I got interested in astronomy as a kid about seven years old. My grandfather, who lived in the same building as we did, got the first volume of the Wonderland of Knowledge, an encyclopedia which was being advertised in the NY Daily Telegram. In order to introduce people to the, I think, 26 volume set, they were offering the first volume free, which my grandfather got. The scope of volume 1 was A-BAL, which was printed on the spine. Naturally, browsing through it, I came upon ‘astronomy’ and all of its illustrations and speculations. The rings of Saturn, the giant red spot on Jupiter, Jupiter’s moons, and our moon. But the most exciting speculation back then was the so-called canals on mars. Were they really canals? Were they a sign of life? Who made them? I never lost interest and continued to grow up reveling in the space age. We know a lot more now but I am still a sky gazer. I learned the constellations in the Boy Scouts and used to watch the northeastern sky at night from the steps on the front of my house. I never lost the excitement of space events. The planets, at least some of them, are close enough to watch as they appear in our sky on their orbital journeys around the sun. I’ll never forget actually seeing the rings of Saturn, not a picture, in a neighbor’s telescope.
Each of the planetary orbits are different. They circle the sun at different distances and speeds (actually it’s not a circle but an ellipse). But once in a blue moon (Ha!) they line up in the sky along the same line. This event happened on Jan 21st. I missed the view because of clouds. But tonight, Jan 23rd I’ll be out there with my binoculars hoping to see all the visible ones in a line. Not quite a line, I missed that, but tonight, I hope, almost a line. That is, if the sky is clear. See you there!
