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Many of us don’t brave the cold in January and February to see the constellations.
In January, many people throughout the world celebrate the Visitation of the Magi, who followed a bright star to find the Christ Child. This extends the Christmas Season celebration.
Perhaps we could be more mindful of our surroundings, our place in the universe, and other January Epiphanies if we bundled up at least once during January or February, grabbed a blanket and some hot chocolate, coffee, or Irish coffee, and went out for 10-15 minutes of thoughtful star gazing on a clear night.
That is my challenge to you. But, why not make it a group venture, family activity, or a party? Maybe exchange home made presents or goodies, inexpensive but thoughtful gifts, or white elephant surprises, to Magi it up a bit. If you’d like to include related Scripture readings for your time, try Isaiah 60:3 and Matthew 2:1-12.
Below is a fantastic recipe for slow cooker hot chocolate, plus an image of a star map for January and February–for the Northern Hemisphere, (it’s most accurate during 9-10p.m. Eastern Standard Time.) For Southern Hemisphere, click here. Face in the proper direction, and find the star patterns from the map. Show or teach them to your friends, family, children, or youth group.
And please remember: If it’s cold, dress in layers, a hat, gloves, and warm coat.
Please ~ Let me know how it goes, okay?
Hot Chocolate Ingredients
2 cups whipping cream
6 cups milk, (or 4 cups milk and 2 cups half and half)
Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish with whipped cream or other garnish, as desired.
If you try this recipe, use this map, or have a good time star gazing soon, I’d LOVE to hear about it. Who says the holidays are over?
Nah!
(Click here for another January Northern Hemisphere sky map resource)
The Hubble telescope is operating again, and got gorgeous photos of the Minkowski 2-9, also called, the Butterfly Nebula. Quite gorgeous, right? It fills me with awe.
I thought this was a great symbol of transformation, process, and creation rolled up into an unfathomable, beautiful, and yes, nebulous package. We’re all works in progress. In the past, Hubble never capture this image so well, but through the corrected lens we are able to see the beauty of an organic wonder. I see the parallel for our lives in this. Correcting our perspective, can do wonders for our outlook on our lives, and progress too.
My daughter, a kindergartener, told me about the 8 planets in our solar system, and she could name them in order. At first I was thrown off. What was the matter? 9. We have nice planets, right? Oh, that’s right Pluto was kicked off the list last year. My daughter will never know anything but 8 planets. I thought I’d look it up a little. Most people can say, “I remember when our solar system had 9 planets.” But, just when you think the solar system is getting simpler or smaller, terms like “dwarf planet” and “small solar system body” change the game.
To some it seems small, distant Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld (Greek Hades) dejected, slumps–only a rock. Actually, its demotion is more like a clarification. Since objects cross its orbit in the asteroid belt of Kuiper, and its mass is small, it is considered a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union who finally came to a consensus on celestial bodies. Its moon Charon keeps its moon status.
There are two other dwarf planets nearby. One is Ceres, found in 1801, our largest asteroid, inhabits some space between Mars and Jupiter in the big asteroid belt. In 2003, “2003 UB 313” was found beyond Neptune. This provisional name will be exchanged for a permanent one in a few months.
With the Hubble Telescope repairs, we should be able to locate dozens more dwarf planets near and beyond Pluto. Small solar system bodies are objects orbiting the sun that do not possess enough mass to have a spherical or near spherical shape. Hundreds of these will be found in the near future.
All this makes me think I really should look at the night sky more often. There’s a lot going on, on a whole different scale, and it puts things in perspective, once you start to take it in. Planet means “wanderer,” and it’s funny that even though we are on firm ground, really, we are planets too.
![I Eat the Stars | poet and astronomer, Rebecca Elson [SSL 220]](https://lisadelay.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/andromeda-825x510.jpg)
