Discovery in the evening

 

Hesperus is Phosphorus!

I “discovered” Venus (the Evening Star version) when the planet was in conjunction with Jupiter recently, and since then, I almost obsessively watch it every evening (it´s alone now). 

It is a *bit* spooky with its “rays” (an optical illusion, I´m sure!) and the fact that it is *moving* across the sky. And the knowledge that it has always been up there, for billions of years, seen by Neanderthals and dinosaurs and…I don´t know…trilobites? Sure, it´s the same with the Moon, but that celestial object is simply too familiar to evoke such feelings.

It´s also quite fun to reflect over the association between Venus and, say, Aphrodite, Venusian aliens, or even Jesus Christ when today we know that the planet is really hell, and that you would have to be crazy to even try landing there. Seldom has the discrepancy between myth and cold reality (or in this case, super-hot and poisonous reality) been so stark…

I know, I know. I´m just being silly. But still, there you go!