On the wheel of the year, four astronomical events are pivotal: the fall and spring equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices. Known as “quarter days,” they mark culminations and turning points in the changing relationship of planet Earth to our Sun. Quarter days mark the swing from times of equal day and night to times of greatest and least sunshine. People throughout time have created holidays and monuments to express the affects these astronomical experiences have on our lives. We participate in the movement of the cosmos, cultivate and celebrate our connection to the heavens and the land.
“Cross-quarter” days are more or less at the midpoints between equinoxes and solstices. The fourth cross-quarter day, Halloween, 5 ½ weeks after the autumnal equinox, coincides with harvest celebrations. We light pumpkin lanterns as the season of darkness envelops us. The brilliant, pumpkin-colored star, Arcturus, rises where our own star, the Sun, rises on summer mornings, in the east-northeast, and sets where the summer Sun goes down in the west-northwest. Arcturus appears as a glimmer of the summer sun that is visible on October mornings and evenings.
Sunrise on the 2nd is at 7:27 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT.) Look for Arcturus, the second brightest star in northern skies, close above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise. Brilliant planet Venus appears to Arcturus’ right, in the east-southeast. Search for Venus until about 15 minutes before sunrise!
Sunset on the 2nd is at 5:47. Arcturus sets less than 2 hours later. As twilight deepens and night falls, go to a location with a clear view to the west-northwest to catch a parting glimpse of the great star.
Clocks fall back an hour to Eastern Standard Time at 2:00am on Sunday the 5th, when sunup is at 6:31, sundown at 4:43pm. The Full Harvest Moon rises at 6:33pm on the 4th, opposite setting Arcturus.
In parting, for the midnight and beyond set, catch a Taurid fireball. They’re a part of the season. For a virtual view, go to this Taurid fireball video, click here.