December 23, 2002
News Release/Forward to all. Winter Solstice
Stew Webb Federal Whistleblower
Get out the telescopes and watch this tomorrow, at sunset and every day until
the end of the year. Please continue on to read what I have written at the
end of this article.
Real Lord of the Rings shines
Richard
Stenger CNN
Saturn makes its closest approach to the Earth in 30 years
this week,
promising exceptional views whether seen with the naked eye or
via a
telescope.
The ringed planet is now brighter than all other
stars except for Sirius and
Canopus. And it is tilted in the Earth's
direction, giving observers using
even simple telescopes an impressive view
of the rings.
Even if one misses the closest encounter on Tuesday, the
celestial show
continues until early 2003.
"Saturn and Earth will be
close together for many weeks," notes said NASA
astronomer Mitzi Adams in an
online science bulletin. "So get out your
telescope. Even a small one will
do."
Saturn closes to within 750 million miles (1.2 billion kilometers)
of Earth
on Tuesday. The maximum distance between the two planets is about 1
billion
miles ( nearly 1.7 billion kilometers).
Currently, Saturn
and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth, bringing
Saturn close to our
planet and making it appear brighter than usual to
terrestrial observers.
Known as opposition, the situation takes place about every 13 months.
But the
current one is the best in three decades because Saturn happens to
be making
its closest approach to the sun in its lopsided orbit.
"Saturn's 30-year orbit is not a perfect circle. It has the shape of an
ellipse with one side 6 percent closer to the sun than the other," Adams
said. "When Saturn is closer to the sun, it's also closer to Earth, and we
get a great view."
Saturn looks exceptionally bright now in part
because its rings, potent
sunlight reflectors, are tilted in the Earth's
direction. The circular debris
bands disappear when viewed edge-on.
Seven years ago, when Saturn passed comparatively close to Earth, the
rings
were flat, making them nearly undetectable.
The reason for the
changes in the appearance of the rings is that they are
tilted 27 degrees in
relation to Saturn's orbit. They seem to teeter as the
planet goes around
the sun.
To find Saturn, sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere should
look eastward
after sunset. It is a bright yellow point among the stars in
the
constellation Taurus. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere should look
to the
northeast to find the constellation.
At midnight, the ringed
planet is almost straight overhead. Another visual
helper is the moon, which
early this week is near Saturn in the sky.
History:
In Rome, over
300 years AFTER the resurrection of our Lord, there was a
yearly feast
celebrated by the Romans who worshipped the god Saturn. This was
a carry
over from Babylon. This time of celebration was always situated
around the
December 17-24 time frame, coinciding with the winter solstice and
the time
when Saturn was close to earth. The Pagan Romans called this
celebration
"The Feast of Saturnalia." It was always celebrated with gifts on
the last
two days, then on the 25th of December they began the new
celebration of
"The Birth of the Unconquerable Sun," as the days of light
would begin to
lengthen and the sun would begin to regain its dominance. They
believed the
sun would die during the winter solstice then arise again from
death as the
solstice ended by the revolving of the earth in nature. This
festival was
one of drunkenness, revelry and debauchery. When the Roman
Catholic Church
had been born in Rome they incorporated this day of
celebration so these
Pagans would become a part of this Catholic (means
universal or one world)
church. The Catholic priests told the Christians that
God had reveled to
them that Dec. 25 was really Christ's birthday and that is
how this fable
started. I will enjoy seeing the wonders that God has created
in this planet
Saturn, but not fall for this Pagan celebration that goes with
it.
Name
removed.
A Female Soldier in The Army Of Christ
Sent to Stew Webb
for reposting.