In the northern hemisphere the winter solstice is a pivotal point in the year when we have the longest night in the shortest day. From here on the days get longer and there is the promise of increased light ahead. On 21 December, here in Powys we had seven hours and 41 minutes of daylight meaning 16 hours and 19 minutes of darkness. The summer solstice beckons with nearly of 17 hours of daylight in store. If you are like me and you find the long dark nights get to you, that is definitely a ‘Whoopee’ moment to be celebrated as much as Christmas!
This year on the same day, the two largest planets in our solar system Jupiter and Saturn crossed paths during the closest great conjunction since 1623 and the closest visible one since 1226. It is called a great conjunction because it is a relatively rare event compared to say an eclipse. The next one will not be until November 2nd 2014 and if you happen to miss that the following one is April 7th 2060 but they will not be nearly as close as this most recent one.
At their closest the two appeared to almost touch each other just a tenth of a degree apart which Is about the thickness of a 2p piece held at arms length. The two planets seemed like a single bright object in the sky and the phenomenon has been called variously a Christmas kiss, kissing stars and double planets. In days of yore these events held deep astronomical and mystical significance.
It is being seen by many as the first time since the Middle Ages when mankind can see a celestial event believed to be similar to the one the three wise men may have experienced to guide them to the stable to witness the birth of Jesus, hence the origin of the Christmas star or Bethlehem star and also why some people choose to put a star on the top of the Christmas tree.
In the Bible Matthew says, ‘After they had heard the king they went on their way, the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was ‘.
Nostradamus might not have interpreted such a great conjunction in this way. ‘When the great orbs of Jupiter and Saturn cross paths, and plague stalks the earth, on the darkest day Albion will stand alone and its rulers be found wanting’. Based on current events I think Nostradamus might have been on to something given the state with Covid-19, the Brexit fiasco and the lurking monster in our heating climate but he missed out some relevant detail in the fact that the wannabe ruler is a shifty-eyed scaley albino philandering charlatan.
Life in the garden is largely dormant lying in wait for the longer days and the promise of sunshine and warmth. So far we really have not had a great deal of cold and many things could really do with more than a few days of cold and freezing. If the rain held off for a while too that would not go amiss. Today when I looked closely at the meadow patch I could clearly see the first signs of the crocus emerging so whether the solstice or the great conjunction have precipitated this event, I mind not. There is a view of spring not so far on the horizon.