Waning Crescent

The moon, Venus and Regulus at 6am shot through a 200mm lens handheld.

A magnificent sight this morning with the waning crescent moon beside Venus and Regulus.

A few things to consider:

The moon is about 385,000 kms away from earth. It takes 29.5 days to orbit earth. Amazingly the same time it takes to complete a rotation or day.

Venus is close to the same size as Earth. It is the second plant from the sun. Earth is the third.

Both the moon and Venus have been observed through history and have important cultural significance to humanity.

Regulus is part of the constellation Leo. It is 79 light years away from us. It is actually four stars in a star system. The largest of the four is four times larger than our sun. It is a dominant star in the night sky.

I could go on with more facts. The point is, we know all of this from observation. I consider this fantastic. Think of the speed, time, math, angles and experimentation needed to prove what we now take as fact. It has been figured out by people like us (smarter than me I concede). Of course, it has taken generations. Something is learned and it gets added to, and so on. It is amazing to me.

It also shows what humanity is capable of when we collectively work together. Of course it takes time.

Most of the time on this blog I speak of the spiritual importance of nature. There is something I do in my head; I use the word nature and science interchangeably. I mentioned this to a teacher in high school long ago and was told how wrong I was. I took his word, but didn’t change my mind. I know I don’t understand either. Somehow that gives me peace. The same way watching wild orchids appear shortly after the snow melts or watching The Milky Way reappear, rising sideways in the east, curving above the Rocky Mountain Trench. I get the same feeling considering distance and time working out the trip in light speed to Betelgeuse or The Andromeda Galaxy.

I will leave this earth without contributing to the great pool of knowledge needed for the next great discovery. But shouldn’t the wonderful discoveries we already have be honoured. Shouldn’t that be enough to inspire us to do our best and treat our fellow humans with kindness and respect. It is not a jump from marvelling the brilliance of Regulus to loving your family or even pointing out the moon or sharing a mountaintop to someone interested.

It’s in our nature.

14 thoughts on “Waning Crescent”

  4. mountaincoward's avatar

    mountaincoward

    Great post and philosophy! Didn’t know about the Regulus being near to Venus in the night sky – as I’m a Leo, I ought to look out for it in future (when we ever get a clear night). Is it always close to Venus or does it vary with the time of year/night?

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    1. underswansea's avatar

      underswansea

      Regular isn’t always near Venus as Venus wanders. At one time people thought Venus was two planets as it can be seen in the east and west. I read Venus does occult or covers Regulus on occasion. The next time will be Oct. 1, 2044. The last time was July 7, 1959. That’s a stretch between times.

      I heard your weather hasn’t been great for stargazing.

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  5. Michael Watson PhD's avatar

    Michael Watson PhD

    I like to remind my former students, and myself, that we cannot know our legacies. Very often they are greater or lesser than we imagine. Sometimes all we do is open someone to the magic around us, and that is enough.

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    1. underswansea's avatar

      underswansea

      Your writing often shows the magic in the seemingly small moments of nature and our place within. You have a gift to be able to do so. Take care.

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