On this day, 1 December 1955 Rosa Parks, a Black civil rights activist, refused her bus driver’s order that she give up her seat in the “coloured” section to a white passenger after the white section was filled. Contrary to the popular myth that Parks was simply a woman who was tired at the end of the work day and so refused to stand up, she was actually an activist dedicated to fighting segregation, had attended direct action training and had undertaken fundraising work to support other Black women who had previously been arrested for refusing to vacate their seats for white people in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks later declared “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” Her act triggered a widespread bus boycott across the city and gave added impetus to the civil rights movement. https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1597406647111146/?type=3
When the sun sets on 21 December – the winter solstice – people looking up to the sky will see Jupiter and Saturn closer than anyone alive has ever seen them before.
It will be the first time that such a sight has been seen for 800 years.
“Alignments
between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20
years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how
close the planets will appear to one another,” said Rice University
astronomer Patrick Hartigan in a statement.
“You’d
have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to
see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.”
The approach of the two planets has been going on since the summer. As
it reaches its peak, between 16 December and Christmas Day, they will be
separated by less than the width of a full Moon.
“On the evening of closest approach on
Dec 21 they will look like a double planet, separated by only 1/5th the
diameter of the full moon,” said Professor Hartigan.
“For
most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons
will be visible in the same field of view that evening.”
The
two planets should be visible to anyone on Earth, as long as the
weather allows an unrestricted view. But the best visibility will come
about an hour after sunset – when the planets will appear low in the
western sky – and will look better nearer the equator.
For
anyone who misses the astronomical pairing, there will be another
chance to see the sight in 2080. After that there will not be another
opportunity until after 2400.
“But now… I want you to remember to stay good boys and girls. Respect your mothers and fathers, and do what they tell you. Obey your teachers and learn a whole lot. Now, if you do this, I’ll make sure you get good presents from me every year… But if you’re bad boys and girls, your name goes in the Bad Boys and Girls Book… and I’ll bring you something… horrible.”
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