Every little bit of learning feels like your own personal genius eureka moment; and it is for you. This blog post contents are probably common knowledge for experienced astronomers who believe science, but for me it’s quite a find/realisation; and hopefully has valuable information for those who are even less acquainted with space and looking for scientific proof: especially if they have a clear night sky soon to check for themselves.
The last couple of evenings after sunset a half moon was visible on the southern horizon under Jupiter and Saturn (with Jupiter looking bigger and brighter, and Saturn smaller and more distant as they are said to be).
The orrery image on planetstoday seems to correspond; remembering our planet is supposed to turn anti-clockwise. Seeing time differences live on TV seems to confirm this.
Looking at the image on planetstoday…
… we turn away anti-clockwise from facing the sun to see Jupiter and Saturn past the moon after sunset: before entering night, where we face away into space, seeing Mars. In the morning our spinning turn brings us around to view Venus before sunrise.
I’ve seen the above on the orrery and in real life this month, making me more sure that science is telling us the truth about space and our solar system.
There’s lots more space info within philosophy and poetry in 242 from 8 years ago, when I was still trying to find our place in space. It’s taken some head spinning thought to get used to the fact it’s us spinning, and not the sky, but I feel like I know where I/we am/are now; kind of like getting your bearings after being lost, and wondering how you got there (only usually it’s your fault rather than the maps, which in this case is a lifetime of ‘non’-learning!):
mistYmuse 