Planets & Pumpkins

Astronomy in THE E-POSTLE

Long, long ago, a mentor explained to me the important role that Mother Nature plays in fiction.

Working on the first chapter of what would become THE E-POSTLE, I was searching for an interesting way in which to create a memorable scene. And it hit me. The it was a recollection from about six years prior: late-ish 1990s. While working as a newspaper reporter at Nashville’s The Tennessean, I wrote a story about fact flirting with fantasy on Halloween.

Translation: That particular Halloween night would enjoy a converging of our solar system’s planets. I dug through an old trunk in the basement and fished the article out of a stack. Just like that, BAM: I had my nature scene and the chapter’s structure.

I was thinking about that convergence this week as I read about the planetary parade that’s gonna hit just right after dusk on Friday night (2/28).

And what I reported in 1997 will be true this time, as well:

• Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Venus are the naked eye planets.

• Neptune and Uranus (Craig-ers, stop laughing!) are visible with a good pair of binoculars.

• And Pluto? Well, back in the day, you needed a telescope to see it. In 2006, it was downgraded to a dwarf planet, but I’m not playing along. As far as I’m concerned, it’s still a planet. From what I can tell, the media hasn’t included it as part of the “parade.” I’ll fire up the telescope on the back deck and see what I see, and I’m confident Freckles will be out there to “help.” ;-)

Oh, and as you may be able to tell from the graphic that I connected to my old newspaper clipping, March and April will make for some fun stargazing.

With that, Gentle Reader, I’m calling it a night.

And as always, Freckles sends her regards!