I’m expecting many of you to know about comet Lovejoy – the little comet that could. It had a run in with the sun that it was not expected to survive in mid December. Not only did it survive but spectacular shots were taken of it around Chile near Christmas day.
Now that it has survived, it will last at least another 700 years before the sun gets a second chance. Back in the old days, astrologers would be all over this. But since the nerdification of the heavens and the ascension of astronomy, no one seems to have the temerity to say anything about what this portends.
So just allow me to say it: Love/Joy will last at least another 700 years. That’s all I wanted to say about this.
Secondly what exactly is the start of a new year? I think the definition got selected by the northern hemisphere. To the cold, northern peoples the simplest start of a new year would be when the sun begins to rise higher in the skies again.
This process actually begins on or about the 22nd of December. But I feel on the 22nd, when our ancestors used Stonehenge or some similar measurements to attest to the sun rising higher, I think they were slightly nervous to assess such a minor change to the start of a full year. So they waited till the 23rd and the total smidge still was a lot like the initial smidge.
Say, about the 25th, they were pretty sure but didn’t want to do anything to jinx the sun’s slow ascent in the sky. Fear of jinxing it kept up for about a week. And only on January 1 were they sure enough of the progress that they let the general public in on the news.
Soon it will be a new year. Welcome the increasing sunlight in the north.
