A few nights ago, the heavens conspired to put on a show for us mere mortals. It involved the Moon and two planets, the Earth and Venus. For the scientific mind, the phenomenon is called a planetary occultation--"an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer." News traveled fast, and before long the curious were gazing up at the twilight sky to see what the buzz was about. The celestial show didn't disappoint, but as the saying goes, some good things never last. Clouds swooped in and briefly ended the romance between the Moon and Venus.
Although it lasted for only a brief period, it left an impression on the observers. The romantics found delight in the encounter and gushed about its beauty, while those who were grounded on reality sought to find the explanation why such occurrence happens.
I tend to favor the soulful idealist's view more than what the sciences say. When you think about it, celestial romances are a lot like mortal romances. They are not immune to forces that work against them.
Like when Moon and Venus met, but soon parted. Sure, it was beautiful to look at...until the reality sinks in that both must go their own ways. Venus can't stop on its tracks for the moon, and vice-versa. It's sad, some might say, but that's just how the universe designed them to be. You can't question the designs of the universe--everything is planned, everything happens for a reason. You can only gawk at how marvelous it was while it lasted.
They will meet again someday. It has already been pre-designed. According to reports, "Last time the occultation of Venus, popularly known as Goddess of Love, took place in India was on June 18, 2007, and the next one will be on June 30, 2011."
We can only hope that the next time these celestial bodies meet, it'll be just as beautiful, or even more so, than the last time they shared their romance with the rest of us.
1 comment:
Special thanks diay to Kimmie Dora for the pic.
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