Sanibel: a star gazers delight

When trying to describe the beauties and benefits of vacationing on Sanibel Island, there are the obvious ones and then the not so obvious ones.

The Island is a calm, serene place to be sure, but it is also a very dark place at night.

These black velvet skies present a major opportunity, if you are celestially inclined, and that is star-gazing. The City of Sanibel has a dark skies policy so that there is minimal ambient light. Being off shore, with a beach that is oriented to the Gulf, the island has heavenly night sky views. You may well wonder where all those stars came from, or where they were hiding when you were home.

Walking out of your condo or house, the glitter above you is quite astonishing. It is a picture you may never have seen, and the picture frame, towering palms, is nearly as lovely as the picture itself.

In addition to the silver twinkles, in the winter season if you gaze upward to the night sky and look to the east in the early evening, you should see a bright reddish object. This object that might look like a bright red star is actually Mars, the fourth planet out from our Sun.

In Roman mythology, the bright red planet signifies energy, ardor and aggression. They referred to it as "the little evil one" and it represented the God of fire and war. The earliest recorded naming of Mars is credited to ancient Babylonians - 6,000 years ago - who called Mars Negral, their deity of Fire, War and destruction. Greeks also called Mars Pyroeis, meaning fiery. In Hindu Mythology Mars is known as Mangala. Ancient Egyptians referred to Mars as Horus the Red while Hebrews labeled Mars as Ma'adim, "the one who blushes." One of the largest canyons on Mars is today classified as Ma'adim Vallis. Ancient Chinese called Mars the Fire Star, a name based on the ancient mythological cycle of five elements.

Today, science often trumps mythology and mystery, but as you gaze upward at the night sky try to see the objects above you through the eyes of ancient cultures. Let your imagination go, enjoy the spectacles, the colors and the magic.

And one of the nicest things about Sanibel is that there is an expert right on Island who can steer you in the right direction when it comes to star-gazing. Richard Finkel is an Environmental Educator with Captiva Cruises and conducts educational programs including the Sailing Under the Stars Cruise. Comments or questions can be addressed to captivacruises@info.com.

There is a whole world above you on Sanibel just waiting to be explored.