Halfway through winter…
The groundhog and I seeing
A chilly shadow.
    --Bob Eklund, Los Angeles, California U.S.A.

On the astronomical calendar, February 2 is the date when planet Earth’s orbit takes it to the midpoint between the December Solstice and the March Equinox—here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re exactly halfway through winter.

But this date is better known, in North America at least, as Groundhog Day.  In American folklore, a small, marmot-like animal called a groundhog is supposed to come out of its hole on February 2 and observe the weather.  If there is sunshine and it sees its shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter weather.  The American news media likes to do light-hearted features about this, and they usually focus on a particular groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  This year, they say that this creature (known as “Punxutawney Phil”) did see his shadow, so we evidently have 6 more weeks of winter to look forward to.  (By an odd coincidence, there are exactly 6 weeks until the March Equinox, the first day of spring!)

Click here for a fun article on the subject.

by Bob Eklund

The Moon's unlit side
Is glowing with light tonight --
The light we give off.

Someone's gloomy side
Lights up because of your smile --
The light you give off.

by Tony Berendsen (of Tahoe Star Tours)

The whole creation
Is yearning skyward tonight…
What are we seeing?

--by Bob Eklund, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.




PHOTO CAPTION:
Erin Emily Eklund, age 8, gives her dog Leia a peek at Planet Jupiter.  What does Leia see?  Photo by Dana Eklund, Valencia, California, U.S.A.

-by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe-
 
Yesterday evening  when I returned home desolate
after a new hard day at my stressing job,
I felt the pressure of a superior light
for the first time after a few cloudy weeks.
 
“You forget me too often
while I think of you all the time!”
said to me the Moon
and then she asked me:
 
“How many real friends
do you have?”

--by Deirdre Kelleghan, Bray County Wicklow, Ireland (AWB National Coordinator for Ireland)


Luna rose in Jupiter mood
Bands and zones Cloud slices Eclipsing the eclipse

--by Bob Eklund

Thirty-four degrees
Latitude and temperature
Under solstice stars.

--Bob Eklund

--Bob Eklund

I had a chance to experience the differences in the seasons directly, having just returned from a meeting at the International Astronomical Union's new Office of Astronomy for Development in Cape Town, South Africa.  Leaving my home in southern California at 34 degrees north latitude, I found myself at close to 34 degrees south.  So as well as the 10-hour time change, I also went from the summer solstice to the winter solstice -- longest day of the year to the shortest.  And by coincidence, Cape Town has the same type of climate - Mediterranean - which exists in only a few places in the world.  The plants were all familiar to me; most of our garden plants come from South Africa and everything was similar, even when slightly different.  There was more than a little difference in animals the zebra and baboons I saw in South Africa aren't found roaming about in California.  But the most amazing experience for me was that it felt so much like home in so many ways except for the season.  I quickly get used to the time differences caused by changes in longitude, but I had trouble getting used to the sense that I had been transported six months ahead to a southern California late spring, with warm weather and the Sun almost overhead at noon.  It was great, but coming back to very short days, cold and rain was pretty depressing!