Dancing amidts the clouds, Jupiter and the moon!

[stolenfeather]

November 4th, 2011

After eating a wonderful supper of scampi and rice, my husband proposed that we watch Jurassic Park, one of our favourite movies. What made it extra special was the fact that he had just purchased the blue-ray version. This movie is one I personally hold dear since it makes me remember the hazy line that exists between discovery and the rape of the natural world, that balance of the earth, time and space that we shouldn't cross. Once the movie came to a close, I walked to the kitchen to empty the garbage from my plate. That's when a beam of light caught my eye. After nearly a month of cloud cover, there was finally a break in the sky!

Without hesitating, I took out my telescope and let it acclimate for a few minutes. The mercury had tumbled down recently and the night flirted with freezing temperatures once more. After dressing, I made my way outside. The clouds had overtaken more than half of the sky and seemed to be gaining fast on the remaining starlit areas. Unfortunately, the moon already seemed milky and Jupiter shone with less gusto than it had minutes ago I sighed aloud since I knew there would be no deep-sky viewing tonight, Come to think of it,.. if I wasn't faster, I would see nothing at all!

The two brightest objects were vanishing away behind the clouds when I adjusted my telescope. Yes, Jupiter and the moon shone brilliantly but not for long. I quickly made a romp in their direction, and took a couple of pictures. For a night heavy with condensation, these didn't come out badly at all. What if I tried to come a little closer? Sigh,... There was only so much I could do under these circumstances.

The month of November in the north is one where the sun rarely shows its presence. For many days and nights, this northern community is overtaken by snow-heavy clouds which blanket the ground with their ice crystals. But that night, the illumination came from above in a dance only Jupiter and the moon could share!

After half an hour, I had to admit defeat. The small opening I had seen in the sky was coming to a close. As a stargazer, I shall respect this natural curtain to the star-lit show. Maybe there will be another chance soon. My place, like the movie Jurassic Park, is to discover nature as it reveals itself to me, not when it suits my personal goals or convenience.

Isabelle