about this site
Catholic Sensibility is a personal blog by a Catholic layperson with comments and occasional other writings by Catholics and non-Catholics. We make no particular claims to have the completeness of a Roman Catholic expression of Christianity. It contains opinion, interpretation, and personal musings. That’s it. Nothing official or authoritatively connected to the Magisterium.
facebook
-
Recent Posts
- Gomez On Biden
- On My Tube: The Great
- Fratelli Tutti 78: Starting At The Local Level
- Some Songs Are A Struggle
- Fratelli Tutti 77: Starting Anew
- Liking The Wrong Kind Of Ideology
- Fratelli Tutti 76: Turning To The Injured Man
- How Long? Not Long
- Fratelli Tutti 75: Robbers And Those Who Benefit
- Lift Ev’ry Voice
Recent Comments
Some Songs Are A Str… on RCIA 597: Songs from Ancient… Todd on White Danger Claire on White Danger chemicalbean on Acolytes and Lectors Liam on Lies And Consequences Liam on A Servant’s Heart Madridismus on William Lombardy Todd on RCIA 67-68: Dismissal and… Ivette Kirschbaum on RCIA 67-68: Dismissal and… Devin Rice on What Inspires? Bible Readings
Vatican II pages
Categories
Blogroll
- … deep in your soul
- A Concord Pastor Comments
- dotCommonweal
- Dyspeptic Mutterings
- Gentle Reign
- Hermano Juancito
- More Meredith Gould
- Perspective
- PrayTell
- The Catholic Astronomer
- The Parish Blog of St. Edward the Confessor
- The Sacred Page
- The Steeplechase
- There Will Be Bread
- Universe Today
- Walk The Way
- WordPress.com
- WordPress.org
Interesting sites
Contact
tf220870(at)gmail(dot)comArchives
Blog Stats
- 10,389,894 hits
Category Archives: Astronomy
What Star Is This?
Here’s an excellent reflection on astronomy and what the Star of Bethlehem could have been. Convincing was the notion that it wasn’t really a celestial object as notable as The First Noel describes: They looked up and saw a starShining … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, Christmas, Scripture
Leave a comment
On My Bookshelf: The Last Stargazers
It’s one of the best science non-fiction books I’ve read this year. Astronomer Emily Levesque accomplishes something informative and accessible in her book. It’s been well-regarded by reviewers and readers alike. When I started reading, I thought it was going … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, On My Bookshelf
Leave a comment
Conjunction Malfunction
The Conjunction of 2020 has been on my calendar for years. When I moved to Minnesota, I thought I’d have a better chance of clear skies. As I mentioned on social media, alas, it’s cloudy where I am, where I … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
Leave a comment
Belt of Venus
On the drive east through North Dakota this evening we beheld the Belt of Venus. I wish I had hands free to snap a picture. Usually, earthlings are more focused on the setting or rising sun and the colorful shadings … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
Leave a comment
Three Bodies, No Problem
The next few nights the fat crescent moon drifts past Jupiter and Saturn as they appear from Planet Earth. Leaving church this evening, the rain clouds had largely cleared, but it was a beautiful sight. The moon illuminated the edges … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
Leave a comment
Mars In Opposition
What is an opposition? It has nothing to do with US elections. It occurs in astronomy when two planets and a star they orbit line up more or less exactly. It takes the blue planet (Earth) a bit more than … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
Leave a comment
Russian Venus
My wife mentioned to me that Russia has claimed Venus. The Soviets were at the forefront of exploration on that planet for the early decades of the Space Age. Sometimes international politics is more noise than substance. In space, there … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, Politics
Leave a comment
Life On Venus?
A handful of scientists are excited about the prospect of life in the upper atmosphere of Venus. Why? The detection of phosphine (below, left), a gas that, to the best of our knowledge, does not occur unless life as we … Continue reading
First Glimpses Last Night
The young miss and I got our first views of the comet. My first in over two decades. We live across the street from a nature preserve, and as you might expect in the Pacific Northwest, we have to contend with … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
Leave a comment
This Week’s Comet
image credit: By Maxime Storn – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 I suppose if the ancients were undergoing pandemic and this comet appeared in the sky, there might be a lot of hand-wringing over this symbol of celestial displeasure. As … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
Leave a comment
Which Virgin?
There is much pagan mythology connected to the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky. If any of you readers indulge your “horrorscope” you might recognize Virgo, designated a virgin. Perhaps regrettably, this rather large grouping of stars does not … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, constellations
Leave a comment
A Tempter In The Sky
Christians know well the story of Genesis 3. The serpent is the first villain in the Bible. At the end of the story, punishments are delivered. Early Christians imagined the extended and winding constellation wrapping around the pole star to … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, constellations
Leave a comment
Book Challenge Day 8
One of my two favorite astronomy books of all time. Usually I go for planets and smaller bodies–my astronomy leans more to geology and physics and cosmology. But this book is great.
Posted in Astronomy, On My Bookshelf
Leave a comment
Book Challenge Day 1
This series will run simultaneously on my fb page. There, no comment, just cover. Here, a few words. This was the first book I wore out. I got another–the same 1956 edition. Today, my go-to field guide for astronomy is … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, On My Bookshelf
Leave a comment
Giotto’s Comet
Seasonally appropriate, perhaps you know Giotto’s Adoration of the Magi. The star of wonder looks like a comet to me. Europe’s 1980’s probe to Halley’s comet was named for him, because of this painting. Giotto was thought to have been … Continue reading