Starlink

Last night, I did my bowl burning fire ceremony in my back yard for the Autumnal Equinox.  It was a clear night with very pleasant temperatures.  In fact, it was so nice outside that I did some star watching for a bit, and then sat out on my patio.  All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye to the northeast, I spotted what looked like a string of diamonds falling out of the sky.  After doing a sacred ceremony, sometimes unusual things happen.

Now this was a big surprise to me, although many of you might have seen this already.  These were some of the SpaceX Starlink communication satellites.  It was a magical sight!  An omen perhaps?

Earlier this month, I had gone up to Cedar Breaks National Monument for their annual star party.  This is a designated dark sky location, and so many stars could be seen that night that the sky almost looked white.  A few days after that, I visited the Southern Utah University’s Ashcroft Observatory.  The highlights there were excellent views of Saturn and its rings, and Jupiter with 4 of its moons. 

If one would like to see the Starlink satellites, there are several sites on the internet that will tell where and when they can be seen.  It is quite an unusual site, but I can see why astronomers are not happy about these strings of lights that are “polluting” their views of the night sky.  I do not know how many more of these satellites will be launched, but for now, it is worth a look at those that are up there. 

If the weather stays clear, I will be celebrating the Equinox out at the Parowan Gap sacred site tonight.  Another magical event as the setting sun slides through the gap, heralding the start of Fall.