the heavens go to broadway

It has played well out of town.

The previews were well-attended. That odd song in the first act has been replaced by a standing ovation eleven o'clock number. And the stars, though aging, are at the peak of their performance.

After all of the anticipation, the show opens on Broadway tonight.

And, even though it is from another production, Sondheim caught the spirit of tonight's opening in one of his signature lyrics:

Tonight, tonight,
The world is full of light,
With suns and moons all over the place.

Tonight, tonight,
The world is wild and bright,
Going mad, shooting sparks into space.

As you already know, those metaphorical "suns and moons all over the place" are the planets Saturn and Jupiter who have been chasing each other across the sky for the past couple of months (heavenly doings). Tonight, Jupiter will have caught up with Saturn, and, to the naked eye, they may appear as one giant planet.

I would say "one giant star," as some fantastical journalists have been writing for the past month -- attempting to hitch their work to a faux star. But, even the most romantic amongst us, know planets when we see them. Planets are wanderers. Stars are not.

Because of variances in their orbit around the sun, the planets will not really be conjoined. They will remain millions of miles apart.

Our brains, though, will do the work that the planets cannot. A telescope, or even a pair of binoculars, will give you a great view tonight. Both planets should fit in one viewing, and, with a telescope, you can concurrently see the rings of Saturn, the storms of Jupiter, and their respective moons.

Here are Steve's two hints for watching tonight's conjunction.

First, find a spot where you have an unobstructed view of the southwestern horizon. The planets will be relatively low in the sky, so, you might want to combine a sunset trip with your planet-watching because the planets will slip below the horizon relatively soon after the sun sets.

As the light from the sun dims (around 1845 to 1900), the two planets will appear just above the horizon. There is nothing more you need to do than to stand there and watch one of the great shows of the heavens. A conjunction similar to this happened in the daytime in 1623. The last one visible at night was in 1226.

When the planets exit stage right, this type of conjunction will not re-occur for another 60 years, and the conjunction will not be as close as the one tonight. Like Shakespeare's two star-crossed lovers, they will separate and be gone.

My second hint is more of a warning than a hint. Weather will play a part in whether you will be able to see the event. 

When I woke up this morning, the sky was overcast, but the cloud cover has started to break up, even though Weather Underground predicts a cloudy day. If the overhead clouds clear up, there is still one potential viewing problem. Our area has had cloud formations that obscure part of the horizon. If that is true, you may not be able to see the conjoined planets set.

But I truly hope, when the planets become visible tonight, you will be able to witness this pleasant event.

This is people's theater. Tickets are free. But the experience will be based on its value, not its cost.

Enjoy.