THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM

70 Falmouth Street      Portland, Maine 04103

(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet

43.6667° N    70.2667° W  Altitude:  10 feet below sea level Founded January 1970

2021-2022: XLV

             "This world is but a canvas to our imagination."

                                                      -Henry David Thoreau

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER

Monday, November 22, 2021

Astronomical Grumblings

Oh, crumb.

A bit of a tempestuous teapot controversy has been brewing within the planetarium pools lately and we thought it prudent to do a cannonball within it so as to calm the waters. This latest discord pertains to the last partial lunar eclipse: the one we missed because of, naturally, clouds and train. It was the longest partial lunar eclipse since February 1440! Moreover, we'll have to wait until Feb 2669 to experience a longer partial lunar eclipse. That, believe it or not, is the crux of the controversy. As soon as media outlets broadcast that remarkable little factoid, murmurings became audible within the hallowed domes of the planetarium Universe. (We heard them down here by virtue of the open, but inaccessible, portals that connect all star domes.) One gripe in particular, which issued forth into all domes from an indeterminate location, caught our attention;

"Only the beaniest of the bean counters pay attention to these timings. I can't stand the media hype!"

Well.

What can we say as we, ourselves, emphasized this aspect of the eclipse? Actually, our response is simple: Promulgating information that many consider to be captivating is hardly a transgression and certainly not a cause for grumbling. Astronomy is, and should always remain, an ecstatic enterprise. In fact, that is at the core of any planetarium's governing philosophy: sheer rapture. Every time a patron visits any planetarium, the cosmos is delighting in its own reflections. Take our humble theatre for instance: the aluminum comprising the dome, the copper foil within the star projector, and the oxygen flowing through the insufferably long winded presenter's lungs share the same stellar progenitor: the supernova that exploded nearly six billion years ago. Material that, itself, arose out of the infant Universe's primordial energies.

Miraculously, the atoms are reveling in themselves in whatever way they choose to do so.

While the cosmos exists in and of itself, each person's perception of that cosmos is unique. Throughout the years, I have spoken to thousands of patrons who have shared segments of their private Universes with me. To some, the sky is a swarm of black holes meandering through the galaxy. To others, the firmament is a mythological tapestry depicting epics from the most ancient sources. And, to some, it is merely a smattering of orbs jostling each other in an incomprehensible manner.

So, to many, the notion of a partial lunar eclipse that will last longer than any since the mid 15-th century is fascinating and as such engenders a deep, albeit fleeting, sense of satisfaction. It makes one feel connected, however remotely, to a time period so distant as to seem almost mystical. And, yes, the time difference is a matter of minutes or even seconds.

Here's a perfect example: In August 2003, the Southworth Planetarium played host to immense crowds who wanted to see Mars because on August 27, 2003, it came closer to Earth than it had been in the previous 60,000 years! The red planet reached perhelic opposition, a time when it was at opposition around the same time it reached perihelion, the point of least distance from the Sun. And, yes, it truly didn't look much different from the following perihelic opposition on July 27, 2018 which, itself, will look essentially the same as the following perihelic opposition on September 15, 2035! And, though memories are now blissfully vague, I recall similar grumbings then by those in the astronomical community who were exasperated by the "silly hype."

Hype makes many people interested in the types of celestial phenomena that wouldn't ordinarily pique their curiosity. So, heaven love hype, especially if it casts a brighter light onto the heavens. After all, humans are intensely alive beings who thrive on excitement. If that excitement can be put to the service of astronomy which, as we mentioned earlier, is all delight and ecstasy, well, so be it. We're all in our own private Universe, anyway. Revel in yours and leave others to do the same, especially since our modern world certainly has more than its fair share of grumbling already.

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