In a stimulating wander this morning round our thoughts on the current turbulent state of a world in transition, my colleague Christina Rodenbeck of The Oxford Astrologer and I were immersed in reflecting on the upcoming shift of Pluto into Aquarius in 2023/4.

Suddenly I remembered I had written about this momentous astro-event in a 2017 post: my words seem highly relevant now, beginning with a description of The European Extremely Large Telescope…:

“…It will …perform ”stellar archaeology” in nearby galaxies, as well as make fundamental contributions to cosmology by measuring the properties of the first stars and galaxies and probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy. On top of this astronomers are also planning for the unexpected — new and unforeseeable questions will surely arise (my emphases) from the new discoveries made with the ELT. The ELT may, eventually, revolutionise our perception of the Universe, much as Galileo’s telescope did, 400 years ago…’ (1)…

Now – here is the bit that made me sit bolt upright, almost spilling my tea:

…First light, ie the first use of a telescope (or, in general, a new instrument) to take an astronomical image after it has been constructed,  is currently planned for  – 2024…(2)…”

To read the whole post including my thoughts in 2017 re what the 2023/4 Pluto into Aquarius shift might bring, click HERE…

243 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2022
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