This morning, just before dawn, I witnessed a wonderful event in the sky.
Part of the display was near the horizon, so I went to a nearby lake where fewer trees and houses obscured the horizon. About three-quarters high in the east, a crescent moon shined. On a downward diagonal blazed Venus, brighter than anything else except the moon. Continuing the downward, lay Regulus, dimmer yet still easy to see.
Near the horizon above the distant trees and houses lay Mercury. It’s usually elusive because it orbits so close to the sun, but certain times allow for observation. Today, with the first rays of dawn signaling a new day, there shined Mercury. And as a bonus, Mars nestled in close.
As dawn broke in earnest minutes later, Mercury and Mars disappeared. Within twenty minutes, Venus was barely visible. Yet, for a short time, these bodies aligned in a glorious display.
I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.