Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Pas de Cinq


It keeps getting better. Saw three of the four planets low on the horizon yesterday just after dusk. Venus was very bright, Mars and Saturn less so. Mercury was hiding in the glare of the setting sun. I'll look again tonight.

For the next few days they'll be joined by a sliver of a crescent moon, technically marking the beginning of Ramadan (more commonly it's marked by the new moon, but some say you have to actually SEE the crescent following the new moon). And the gravy: Venus and the crescent moon form a facsimile of the Islamic flag.

Actually, the flag is more accurately the facsimile of the actual thing. But you get the drift. Assalamu alaikum.

MORE GRAVY: as Artsparker points out, the Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight! Wait til after midnight, when you're on that part of the Earth that is plowing directly into the comet dust. Set your alarm.

4 comments:

ArtSparker said...

I understand there will be shooting stars tonight also?

Clowncar said...

Oh yeah, Arty, the Perseids peak tonight! it's been pretty cloudy this week; hope it'll clear up after midnight, when the show gets good.

Gwil W said...

Try telling somebody it's Venus and they'll deny it. No it's an aeroplane they will say. Ah well, you can't win em all. Least I can't. Fantastic show though.

Clowncar said...

try telling them it's a killer asteroid heading straight toward Earth. they stand there like dinosaurs.