January 2023 - On & Off Earth
After a late year, literal, smack in the face from frigid Arctic air, our middle latitude world seems poised to kick off 2023 with a balmy breath of southern warmth. Whatever resolutions or goals you set for the new year be sure to include, willingness to adapt to sudden change to your list; change will remain the only guaranteed constant.
While the most obvious effects of living on a rather tilted planet are the large seasonal swings in both weather and hours of light and dark another, perhaps, less noticeable quirk of our tilted world are the changes in the path of the daytime sun relative to the evening moon and stars. The sun low during the day, the moon closer to overhead at night as we tilt away during the day but tilt toward the ecliptic path (our solar system’s plane) at night.
The low path of the pale, winter sun across the sky is likely the more obvious of the two. As we wind down 2022 and get ready to kick off the new year, step out for a early evening glance at the quarter moon near still bright Jupiter on Dec 29th and notice how high, nearly overhead, both are in the sky.
As 2023 begins, the moon waxes on, revolving toward the Full Wolf moon (in Gemini) on January 6th and showing off its overhead position over the long winter nights for the first couple of weeks of the month. The sun, while gradually extending the time it remains visible over the month, does so in a very low arc across the southern sky.
Another, somewhat local, quirk, now more easily visible with most of the vegetation gone, are the locations of the roads and rails, and towns they connect. Most larger cities and towns are located near waterways; that is not the case here. Louisa, Mineral, Gordonsville and Zion Crossroads are all on ridge-tops, perched atop a crest or divide between watersheds.
Traveling on a divide means your path is relatively flat and requires crossing no costly, troublesome bridges to get you where you are going. Often, all over the Piedmont, when your road does cross a waterway it does so near an old mill and a ford (crossing). If you know where to look, an old road leads down to the old ford, often just downstream of the mill dam, easy to cross with a horse-drawn wagon, much more difficult in a car; hence, bridges were built.
With Lake Anna flooding all the mills along the North Anna River (including Holladay Mill, near my family’s ancestral home) you will, obviously, not notice the old fords. But, PLEASE, a WARNING, use extreme caution (no other traffic, very slow travel and, of course, you would never drive with a phone in your hand) during any attempts to notice that old roads veering away from the new roads and bridges. But, they are there!!
If you venture out on the early evening of New Year’s Day (or eve) five celestial treats await. From southwest to southeast along the ecliptic: bright Venus, returning as the Evening Star, dimmer Saturn, bright Jupiter, the gibbous moon and bright, rusty Mars. Our view of the sun finds our star in Sagittarius as January begins, moving into Capricorn on the 20th.
This column, a little surprisingly, to me anyway, marks three years of sharing my passion for our amazing planet and the greater universe we sail through with readers of The Central Virginian. Thanks to Greg Dorazio, the Central Virginian and to readers out there for the continued support and comments. May the new year find you and your’s happy and healthy. And, bundle up, or not (anything can happen in January) and get out there and enjoy your planet.
Randy Holladay
Thoughts and comments: oldrockguy@gmail.com
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