by Jane Houston
A riot of pastel colors followed the sunset tonight. It looked like the sky was on fire. Cotton candy hued pink clouds and tangerine layers mixed teasingly on the pale aquamarine background. The exterior decorator really did a number tonight! It is cold here in Northern California, 50 degrees right now. It will be even colder in a few moments. It's 6:30 P.M. and the neighbors are lighting fires in their fireplaces. Christmas lights are outlining a few trees. The lovely pastel colors are gone now, yielding a new celestial masterpiece in its place. My small herd of neighborhood deer have settled for the night in the green fuzz which will soon become a field of wild oats below my observing area.
Pearly planets arc towards the moon. Jupiter appears caught in a trapeziod of its moons right now. The asterism shape of moons is a little reminiscent of the constellation Lyra, with a big fat jewel tangled in its transparent strings. Saturn and Titan to the east and the crescent moon to the west bring ecliptic harmony overhead.
It's not a great night for observing. Those pretty clouds are not as romantic when they obscure the night sky, and hide my late fall observing targets. But heck, a half hour of celestial poetry was all I needed tonight. I'm glad I took my 6 inch F5 reflector out in the cold tonight. We both got an eyefull!