Photograph by Shevill Mathers @ The Southern Cross Observatory
If it is clear above you tonight, look up. You'll see this. And you will pay attention. Why will you pay attention? It's hard wired:
"Your eye is like a digital camera," explains Dr. Stuart Hiroyasu, O.D., of Bishop, California. "There's a lens in front to focus the light, and a photo-array behind the lens to capture the image. The photo-array in your eye is called the retina. It's made of rods and cones, the fleshy organic equivalent of electronic pixels." Near the center of the retina lies the fovea, a patch of tissue 1.5 millimeters wide where cones are extra-densely packed. "Whatever you see with the fovea, you see in high-definition," he says. The fovea is critical to reading, driving, watching television. The fovea has the brain's attention. The field of view of the fovea is only about five degrees wide." Tonight, Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon will all fit together inside that narrow angle, signaling to the brain, "this is worth watching!" - Moon, Venus and Jupiter Dazzle on December 1 | Universe TodayPosted by Vanderleun at December 1, 2008 11:15 AM
Waaaahhh.
It's cloudy in northwest Ohio.
Ah, well. Thanks for the pretty picture.
Posted by: Cathy at December 1, 2008 4:18 PMLooking towards the clear southern sky in Norfolk England at 5pm this evening there is a view of the two planets in the same conjunction, but the crescent is, of course, on the opposite side of the moon.
Posted by: Frank P at December 2, 2008 9:09 AMThus the 'happy face' of heaven in the southern hemisphere is the sad face of heaven in the northern hemisphere. Hmmnn!
Posted by: Frank P at December 2, 2008 9:18 AMVery clear tonight in Tennessee, very beautiful.
Posted by: Cynyr at December 2, 2008 4:05 PMThanks Gerard-
Always able to interject a bit of the eternal in the midst of all the insanity.(may we always be aware).
P.S. Appreciated the article on the Igster. Stooges rule!!!
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