Planetary Parade

Astronomy enthusiasts and casual stargazers alike have something extraordinary to look forward to at the end of February. For one brief moment, on the evening of February 28, 2025, all seven planets—Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn—will align in the night sky, creating a captivating planetary parade. This remarkable event marks the last time such an alignment will be visible until 2040, making it an occasion not to be missed.

What to Expect

The planetary parade will unfold shortly after sunset, with each planet showcasing its brilliance against the backdrop of the evening sky. While most of these celestial bodies will shine brighter than even the brightest stars, Uranus and Neptune will likely require binoculars or a telescope for a better view.

Currently, six of the planets are already aligned, but stargazers will have to wait until February 28 for Mercury to make its debut just above the horizon. Dr. Christopher Barnes, a senior lecturer at the University of Derby, explains the visibility details: “Mars will appear in the east, Jupiter and Uranus in the southeast, and Venus, Neptune, and Saturn in the west.”

Viewing Tips

For those wishing to experience this cosmic event, the best time to observe will be just after sunset when the stars begin to appear. Dr. Barnes suggests that even people in urban areas, where light pollution is often an issue, will be able to see most of the planets. However, seeking a location away from city lights will enhance the viewing experience.

The Benefits of Stargazing

Beyond the thrilling visual spectacle, taking time to gaze upon the stars and planets offers numerous benefits for one’s mental and emotional well-being. Dr. Barnes points out that stargazing encourages mindfulness, allowing individuals to detach from the stresses of daily life. “Engaging with the night sky fosters a sense of peace, restoration, and perspective,” he says.

Future Events

After February 28, the next opportunity to see a planetary alignment of five or more planets will occur in late October 2028 and again in February 2034. However, another seven-planet alignment will not be witnessed for another 15 years, making this February a particularly special occasion.

To cater to those unable to view the parade due to unfavorable weather or light pollution, several observatories will provide live streams of the event. This means everyone can partake in this astral celebration from the comfort of their homes.

As we approach February 28, it’s time to mark your calendars for this rare planetary parade. Whether you grab your telescope, plan a trip to a dark-sky location, or tune in to a live stream, don’t miss your chance to witness this extraordinary alignment of the planets, a spectacle that will be remembered long after it fades from view. Prepare to look up and enjoy the wonders of our solar system!

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Resources:

Who doesn’t love a parade, especially a planet parade? How and when to see up to 7 planets

Planetary Parade will soon be visible in the evening sky

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Kate Clifford Larson, Brandeis University

Harriet Tubman was barely 5 feet tall and didn’t have a dime to her name.

What she did have was a deep faith and powerful passion for justice that was fueled by a network of Black and white abolitionists determined to end slavery in America.

“I had reasoned this out in my mind,” Tubman once told an interviewer. “There was one of two things I had a right to, liberty, or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other; for no man should take me alive.”

Though Tubman is most famous for her successes along the Underground Railroad, her activities as a Civil War spy are less well known.

As a biographer of Tubman, I think this is a shame. Her devotion to America and its promise of freedom endured despite suffering decades of enslavement and second class citizenship.

It is only in modern times that her life is receiving the renown it deserves, most notably her likeness appearing on a US$20 bill in 2030. The Harriet Tubman $20 bill will replace the current one featuring a portrait of U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

In another recognition, Tubman was accepted in June 2021 to the United States Army Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. She is one of 278 members, 17 of whom are women, honored for their special operations leadership and intelligence work.

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Though traditional accolades escaped Tubman for most of her life, she did achieve an honor usually reserved for white officers on the Civil War battlefield.

After she led a successful raid of a Confederate outpost in South Carolina that saw 750 Black people rescued from slavery, a white commanding officer fetched a pitcher of water for Tubman as she remained seated at a table.

A different education

Believed to have been born in March 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was named Araminta by her enslaved parents, Rit and Ben Ross.

“Minty” was the fifth of nine Ross children. She was frequently separated from her family by her white enslaver, Edward Brodess, who started leasing her to white neighbors when she was just 6 years old.

