Sands and Stars

Don't I know you ... ? In my many decades of observing the cosmos – more than 65 years – I never have seen a smiley face in the night sky. Not once. And I'm sure I won't on the morning of April 25, 2025. Bet you've seen him before: the fake smiley face that's been making the rounds.  In the age in which misinformation is commonplace, many social media sites are sharing this image, purported to show what appears to be a smiley face that will appear that morning in the sky. It's an artificial illustration of the crescent Moon with the planets Venus and Saturn directly above – but all too close and mostly too bright. But before I progress across too many light-years,  a message to my dear friends who have shared the original post and image: This blog is not a slap at you. I'd never do that. My emphasis is where astronomical news is concerned, be sure to follow a trusted source. Otherwise, people are disappointed when they look, and because of that, they may not...

Coming home from the stars and landing firmly on the Earth: In the woods on a lofty ridgetop, near the peak where Appalachian waters are made to choose whether to tumble east or west, a geographic point etched in history lies at the base of a 20th century stone. Image from Facebook that shows the location of the Tripoint. Text accompanying the photo on social media is wildly incorrect. Maybe you've seen it pictured recently in an image posted to Facebook and other social media platforms. The photo itself is accurate; the location described in accompanying texts is not. In truth, this is the point where Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia meet. It is the intersection of the historic Mason-Dixon Line (Pennsylvania's southern border for the most part) and the Deakins Line (the West Virginia-Maryland border after 1912). This stone sits outside of Markleysburg, Pa., in Fayette County. It is not , as some have written, uh . . . in "Northeastern Central Pennsylvania." ...