Starwatch for April 2020

Hello! I’m Karl Hricko of the United Astronomy Clubs of NJ, and the National Space Society bringing you the April Starwatch for WNTI.ORG.

New ideas and discoveries in science sometimes occur unexpectedly, and at times, unrecognized. Aristarchus of Samos conjured up a heliocentric or sun centered idea of our solar system in 3 BC. It took about 1500 years before the Copernicus heliocentric model was accepted.

But wait – In a German abbey in the 12^th Century,

Hildegard Von Bingen (also known as Saint Hildegard) came up with her “Cosmic Egg” model of the universe. It was surprisingly close to the same idea 300 years before being comprehensively outlined by Copernicus. She was a theologian, a philosopher, writer, visionary, composer, artist, and scientist.

As such, she also wrote about her ideas of Universal Gravitation 500 years before Newton described it in mathematical terms. She was truly a polymath, on the cutting edge of the beginning Renaissance.

This month, the motion of the planets truly reflect the Heliocentric Model. At sunrise, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter can be seen toward the southeast, lined up from left to right. Mars and Saturn are in Capricornus, and Jupiter in Sagittarius. At dusk, a bright Venus shines in Taurus to the west.  Mercury is not visible. So as you look at the night sky, you can contemplate the nature of the Universe, and anticipate future discoveries in science.

Until our next Starwatch – Don’t forget to check out …What’s up in the night sky!