At their hands, she endured physical abuse, harsh labor, poor nutrition and intense loneliness.

As I learned during my research into Tubman’s life, her education did not happen in a traditional classroom, but instead was crafted from the dirt. She learned to read the natural world – forests and fields, rivers and marshes, the clouds and stars.

She learned to walk silently across fields and through the woods at night with no lights to guide her. She foraged for food and learned a botanist’s and chemist’s knowledge of edible and poisonous plants – and those most useful for ingredients in medical treatments.

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She could not swim, and that forced her to learn the ways of rivers and streams – their depths, currents and traps.

She studied people, learned their habits, watched their movements – all without being noticed. Most important, she also figured out how to distinguish character. Her survival depended on her ability to remember every detail.

After a brain injury left her with recurring seizures, she was still able to work at jobs often reserved for men. She toiled on the shipping docks and learned the secret communication and transportation networks of Black mariners.

Known as Black Jacks, these men traveled throughout the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic seaboard. With them, she studied the night sky and the placement and movement of the constellations.

She used all those skills to navigate on the water and land.

“… and I prayed to God,” she told one friend, “to make me strong and able to fight, and that’s what I’ve always prayed for ever since.”

Tubman was clear on her mission. “I should fight for my liberty,” she told an admirer, “as long as my strength lasted.”

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The Moses of the Underground Railroad

In the fall of 1849, when she was about to be sold away from her family and free husband John Tubman, she fled Maryland to freedom in Philadelphia.

Between 1850 and 1860, she returned to the Eastern Shore of Maryland about 13 times and successfully rescued nearly 70 friends and family members, all of whom were enslaved. It was an extraordinary feat given the perils of the 1850 Slave Fugitive Act, which enabled anyone to capture and return any Black man or woman, regardless of legal status, to slavery.

Those leadership qualities and survival skills earned her the nickname “Moses” because of her work on the Underground Railroad, the interracial network of abolitionists who enabled Black people to escape from slavery in the South to freedom in the North and Canada.

As a result, she attracted influential abolitionists and politicians who were struck by her courage and resolve – men like William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown and Frederick Douglass. Susan B. Anthony, one of the world’s leading activists for women’s equal rights, also knew of Tubman, as did abolitionist Lucretia Mott and women’s rights activist Amy Post.

“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years,” Tubman once said. “and I can say what most conductors can’t say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”

Battlefield soldier

When the Civil War started in the spring of 1861, Tubman put aside her fight against slavery to conduct combat as a soldier and spy for the United States Army. She offered her services to a powerful politician.

Known for his campaign to form the all-Black 54th and 55th regiments, Massachusetts Gov. John Andrew admired Tubman and thought she would be a great intelligence asset for the Union forces.

He arranged for her to go to Beaufort, South Carolina, to work with Army officers in charge of the recently captured Hilton Head District.

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There, she provided nursing care to soldiers and hundreds of newly liberated people who crowded Union camps. Tubman’s skill curing soldiers stricken by a variety of diseases became legendary.

But it was her military service of spying and scouting behind Confederate lines that earned her the highest praise.

She recruited eight men and together they skillfully infiltrated enemy territory. Tubman made contact with local enslaved people who secretly shared their knowledge of Confederate movements and plans.

Wary of white Union soldiers, many local African Americans trusted and respected Tubman.

According to George Garrison, a second lieutenant with the 55th Massachusetts Regiment, Tubman secured “more intelligence from them than anybody else.”

In early June 1863, she became the first woman in U.S. history to command an armed military raid when she guided Col. James Montgomery and his 2nd South Carolina Colored Volunteers Regiment along the Combahee River.

While there, they routed Confederate outposts, destroyed stores of cotton, food and weapons – and liberated over 750 enslaved people.

The Union victory was widely celebrated. Newspapers from Boston to Wisconsin reported on the river assault by Montgomery and his Black regiment, noting Tubman’s important role as the “Black she Moses … who led the raid, and under whose inspiration it was originated and conducted.”

