Hold onto your celestial hats, stargazers: Capricornus, the scandalously shape-shifting constellation, is tiptoeing into your line of sight this very month, ready to waltz across the cosmic stage. Named for more than just some mythical goat-fish, I’ll have you know. No darling, Capricornus is the embodiment of a millennia-old tale of desperation, transformation, and escape. Hold your horses - alert the astronomers!
If only it were simple to spot. Notoriously coy and elusive, discerning Capricornus from the great theatre of stars gracing our night sky takes a deft eye, indeed! A shape-shifter like no other, you wouldn’t know her to see her among the ‘hood of 88 constellations. After all, contrary to what the naïve spectator might expect, this cosmic courtesan takes no clear form of either goat OR fish! Yet, every mortal with a penchant for stargazing will feel their heart flutter as she finally reveals herself.
What’s that you ask, dear reader? ‘When will this be?’ One should never rush a lady, least of all one who traverses the heavens. However, for those who simply cannot wait, I implore you to keep Prime-Time viewing hours between September and October in your schedule wide open. And pray the weather gods are on your side, with clear, cloudless nights to allow this divine performance to unfold.
Oh! And should you be so fortunate as to have a telescope at hand, you’d best not let the opportunity slip through your fingers. For trust me, dear friends, getting up to some stargazing tomfoolery with Capricornus under the scrutinizing eye of your telescope is an encounter to be savored. So hurry, dust off those celestial binoculars, clear out a viewing spot, and prepare to bear witness to this tantalizing spectacle! Watch her shimmy her way across the night sky, her dance as elusive and fascinating as the animal-human hybrid from which she gets her peculiar name.
In this delightful cosmic dance, however, lies a sobering reminder - as our climate continues to totter precariously on the edge, our chances of witnessing such performances stand threatened. The lights of the city, the pollution that hangs so heavy in our atmosphere - I implore you all, consider the consequences, or we may find ourselves deprived of the very stage on which this enchanting drama folds out!
But enough of gloom and doom, let the show begin, as Capricornus, this celestial mystery, takes to the stage, ready to enthrall us once again. Our cosmic actress is ready for her curtain call, and you simply MUST not miss it!