by James Turley
We had a pleasant evening at MB, a few scopes, a few regulars.
This being 7/7, the Japanese (and Chinese) celebrate the "Tanabata" festival. The legend goes something like this:
That on the eve of July 7 Shokujo, or Weaver Princess Star (Vega), is supposed to meet Kengyu, or Herdboy Star (Altair), on the bank of the Amanogawa (River of Heaven), or Milky Way, for their annual tryst.
The celestial princess, daughter of the celestial king, was a most skillful weaver and the embodiment of industry, while engaged in weaving cloth for the king's garments, fell in love with a handsome lad, a cowherder, and as a reward for her diligent industry, the king allowed them to marry. But so much in love were they that the princess gradually neglected her weaving, and the herder allowed his cows to stray This so exasperated the king that he finally separated the couple, forcing them to remain on opposite sides of the Mily Way, and permitting them to approach each other only one a year, for...you know what.
But there is no bridge over the Milky Way and the princess, on her first visit, wept so bitterly at the impossibility of meeting her lover that she aroused the sympathy of a Kasasagi (magpie) who assured her that a bridge would be contrived for her. This was done, the magpies with wings spread forming a bridge on which the princess crossed. But further says the legend, if the eve of July 7 is rainy, the magpies will not form the bridge and the celestial lovers must wait another year before meeting.
So it goes, tonight, we spied (with Marek's night vision scope) two couples on the pavement above the parking lot, speaking Japanese, and wondering at the "shiroi sen", or white line in the sky. I guess it wasn't raining.