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Ten days after the successful attack, radical abolitionist and soldier Francis Jackson Merriam witnessed Maj. Gen. David Hunter, commander of the Hilton Head district, “go and fetch a pitcher of water and stand waiting with it in his hand while a black woman drank, as if he had been one of his own servants.”

In that letter to Gov. Andrew, Merriam added, “that woman was Harriet Tubman.”

Lifelong struggle

Despite earning commendations as a valuable scout and soldier, Tubman still faced the racism and sexism of America after the Civil War.

When she sought payment for her service as a spy, the U.S. Congress denied her claim. It paid the eight Black male scouts, but not her.

Unlike the Union officers who knew her, the congressmen did not believe – they could not imagine – that she had served her country like the men under her command, because she was a woman.

Gen. Rufus Saxton wrote that he bore “witness to the value of her services… She was employed in the Hospitals and as a spy [and] made many a raid inside the enemy’s lines displaying remarkable courage, zeal and fidelity.”

Thirty years later, in 1899, Congress awarded her a pension for her service as a Civil War nurse, but not as a soldier spy.

When she died from pneumonia on March 10, 1913, she was believed to have been 91 years old and had been fighting for gender equality and the right to vote as a free Black woman for more than 50 years after her work during the Civil War.

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Surrounded by friends and family, the deeply religious Tubman showed one last sign of leadership, telling them: “I go to prepare a place for you.”

Kate Clifford Larson, Professor of History, Brandeis University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Hello ARAC members and supporters!

It’s that exciting time of year again – scholarship season! 🎓 If you know any graduating high school seniors in Arizona who are planning to further their education in college, make sure to share the news about the incredibly valuable Ashby-Herring and William A. Campbell Memorial Scholarships.

Ashby-Herring Scholarships: Empowering the Next Generation

The Archer Ragsdale Arizona Chapter is thrilled to provide two $1,500 scholarships to deserving students through the Ashby-Herring scholarship program. This initiative is all about supporting African American high school seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence and are on the path to college.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Graduating high school senior from Arizona
• Planning to attend a 2 or 4-year college/university
• African American
• Minimum 3.0 GPA
• Demonstrated financial need

The deadline to apply for the Ashby-Herring scholarships is fast approaching—April 15! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain financial assistance as they embark on their college journey.

Students can simplify their application process by applying through the Arizona Community Foundation. One application opens the door to over 160 eligible scholarships, making it easier for them to find the right funding for their educational goals.

Honoring Legacy: The William A. Campbell Memorial Scholarship

In addition to the Ashby-Herring scholarships, we are delighted to continue the tradition of honoring the legacy of William A. Campbell with the William A. Campbell Memorial Scholarship. Sponsored by Steve Campbell, the son of the late William A. Campbell, and Colonel Richard Toliver Ret., this scholarship aims to support students pursuing careers in STEM.

Eligibility Criteria:

• High school senior with a minimum overall GPA of 2.7
• Attending college/university with a major in any STEM discipline
• Submission of a 500-word essay detailing how the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy has motivated you

One to two scholarships of $1,500 will be awarded annually, with applications accepted until May 31. This scholarship not only provides financial support but also connects students to a rich heritage of perseverance and excellence.

Workshops and Support

To ensure that applicants feel confident and prepared, several workshops have been scheduled to guide students through the application process. These workshops will provide valuable insights and tips to help make the application stand out.

For more information about scholarship offerings or to attend a workshop, please reach out to the Arizona Community Foundation at [email protected].

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Spread the Word!

Help us ensure that deserving students don’t miss out on these fantastic opportunities! If you know someone who could benefit from these scholarships, please share this information with them. Together, we can empower the next generation of leaders and scholars.

Let’s make education accessible and celebrated. Thank you for your support and for spreading the word!

Happy scholarship season! 🌟

For further details, check the Arizona Community Foundation website or contact our scholarship contacts. Your support can make a world of difference! https://www.azfoundation.org/scholarship-seekers/scholarships/

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