m glad of it.
It’s been a fond interest and, more than
that, a real love of mine.
The beauty, the science, the history,
our connection to mankind’s past and
to the solar system and universe—all of
it simply amazes me. The more I learn,
the more I love it all. And I’m so glad
this column affords me the opportunity
to pass some of this on to you the way
Donna McCutcheon did for me on a
little island in the Bahamas long ago.
Thank you for reading, and giving me
that opportunity.
Orion, look for
the brightest
star in the sky:
Greeley Wells
Sirius, the heart
of Orion’s faithful dog. To its lower-left is
a medium-sized triangle—that’s the dog’s
hind quarters. I see his back leg and tail,
but not much more. The rest is up to our
imaginations.
And that brings up an important
concept for me. We get to see the sky
any way we want to. It’s actually hard to
see what someone else might be seeing
and describing. So in the end, it’s all bets
off: see what you want. History and older
civilizations have taught us what they see,
and it’s fun to start there. But it’s free
territory—see and enjoy and imagine
anything you like!
Other events of note
• Geminid Meteors are usually great in
winter, but this year the full moon on
December 14 will be there to ruin the
best part of them. It’s not likely you’ll
see much.
• Venus is in the sunset for all three
winter months, bright and beautiful.
• Mercury plays low in the sunset,
illusive and hard to see.
• Mars is moving east and stays
approximately in the same position in
the southwest, moving slowly to the
south as the stars and winter months
go by.
• Saturn has set behind the sun and is
invisible to us.
• Jupiter is the only planet in the sunrise.
That’s Spica below Jupiter. They both
work their way higher, rising earlier as
the winter months go by.
Here’s to clear, dark, night skies and
bright stars to spark your imagination
this winter!
Greeley Wells
greeley@greeley.me