Have you
bought your favorite CWU graduate a graduation gift yet? Why not get her or him
a star? I don’t mean from one of those organizations that offers to “register
the name of YOUR star with the U.S. Patent Office”. No company owns the right
to name stars after people. Besides, the stars those companies “name” are so
dim you can’t find them. In this column, I’ll pick a constellation and
representative star for each of the four colleges at CWU. Then, I’ll briefly
tell the story of the constellation and relate that story to the aspect of
public service CWU graduates from that college are uniquely qualified to engage
in based on my version of sky interpretation. A couple can have “their” song so
your favorite CWU graduate can have her or his star.
Saturday:
Just as gyms and stadiums have been filled with smart people for many evenings
for the past few weeks, the sky is filled with planets. Since Venus and Mercury
set early, look for them first. The very bright Venus is about a half a fist held
upright and at arm’s length above the west-northwest horizon at 9:30. Much
dimmer Mercury is a half a fist to the upper left of it. If you need to go off
and make small talk with someone, you have some time to spare now. At 10 p.m.,
Saturn is three fists above due south. If you’re staying at the party late, don’t
worry. Saturn doesn’t set in the southwest sky until 3 a.m.
Sunday:
College of Arts and Humanities: You are the people who interpret the world in
unique ways. Then, you share those ways with others. According to Greek
mythology, Orpheus charmed everyone he met when he played the lyre or harp.
After his wife died tragically, he journeyed to the underworld to charm its
inhabitants in an effort to win his wife back to the living world. Your service
reminder: use your talent to bring joy to others. The constellation Lyra and
its bright star Vega should remind you of the power of the arts. Vega is five
fists above the southwest horizon at 11 p.m.
Monday:
College of Business. You are the future movers and shakers. The future CEOs.
The future big donors to Central. Auriga represented a king of Athens who
happened to be mobility impaired. Instead of sitting around waiting for others
to transport him, he took the initiative to invent the four-wheeled chariot. He
solved a problem for a special need. Your service reminder: address the
problems of those in the most need. To remind you of that, look to the
constellation Auriga. Its bright star Capella is about one fist above the north
horizon at 11 p.m.
Tuesday: Tomorrow
morning, Mercury will be as far away from the Sun in the sky as it will get
this orbital cycle. This "farthest away" point is known as the
planet's greatest elongation. Since Mercury is in evening sky, it is east of
the Sun. Thus, this evening’s elongation is known as the greatest eastern
elongation. (If you care to remember this in general, remember both eastern and
evening start with the letter "e".) Tonight and tomorrow will be the
best nights to observe Mercury for the next few months. Mercury is one fist
held upright and at arm’s length above the west-northwest horizon at 9:30 p.m.
Over the next two weeks, Mercury will move toward the Sun in the sky. By late
July, it will be visible in the morning sky.
Wednesday:
College of Education and Professional Studies. You are the teachers. The
craftspeople. The facilitators of learning in a diverse world. Bootes, the
herdsman, was such a person. Bootes’ job was to guide the northern
constellations to the feeding place and the watering hole. He and his dogs were
especially in charge of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the greater and lesser
bears. Your service reminder: guide others to a better place in life. Look to
the constellation Bootes and its bright star Arcturus to remind you of this.
Arcturus is six fists above the southwest horizon at 11 p.m.
Thursday:
College of the Sciences. You are the people who will systematically study how
the world works. Agriculture is an important scientific application. Each year,
farmers must use the findings of science to be successful. Who better to
represent the College of the Sciences than Virgo, the goddess of the harvest?
Virgo looms large in the sky holding an ear of wheat in her hand. Your service
reminder: study the practical aspects of the scientific world. The ear of
wheat, and your service reminder, is represented by the bright star Spica.
Spica is two and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 11 p.m.
Friday: Altair,
in the constellation Aquila the eagle, is two fists above the east horizon at
11 p.m.
The
positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically
accurate for the entire week.
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