Last week-end I was being a good mother and drove my son to a party. We took off not long after the Sun had set. The last few evenings and nights have been crystal clear and completely mesmerizing here, on the countryside a little north of Oslo, Norway. This Friday was no different. As we approached the destination I noticed a very bright light in the sky. Even though it's been a while since I was a professional astronomer or astrophysicist, I maintain my habit of checking out the night sky (read: I do it ALL THE TIME) making 'meaningless' remarks about my observations. At least they are percieved as rather dull and meaningless to whomever I senselessly talk to, constantly forgetting that they do not care that much about extraterrestial matters as I do.

This early evening the light in the sky was almost requiring the use of shades and I couldn't help my self but loudly reflect on the light.

Me: "Look! Is that a plane? "
My son: (silence)
Me: "Is it moving? No. It is too bright. It has to be a planet. No. It is too bright."
My son: (still complete silence)

As we reach a vista point I can see the light from the ski jump VIkersund on the horizon. Last week-end they arranged the FIS Ski-Flying World Championship there. Just before we left home I saw it on TV. They showed footage of the jump taken from a helicopter.

Me: "Do you see blinking? No, it doesn't move. It can't be a plane. Look! Do you see the light from the VIkersund ski-jump? "(I didn't really expect any response so I immediately continued...)

Me: " That light must be a helicopter hoovering over the Vikersund ski-jump!"

My son remained silent during the entire analysis.

However, the first word he ever uttered as a baby was 'Moon'. It was not 'mama' or 'mom' or 'mother' or any other equivalent to that in his mother tongue. Just saying....

I uneasily settled for heilcopter in the night sky, dropped my son and a few friends we'd picked up off at the party, and returned home where I again had the opportunity to study the sky.

That is when I finally realized that 'the helicopter' was in fact the planet Venus!

This month Venus has been bright and beautifully placed close to the crescent Moon. Not only that but Jupiter shines bright too and last week-end they actually aligned forming a triple conjuction together with the Moon.

Come Sunday evening and I went for a walk bringing a video camera. I do not know why, maybe I had to compensate for the obvious fact I am loosing my 'astronomerness' or maybe I'm lost from this world because of too much work? I do not know, but I did make a silly little video based on handheld video recording from my early evening walk. It was a pretty evening and I have used Prokofiev played by my niece to accompany the footage and images from that evening.

Maybe you can imagine just how lovely that walk was? Check it out in the video below.



Should you wish to appear more professional than me you can cheat and read about the monthly sky over at Astrocast.TV where Carolyn Collins Petersen will enlighten you in her Our Night Sky.

If you, like my son, couldn't care less about the planets, but really enjoy classical music, check out the entire Prokofiev Violin Sonata No 2 here.

Note to self:
New business idea: Venusglasses.